810-Uncaster Farming, Saturday, May 2, 1991
c-u
JINNY WILT
Adams Co. Correspondent
Earth Day took on a special
meaning for 21 high school stu
dents from Bermudian Springs
School District who took part in
planting trees along an eroded
stream in Adams County.
Agricultural teacher John
Wardle explained that the stu
dents - organized into teams -
planted 700 black willow, pin
oak and hawthorn trees along a
tributary of Latimore Creek on
the Green Vistas Farm owned by
former Pa. Secretary of
Agriculture Jane Alexander,
who works as an attorney.
Wardle, standing in the pas
ture near the creek, said, "When
you look up through here you
can see a stream bank that's
been washed away by erosion
over the last several years. Also
some animals off to the right
that are contributing some
nitrates and manure and we re
trying to repair this area and
actually make it better for water
quality and wildlife as well as
the environment. Hopefully
we'll come back in a couple of
years and see this area, having
instead of a lot of erosion, water
running through it, with a lot of
tree planting, improving the
habitat for the wildlife and even
tually improving the water qual
ity because this runs into the
Chesapeake Bay."
The teacher explained that
for his part - the project was a
cooperative effort with the
Adams County Conservation
District. About 50 students com
peted in a contest to win the
Jenny Westfall, a senior at Bermudian Springs High
School, wades through the creek while participating In the
tfeep planting project for Earth Day. ,
Students Plant Trees On Earth Day
right to take part in the actual
tree planting.
David Kann, technician for
the conservation district, sited
the trees the day before the
plantings took place and on
Earth .Day the students, in
seven groups, each were given
specific jobs such as digging the
holes, planting the trees, and
putting sleeves around them to
protect the saplings from hun
gry wildlife.
The species of trees were cho
sen because they are common to
the area and like a wet environ
ment, Wardle said. The stream
is already fenced off except for
crossings in an effort to keep the
cattle that graze in the pasture
from polluting it.
Wardle said about 25 percent
out of a student body of 550 is
taking agriculture at
Bermudian Springs. While not
all of the students will actually
be farming they will become
involved in agricultural-related
jobs.
Chris Seymore, 17, a senior,
said he was helping because he
likes the forest "and in a couple
year I'd like to see what a differ
ence it made."
Seymore is joined by Tyler
Klunk, 16, a sophomore, and
Jason Ahlers, 17, a senior, in
digging holes to plant the trees.
Ahlers said he took part in
the project because he liked to
help improve the environment.
Keann said the conservation
district received a grant from
the Chesapeake Bay Alliance of
Harrisburg to plant trees.
In addition in 1996, Gov. Tom
Kories r g
Students dig holes to plant trees along a tributary of Latimore Creek in Adams
S d “ Part of a group who P ,an ted trees on Earth Day In a pasture
area along the creek on Green Vistas Farm. H
Ridge, as a member ot the
Chesapeake Bay Executive
Council, helped set a goal of cre
ating 2,010 miles of stream-side
forest buffers in the Chesapeake
Bay Watershed by the year
2010. Pennsylvania's portion of
that goal is 600 miles.
In September, 1997, the
Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources helped
coordinate a massive undertak
ing - named Operation Tree
Rescue - to relocate more than
500,000 trees and shrubs from
I
I or Parents
■
Innovative Toy
Helps Diabetic Kids
(NAPS)—When Carol
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To help Brian avoid the
debilitating complications
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cose levels up to eight times
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wear Medic Alert ID.
But, instead of fretting,
Cramer created Rufus, “the
bear with diabetes.” Rufus
wears a Medic Alert bracelet
engraved with the words
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The bear’s Medic Alert
emblem reinforces the need
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Diabetes education orga
nizations have embraced
Rufus as an educational tool.
“It’s helping kids understand
that it’s no stigma to be dia
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To join Medic Alert, call
1-800-825-3785. To order
Rufus, call 1-800-SHOP
-5050.
f **
the Musser Nursery in Indiana
County.
Without the effort of DCNR's
Bureau of Forestry and the
Conservation Districts, the trees
and shrubs would have been
destroyed to make room for a
new prison on the grounds.
Some of these trees were used in
the Adams County planting pro
ject.
Kann also said the project
taught the students what a
Riparian Buffer is and the bene
fits of such a planting.
I *> * s
He explained that "A
Riparian Buffer is the first link
between land and water. The
buffer is an area of trees',
shrubs, and herbaceous vegeta
tion located adjacent to and ups
lope from a lake, stream, or
other body of water. The buffer
serves several important func
tions. Simply put, it maintains
stream system integrity,'pro
tects water quality, and
improves the habitat of plants
and animals on land and in the
water.”
/ *
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