Since last year, residents of Roosevelt Island have been volunteering to prevent tourists and influencers from damaging the community's beautiful cherry blossom trees. Roosevelt Island is a residential neighborhood of New York City with a population of about 12,000, situated in the center of the East River.
For decades, the island was infrequently visited by tourists, but social media has made it a popular destination. Posts of influencers posing in front of the island's pink trees with the backdrop of the New York City skyline have drawn thousands of imitators and people curious to see the cherry blossoms themselves.
Roosevelt Island boasts more than 100 cherry blossom trees, including the yoshino, okame, kanzan and weeping higan varieties, which have been in peak bloom this month, meaning the island is also in its peak tourist season. The island's surge in popularity has prompted residents to create the 'Petal Protector program,' a volunteer force of locals who wear pink high-visibility vests and politely ask tourists not to climb the trees or pluck their flowers.
Karen Jennemann, 70, a retired judge and resident of Roosevelt Island, is one of the 37 petal protectors who volunteered for the program this year. 'We love the cherry trees,' she told the New York Times. 'So it just seemed like an easy thing, a good thing to do.'
The Petal Protector program was created last year after a Microsoft Teams meeting to prepare for the tourist season that was organized by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, which is the state authority that runs the island. During the meeting, a resident named Jennifer Engstler suggested that locals volunteer as 'cherry blossom rangers' to deter destructive behavior from visitors and influencers that could damage the island's iconic trees. Twenty-five people quickly signed up, and 12 more joined the ranks this year.
BJ Jones, president of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, told the New York Times that the volunteers demonstrate 'how much the community cares about this island.' The petal protectors are gentle in their approach, as their goal is not to scare tourists away. The yearly influx of visitors drawn by the cherry blossoms is a boon to local businesses.
Beyond chastising inconsiderate influencers, the volunteers also answer tourists' questions and hand out flyers with a QR code that brings up a digital map of the island that highlights shops, restaurants and, of course, the locations of the trees. 'The cherry blossoms are amazing, but we’re more than just cherry blossoms,' Jones told the New York Times.
And the trees are just as effective at drawing in visitors who saw them online as those who see them in person for the first time. Some tourists who ride the famous Roosevelt Island Tramway, an aerial cable car that offers panoramic views of the New York City skyline, stick around on the island after seeing its gorgeous, flowering cherry blossoms.
Lisa Tranter, a tourist from England who was visiting with her husband and daughter, told the New York Times that they had planned to just ride the tram back and forth for the views, but they decided to stroll around the island after seeing its trees. 'There’s so much more here than we thought,' she told the outlet.
