Shepherd University to cosponsor riparian buffer planting

ISSUED: 27 March 2008
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
(Shepherd University to cosponsor riparian buffer planting)

Shepherdstown, WV--Shepherd University will be cosponsoring a Town Run riparian buffer planting workday on Saturday, March 29 beginning at 9 a.m. at Morgan's Grove Park in Shepherdstown. Volunteers are needed to assist in planting a riparian buffer along Town Run. Riparian buffers are natural vegetative areas adjacent to waterways which help filter contaminants before they enter the stream and also aid is stabilizing streambanks and preventing erosion. Jefferson County Watershed Coalition was recently awarded a grant through the Chesapeake Bay Program and the West Virginia Conservation Agency to address this public area within the Bay drainage. Town Run is a concern to resource agencies and local citizens based upon consistent high fecal coliform levels.

Representatives from state and local resource agencies will be on hand to provide a brief overview of the project and its goals as well as directing volunteers with the planting. Holes for the trees and shrubs will be pre-drilled and marked for planting. Snacks and drinks will be provided; lunch and tools will not be provided. The work is expected to be completed by 1 p.m. To pre-register, contact Barbie Elliott, West Virginia Conservation Agency, at 304/263-4376 or to belliott@wvca.us.

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