Suffolk County Community College Grant Campus - Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary Committee

 

Image of the garden a few months after planting, in July 2026

Sustainability and commitment to the environment have long been core values of Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) here on Long Island. Three decades ago, on the Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood, college administration designated 40 acres of undeveloped mature forest on campus to remain in its natural state as a Nature Preserve. In 1996, the preserve opened, offering an interpretive winding trail, an outdoor classroom, and a bird nesting box area.

From this initiative, the Nature Preserve Committee was formed. Though faces have changed over the last 30 years, the mission remains the same, a collaborative enthusiastic team of like-minded faculty, administration, staff, and students, continues to oversee the preserve and campus bio-shed.

Learning of ReWild’s Garden Program in September of 2025 was a synchronistic occurrence, a chance encounter in the elevator between a committee member and a SCCC student passionately involved in the native plant community. Now, among the 2026 Garden Program Grant recipients, the committee is very excited to welcome the first SCCC Grant Campus sustainable Native Pollinator Garden to the front entrance of the Renewable Energy & STEM building. Many student volunteers joined the committee in the efforts to clear the grass, plant a diverse variety of native species promising year-round appeal, and spread the mulch, giving the overlooked green space new life that promotes:

  • Environmental Stewardship: Supporting sustainability, biodiversity (providing food and habitat for pollinators), and conservation while beautifying the campus. 

  • Experiential Learning: Providing outdoor research resources and a living laboratory that connects students to nature’s importance. 

  • Community Engagement: Building community by encouraging involvement across disciplines.

  • Curiosity & Joy: Nurturing a sense of wonder, while thoroughly enjoying the collaborative work.



Design created by the SCCC team in ReWild’s Sustainable Garden Design Workshop.

Plant icons by Wren Halpern https://www.wrenhalpern.com/

Additional financial support for the project came from local businesses and the generous donation of Suffolk Community College Foundation Board of Director and First Vice Chair, Michael J. Grant Jr., son of the former Legislator the campus is named after. A bench, in memory of his mother, Georgia Grant, will be added to overlook the garden. After learning Georgia had a love and appreciation for trees, some committee members naturally began greeting the space as “Georgia’s Garden.”

This garden has been an invitation to serve our environment, becoming one more steppingstone in the corridor of creating a safe pathway of interconnected habitat for Long Island. Whether students are causally drawn to sit and study by the rock garden at the foot of the garden or called to investigate deeper collecting data, the garden no doubt will inspire, becoming a valuable resource for the college community for many years to come.


For more information, email mckeowj@sunysuffolk.edu