For a chance to be featured in next week's issue:
Post your nature photos with the tag #findyourcentre or email them to adventure@clearwaterconservancy.org.
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Dear friend,
Over the past few issues we've explored amphibians, woodcocks and backyard birds. This week, our Adventure Guide is dedicated to the home of many other creatures - trees!
While it can be easy to take the beauty and benefits of trees for granted, they truly are nature's superheroes. Trees hold soils together, store carbon while creating oxygen, prevent flooding, and even are proven to reduce stress when we spend more time around them. Trees support our health, and we can help support the health of trees with conservation and stewardship efforts supported by volunteers, educators, and financial support.
Below you'll find information and ideas for exploring and caring for trees in your yard and neighborhood. As we all continue to work together to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, remember to review current recommendations and guidelines for safely recreating outside. While outdoor activity is allowable per
Pennsylvania's stay at home order,
it's important to plan ahead before leaving home.
Thank you, enjoy your next adventure!
Your ClearWater Crew
P.S. The 50th anniversary of Earth Day is April 22! Check out the tree care tips below for ways to care for your trees and improve the health of our planet.
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Take Some Time Out with Trees
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There are around 200 common species of trees in Pennsylvania, and about two-thirds are natives. The native trees evolved with the birds, insects and multitudes of other living things, often times specially adapting to each other in beneficial and compounding ways. Trees also help stabilize soils, preventing extensive erosion, and cool the ground, allowing for microbial life to churn out needed nutrients. Of course they also provide shelter for prey species to reproduce.
Trees planted near water (referred to as riparian areas) also provide tremendous benefit to the streams. Trees perform similar tasks near water; anchoring banks, providing food, shading water from the sun, and even providing habitat for aquatic species in death. ClearWater works hand-in-hand with landowners in our region to help plant trees in these areas. Our riparian conservation program is rapidly growing and a key component to our mission.
Trees are truly essential to our health and well-being, and define Pennsylvania. Learning about them can be a blast, too. Below are some helpful tips for identifying trees that you can use whether you’re wandering a wooded mountain, ambling along a city street, or relaxing in your own backyard.
Tree ID Tips:
- Look over each part of the tree you want to identify; leaves, bark, twigs, buds and any flowers or fruits.
- Leaves are often the first step in identifying trees. Become familiar with the terminology and basic nomenclature for leaf shape, position and quantity.
- Even when trees are dormant you can identify them. Bark shape, color, texture, and scars as well as any buds, roots, or overall structure can help narrow down the type.
- Trees are just as unique as you or I; the amount of sun, moisture and presence of other trees can all influence the formation of a tree.
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Riparian Cons
ervation
The goal of ClearWater’s Riparian Conservation Program is to improve stream quality throughout Central Pennsylvania through the program’s four areas of focus: stream assessment, stewardship, restoration, and protection. The program educates streamside landowners on the role of vegetated buffers, restores streamside buffers with native trees and shrubs, and permanently protects riparian areas through conservation easements. You can support these efforts in several ways. Contact ClearWater Conservancy to learn more: contactus@clearwaterconservancy.org.
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Take the kids outside for some observational drawing of trees and make a bark rubbing! Get to know their shapes, texture and form! Click on the image below for more information.
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Care for the Trees
Looking for ways to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22?
Click on the image below for detailed tips on how to perform proper tree care in your own backyard!
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Watershed CleanUp Week
Last year 200+ volunteers prevented 13,720 pounds of trash from entering our waterways! Join us this year to help us continue this 24-year-old tradition of keeping our streams and waterways clean while still maintaining our social distance.
While we can't offer a large organized event this year because of COVID-19 concerns, we encourage everyone to do their own smaller cleanup efforts during the
week of May 3-9
.
Please complete this short
survey
to let us know you participated in a cleanup activity and
send us a picture of your 'cleanup in action!'
Visit ClearWater's website for more information and safety guides
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Will you take 2-3 minutes to offer your feedback on the Centred Outdoors Adventure Guide? We'd love to know what you find interesting and what you'd like to see in upcoming issues. Thank you for helping us create a great guide for you!
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