Several state agencies, including the Department of Corrections, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Protection, are partnering in planting riparian buffers to help mitigate water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

A riparian buffer or stream buffer is a vegetated area near a stream, usually forested, which helps shade and partially protect the stream from the impact of adjacent land uses.

It plays a key role in increasing water quality in associated streams, rivers and lakes, thus providing environmental benefits.

SCI Huntingdon inmates are participating in a pilot program with these agencies, the Riparian Buffer Vocational Training project, which is another workforce development program. Participants gaining knowledge of which trees and shrubbery are best used in stream buffers and proper planting techniques.

The Community Work Program crews at SCI Huntingdon have also visited a working riparian buffer site and helped to clear another overgrown riparian buffer.

Upon successful completion of the Riparian Buffer training, participants will receive a certification in the program.

DCNR has also partnered with SCI Rockview to support its Forestry Camp to provide inmates with training to manage the forests on the 2,500 Rockview property and implement an arboriculture course to train inmates to find jobs in the field of tree maintenance.

(Reprinted from the Correctional NewsFront webpage.)

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8/19/2019