Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced the groundbreaking for the buildout of major elements of Sojourner Truth State Park (STSP) in Ulster County, including a new swimming facility and bathhouse pavilion.
eDesignDynamic’s scope in STSP included restoration planting throughout the site. Specifically in this region of the park, EDD designed native restoration planting zones which surround the ‘lake beachfront’, including hardy, regional species which can adapt to the wide range of environmental conditions and atypical soils of the quarry site. EDD developed novel planting typologies to allow for tree and groundcover material to successfully establish in-situ within the quarry rock face and steep slopes of the site.
EDD also completed restoration designs which will be constructed in a future phase: Adjacent to the swimming pavilion, EDD developed plans to enhance and restore wetlands just south of Quarry Lake (now known as Lake Sophia). These wetlands will employ a ‘hummocks’ planting method to create microtopography which allows the restored wetland to adapt to varied hydrology conditions between wet and dry seasons. The design intent is to develop a closed-canopy system to minimize the threat of non-native and invasive plants which tend to thrive in disturbed, post-industrial landscapes like Sojourner Truth State Park.