There are some competing tree promotion campaigns bouncing around the conservation community right now. The top two are pretty close to each other and also seem to almost (but not quite) capture the brainworm prize. The first is from the Chesapeake Bay Conservancy braintrust and the second from the Stroud Water Research Center:

• Clean Water Grows on Trees
• Trout Grow on Trees

What do you think of those formulations? Which do you prefer? The basic idea is that in a healthy ecosystem there aren't really any barriers between biotic realms. Land and water are tied together. Plants and animals are tied together. Micro and macro are tied together. And one element to bind them all! Water.

While in fantasy fiction reference mode, I'll note that I'm also kind of partial to The Word for World Is Forest, thanks to Ursula K. LeGuin.

Ultimately we're still not sure what the best way to say this is for marketing purposes, but it all sure beats repeating the words "riparian buffer best maintenance practices" over and over. Similarly, we can get pretty pedantic when it comes to what we should do with all this new research and knowledge about these interconnections, but it really tends to boil down to PLANT MORE TREES.

And we've been doing that for the past few years. And this year, we got a good bit more ambitious and obtained a grant from the Bucknell Community Engagement Fund to allow us to plant 20 larger saplings in public parks in the Borough. We have learned from past challenges, including the difficulty of digging in certain locations, the need for more hospitable soil in others, the importance of a watering plan, and the threat of encroaching Japanese knotweed engulfing our little leafy charges. And this year's larger plants are holding their own. We've even added potting soil to nurture the transplants and gator bags (or buckets) to help with the watering.

And while we've also "branched" into squirrel starts, i.e. transplanting oak seedlings thoughtfully planted by squirrels in random locations around town, we're working with some plants from the Chesapeake Bay Conservancy's 10 Million Trees Initiative and the the Borough this fall.

We would love to have your help with our planting event on Thursday, October 24, starting at 4pm. We have two locations, but will be focusing on the Wolfe Field site. The park entrance is near the intersection of Water St and St Anthony on the north side of the Borough, near the river. Please let us know to expect you by emailing elmstreet [at] windstream.net, calling 570-523-0114, or texting 781-366-0726.

Anyone planning to assist should dress for outdoor exertion in a semi-unkempt environment. Sturdy shoes are a must. Long hair should be pulled back. And ideally, you should have arms and legs fully covered to guard against poison ivy. We will provide gloves, shovels, and buckets, but you can also feel free to bring your own.