Friends and neighbors, mark your calendars — Roosevelt Island’s very first Miyawaki Pocket Forest is turning one, and we’re celebrating in style! Join iDig2Learn, local leaders, and guests from the Lenape Center on Saturday, September 20, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., rain or shine. The forest and festivities will be right here on Roosevelt Island, New York, NY 10044.
What is a Miyawaki Pocket Forest?
Inspired by the Miyawaki method, this “mini-forest” is designed to grow fast and foster a dense, self-sustaining ecosystem using native plants. Roosevelt Island’s pocket forest is part of a growing movement to bring urban greenery into small spaces as a way to support biodiversity, improve air, and create pockets of calm in the city.
What’s Happening at the First Birthday
Here’s what’s on the agenda — there is something for everyone:
- A welcome from the Lenape Center, where leaders will share stories and local indigenous perspectives.
- A “show & tell” of the forest: tours to see how it’s grown, what’s blooming or thriving.
- An interactive art activity: write a birthday wish to the forest. (Bring your creativity!)
- Take-home compost you can use for trees or plantings in your own neighborhood.
- A pop-up photo exhibition to reflect on the past year and celebrate what’s been accomplished.
Why This Matters
- Urban forests like this help to clean air and cool neighborhoods.
- They offer educational opportunities for kids and adults alike to learn about ecology, native plants, and restoration.
- They knit us together as a community; this pocket forest is our shared space to care for.
How You Can Join In
- Bring your family, friends, or neighbors for a walk, a wish, or some art time.
- If you have plants or compost you’d like to contribute, check with organizers ahead of time.
- Share on social media to spread the word — the more people who care, the more these green spaces thrive.
Let’s celebrate (and nurture) what we’ve grown together. Can’t wait to see you there!
The Line That Didn’t Land
I stood in the back of Good Shepherd Chapel on the evening of April 15, 2026, at the Steam Plant Demolition Town Hall, watching people adjust scarves and jackets before the meeting began. Benjamin Jones, President and CEO of RIOC, thanked us for attending and, without a pause, said he was “pleased to host tonight’s town hall on the city’s demolition of its steam plant.” The demolition, in other words, was not up for discussion.
