Over the course of two days in April, Easton-based nonprofit the Nurture Nature Center brought together Palisades High School students and Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward volunteers to plant 55 trees and shrubs at Nockamixon State Park.
Students in Palisades’ STEM Club and Key Club learned from the volunteers and worked to plant the trees, mulch them, water them, and install tree cages for protection from deer.
Since September 2020, STEM Club advisors Dylan Fedell and Jeremy Wolf, both science teachers, and a Nurture Nature Center staff member Lauren Fosbenner have been working with the Palisades STEM Club as they learn about the importance of trees for both the local environment and combating climate change. The club participated in virtual workshops hosted by local experts on native plants, sustainable growing techniques, and habitat restoration; calculated how much carbon, stormwater, and air pollution a tree near their home absorbed; and researched which species were best suited to the site at Nockamixon to prepare for the planting.
The planting site, near the boat rental area in the park, was chosen because it lost many ash trees in recent years due to damage from the invasive emerald ash borer. Native tree and shrub species planted at the site include red maple, sweetbay magnolia, swamp white oak, pin oak, sycamore, smooth alder, silky dogwood, witch hazel, hackberry, sweetgum, and staghorn sumac. Master Watershed Steward volunteers will care for the trees for the next year or two until they are more fully established, watering and weeding them as needed. The STEM Club plans to carry out more plantings in future years at Nockamixon and other nearby parks.
This project was funded by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Planet Stewards program and a donation from Octoraro Native Plant Nursery in Kirkwood, with logistical support provided by the staff at Nockamixon State Park.
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