VIEW OUR PLANTING SITES
Stream Link has worked all over Frederick County!
Though our planting sites have prominently been in the center of the County, we’ve worked as far north as Emmitsburg and as far south as Point of Rocks.
We’ve planted trees along 12 different waterways that flow into the Monocacy River, which flows into the Potomac River, ultimately flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
We’ve held 171 volunteer events with 20 different landowners and partners.
Education
A riparian zone is the area of land that extends from the bank of a stream. We plant trees along the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which has a tremendous impact on the 18 million residents in the watershed! Planting trees in riparian zones has an enormous amount of benefits:
Increased water quality: Acting as a filter, the trees remove the sediment and pollutants that flow from surface and subsurface runoff.
Shade: Dense vegetation of native plants along the side of a stream supplies shade, which helps maintain a healthy and more regulated stream temperature.
Greater surface area: Trees will slow the flow of water entering a stream, giving the water a better chance to soak into the soil. The incoming water recharges the groundwater as it travels through the layers of sticks and leaves of a forest.
Erosion prevention: The roots of trees stabilize the soil and reduce erosion, which can cause an excess of sediment entering a stream.
Flooding prevention: A riparian buffer mitigates the effects of flooding by slowing runoff and absorbing excess water.
Forest buffers provide so many more co-benefits, including improved and increased wildlife habitat, invasive species removal and control, cleaner air, greener communities, recreational areas, increased property values, lower energy bills, and more.
At Stream Link Education, we recognize the importance of integrating education into our conservation projects. Volunteers will walk away from a planting not only feeling good about their contribution but also understanding the importance of their effort!
