Volunteers Needed for Environmental Project This Sunday in Laurel

Plant a Tree, Protect Your Water!

Laurel – September 18, 2013: The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is joining with local students to build a forest to protect the local watershed. Volunteers are needed to help plant trees and safeguard the Patuxent River this Sunday, September 22, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at 11000 Harding Road in Laurel.

Grab a shovel and assist in the planting of 200 trees, which come by way of Howard County’s Stream ReLeaf Program.  The program seeks to create and enhance riparian forest buffers (protective strips of trees, shrubs and other vegetation's along a stream) to improve water quality and wildlife habitat. 

Sunday’s tree-planting project includes students from the University of Maryland with assistance from local high school students. The work will take place on the banks of the Patuxent River, with 50 swamp white oaks, 50 alders, 50 eastern redbud and 50 serviceberries going into the ground. The trees were chosen for their value in not only stopping erosion, but also creating habitat for birds and other wildlife.

The project is designed to protect Rocky Gorge Reservoir, which, along with Triadelphia Reservoir provides approximately a third of the surface water that WSSC treats for its 1.8 million customers.

For more information on volunteering, contact Kim Knox at (301) 206-8100 or kknox@wsscwater.com.