Volunteers are being sought to plant more than 300 native trees and shrubs along the Conococheague Creek on the Wilson College campus in Chambersburg, Franklin County, on April 26 as part of a special buffer planting and festival event.

The event kicks off Trees for Tomorrow, a county-wide effort to plant 150,000 new trees in the Conococheague Watershed.

Trees for Tomorrow is a joint initiative of the Franklin County Commissioners and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, with funding provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

“The goal of ‘Trees for Tomorrow’ is to plant 150,000 new trees in Franklin County by 2016 to foster clean water, clean air and a better quality of life for all residents,” said Donna Morelli, director of ACB’s Pennsylvania office.

Wilson College, which is committed to environmental sustainability and has already completed several stream improvement projects with partners such as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, was a likely setting to launch “Trees for Tomorrow,” according to Morelli.

Wilson and ACB officials hope to attract 100 volunteers for the April 26 tree-planting, which will begin with registration at 8 a.m. in the parking area behind the Brooks Complex and will run until 3:30 p.m., with a festival atmosphere featuring music, food, student activities, campus tours and remarks by Wilson’s president, Barbara K. Mistick, Morelli, and Chris Mayer, program manager of Wilson’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Living, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Planting trees and shrubs along the Conococheague creates a riparian buffer, which helps improve stream quality by filtering runoff and moderating water temperature, among other things, according to Wilson’s Edward Wells, professor of environmental studies and director of the ES program.

“The buffer will provide outdoor classroom opportunities our students,” Wells said. “We also plan to install signage that informs the public about stream restoration and educates people about what can be done in every community to improve water quality.”

Volunteers will work in teams, planting native trees and shrubs in pre-dug holes along the Conococheague, starting roughly behind Wilson’s Brooks Science Complex and running northwest to a point before the bridge leading to Wilson’s equestrian center and organic farm.

After the planting is completed, volunteers will be treated to a free lunch in the Wilson dining hall. In the afternoon, student organizations will have booths offering things like tie-dying (participants should bring a T-shirt), fruit smoothies and root beer floats, food/snacks, T-shirts and face-painting.

Other students and/or faculty will be making art and dance. Tours will be given of Fulton Farm, the Brooks Science Complex, stream improvements at Wilson and the overall campus.

To register to volunteer, contact Margaret Light, Wilson director of corporate and foundation relations, by sending email to: margaret.light@wilson.edu or call 717-264-4141, Ext. 3179.  Online registration is also available.

4/21/2014