From the Desk of the Chairman, Peter Lent:
WHAT: Trees for Tribs Planting Event on Oatka Creek – Plant 1100 trees and 400 shrubs!!
WHERE: Oatka Creek’s Riparian Corridor in Monroe County’s Oatka Park – North shore of Oatka Creek roughly parallel to State Route 383 (Scottsville- Mumford Road).
WHEN: Saturday May 21, 2016 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM (or later if you can stay and planting still needs to be done)
PURPOSE: Supplement tree canopy in the riparian corridor of Oatka Creek with various tree and shrub species to replace the dying or dead ash trees that have historically been the dominant tree species and that now are infested with the Emerald Ash Borer, a non-native invasive species.
This event is being coordinated by the Oatka Creek Watershed Committee, in partnership with the Monroe County Department of Parks & Recreation, the Seth Green Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Saratoga Nursery’s Trees for Tribs Program and the Wyoming County Soil and Water Conservation District, the regional coordinator for the Genesee River Basin Trees for Tribs Program (see program information at http://www.wcswcd.org/index.php/tree-shrub/ ).
If you can help or have questions, please contact Peter Lent lent@frontiernet.net (Chair, Oatka Creek Watershed Committee). Ask a friend to come with you and pass this notice on to others.
Below is a general location map for the planting event and a closer view map showing location of off-road parking and the access to the Oatka Park property through the railroad underpass trail. Rather than parking vehicles along Route 383, the Town of Wheatland Highway Department will allow volunteers to park their vehicles on the shoulders of the gravel access road to the Town’s brush and compost storage area. After parking, volunteers can then walk east along S.R.383 to the railroad underpass trail, which is the safer preferred way for getting to the Oatka Park property on the south side of the railroad tracks & its right-of-way. Vehicles can unload equipment (tools, buckets etc.) at the underpass, but vehicles will then need to be parked in the off-road parking area.
Volunteers need no prior experience, we will provide instruction on planting techniques, and placement of weed mats and tubes to prevent deer browsing. Volunteers can bring shovels, spades, or planting bars for tree planting. Pick axes or mattock tools are useful to quickly break up the ground and get through roots. Hard rubber hammers will be useful in pounding in the “staples” that secure the weed mats to the ground. We will need claw hammers or medium size ballpeen hammers to pound in stakes that the tubes will be tied to. We will need empty 5-gallon buckets with handles to use in watering the plants. Volunteers will need to wear boots, bring work gloves, insect repellent, sunscreen, water & lunch. Please label your tools for easy identification.
We look forward to your assistance with this worthy project. With your help we will have an event as successful as last year’s planting day at the Genesee Country Village & Museum. Thank you.
General Location Map:
Map Showing Off-Road Parking and Railroad Underpass Trail:
Note from Admin – Event information will continue to be updated here, so check back often!
