NASSAWANGO CREEK PRESERVE, Md.- Students from four schools in Worcester and Somerset counties grabbed shovels Wednesday to plant thousands of Atlantic white cedar saplings in the Nassawango Creek Preserve.
The mass tree planting is part of ongoing efforts that began in 2009 to restore tidal wetlands throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Conservation ecologist Deborah Landau says the goal is to replace non-native pines with native Atlantic white cedar to create greater bio-diversity.
"What we've done is we've cleared the loblolly pines and now we're in the process of filling all these ditches to restore the hydrology and create a nice wetland again," said Landau.
The students have been growing hundreds of cedar saplings at their schools and spent hours Wednesday putting the tiny trees in the ground.
"They all work hard, they ask intelligent questions and they're just curious, is the best way I could put it," said Adam Poe of the Maryland Park Service.
The students' efforts will be matched by volunteer efforts through Saturday. Once work is completed, organizers hope to add about 5,500 new trees to the preserve.
The restoration project is a joint effort coordinated by the National Aquarium and The Nature Conservancy.
