MINISINK FORD, NY — A ribbon cutting on Saturday, August 15 marked the official opening of a Monarch Waystation Pollinator and Educational Garden off Route 97 in the hamlet of Minisink Ford—but the garden’s still got plenty of room to grow from there. 

The River Reporter caught up with Jess Lewis, founder of Mama Garden Co. and lead on the pollinator garden, during the installation process prior to the ribbon cutting. Lewis said the garden will grow into its full self over the next three years, with the goal being that, after that time, it will be self-sustaining. 

The garden is filled with plants of varying sizes, with several of them (including dogwood) with the ability to grow much taller than their current state with time, said Lewis. 

The garden itself is filled with plants to support monarch butterflies and other native pollinators. It’s at a site that already hosted a smaller garden, complete with a wooden carving of a monarch butterfly. 

Lewis said she started working with the Town of Highland a few years ago. She noticed there were already monarch butterflies present in that space, which sparked a conversation about plants that could support them. 

Monarch populations (as well as pollinator populations) have been on the decline, said Lewis. “We’re hopeful that this will help that population this year.”

The garden will be beneficial for humans as well, said Lewis. Planted by the side of Route 97, it sits alongside a major roadway, making it a perfect waystation for humans as well as critters. 

Lewis is hopeful that the garden will be a place for people to hang out in and not just wander through. 

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