Earth Day 2011

Well, we finally have a tally on the results of our Earth Day 2011 weekend. It took a little longer to get everything done as Pete ended up planting nearly 300 whips – small trees about 16 inches tall – in Glen Echo ravine.  He still has a few left…

So, for the two days, April 16 & 17, we:

• had 12 volunteers
• removed 28 30-gallon bags of invasive plants
• cut down 110 honeysuckle bushes
• dug 30 honeysuckle stumps
• collected4 bags of trash

All in all, a very good effort. The difference in the ravine is noticeable,  especially in the amount of native wildflowers that are showing up. Without all that competition for resources, they really are shining through: blood root and dog-tooth violets in particular. Pete also heard a wood thrush, a bird that he’s never before found in Glen Echo. Eventually, we’ll get some photos up of these flowers and birds that can be found in the ravine.

The other big news is that we planted a scarlet oak as our 2011 Earth Day Tree. The tree is beautiful and large, with a 4-inch caliber. I reckon it’s about 20 feet tall. It’s planted off the alley that runs parallel to the ravine, next to the condominiums off Indianola. It will be a lovely specimen tree in just a few decades.

Our next big meeting will be this Thursday, May 12th. We are planning for our first public meeting on Tuesday, May 23 at the  Crestview Presbyterian Church. We’ll have more details on that meeting as they come available. We want to introduce ourselves, let everyone know what we’ve done so far, what we want to do in the future, and invite comments and suggestions from the people who will be living in the arboretum.

Until next time!