1:25 p.m., Oct. 15, 2009----The University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is seeking volunteers to help with a wetland planting this week, in the front of the wetland project on the grounds of the college between Worrilow Hall and the Girl Scout building off South College Avenue in Newark.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

Many people came out to help with the initial planting in October 2008. If you were among those volunteers, college officials invited you to return to check out how things are establishing. New help is also welcome.

Volunteers are needed for the following shifts:

* Wednesday, Oct. 21, 4-6p.m.
* Thursday, Oct. 22, 9-11:30 a.m.
* Thursday, Oct. 22, 1-3:30 p.m.
* Thursday, Oct. 22, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
* Friday, Oct. 23, 2-4:30p.m.

To sign up for any of these shifts, send e-mail to Chad Nelson at [cnel@udel.edu]. The college will have work gloves and planting tools on hand, but if you have your own gloves or a good planting tool, please feel free to bring it. Long pants and sturdy shoes will be the most practical, as volunteers will be planting in some areas with stubble or tall grass.

The wetland project established a new wetland on the site of a former dairy pasture. In its first year it has significantly increased the diversity of wildlife, particularly birds, using this prominent two-acre site on the college's campus.

Last year, volunteers planted more than 900 trees, shrubs, and plugs to establish the wetland, with a survival rate of over 90 percent, despite dry planting conditions and a lot of Canada geese browsing through the winter and spring.

This year the goal is to add more than 600 additional plants to increase the diversity and to increase the visual presence of the plantings. The college recognizes the value of protecting and improving water-quality in local landscapes, and the move toward a sustainable campus, and invites volunteers to join it in this effort.