Herb Peddicord, Chesapeake Bay Watershed Forester, WV Division of Forestry give tree planting instructions.

Thank you again for being a part of the Elks Run Watershed Group’s inaugural CommuniTree planting event on October 19, 2013. You—all 50 of you—representing 4-H, scouts, Izaak Walton League, homeowners associations, schools, and concerned citizens, planted 27 trees along the Route 9 walk/bike path. These trees will eventually provide much needed shade, grow roots systems that minimize sediment runoff into Elks Run, and bring attention to the needs of the natural resources we all depend upon.

Elks Run Watershed Group, a volunteer led group of citizens concerned about the health of our water, was formed for the purpose of connecting citizens with their water…to that end the October tree planting was a huge success. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You may have noticed the video crew filming the tree planting. Elks Run is fortunate to be partnering with the Downstream Project whose mission it is to promote natural resource conservation through elec. Already The Downstream Project has created and launched an Elks Run Watershed Group web site www.elksrunwatershed.org and created a video of the tree planting to start our online diary of watershed activities. You can view the video by either liking Elks Run on Facebook or visiting the web site. Many thanks to Downstream Project Executive Director, Bill Howard.

Elks Run is our watershed . The health of our watershed, our water, and all that depend on clean water is in our hands. If lots of people chip in a little, caring for our water can be simple and fun….like the planting. So here are some ways that you, your family and neighbors can stay connected with your local watershed and be a part of caring for the water that makes life possible:

• Like the Elks Run Watershed Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ElksRunWatershed

• Ask your friends to like the FB page!

• Become a water monitor: contact Jeff Bannon jeffrey.bannon(at)gmail.com

• Attend one of our monthly watershed group meetings (meetings times posted on web site and FB page)

• Invite us to speak at your school or with your civic group or homeowners association.

• Propose something that you would like to organize for the watershed

So spread the word to friends and neighbors. Encourage them to view the video and learn more about what goes on with their water. The web site and FB page will be our way of keeping you informed about upcoming events and what the watershed monitoring team finds during our monthly monitoring outings. If you have questions or would like to talk about the watershed please give a call or send an e-mail.

With Gratitude,

Beth Brent
Coordinator
bethbrent(at)gmail.com

301-793-2384