Sixty high school students are on a mission from the South Dakota Lutheran Church in Gloria Dei Sioux Falls to help out the middle fork of Quilceda Creek north of Marysville Washington. On Thursday, July 12 from 10am to 1pm, these students will be teaming up with the Adopt A Stream Foundation to steward thousands of recently planted trees and shrubs on eight acres next to the creek where it flows through Strawberry Fields Park in north Marysville.
“One of the challenges with planting trees and shrubs next to streams in the spring is to make sure that they survive through the summer into the fall,” says Adopt A Stream Foundation Ecologist Zachary Mallon. “We are very pleased that the students from South Dakota have volunteered to do some very tough maintenance work including grubbing blackberries and stomping down invasive reed canary grass…they are going to bring some sunshine to trees and shrubs planted this spring that will, over time, shade out the invasive plants.”
Shade from the new trees and shrubs will also keep Quilceda Creek’s water temperature cool. Cold water holds oxygen needed by salmon and trout. This riparian zone restoration effort will also benefit a wide variety of wildlife with feathers and fur.
“The South Dakota students should have some fun doing the ‘reed canary grass stomp,’ says Mallon. “They will also enjoy seeing juvenile salmon and resident cutthroat trout swimming in the creek through the lens of the Adopt A Stream Foundation’s underwater camera.”
