Three Rivers Habitat Partnership Hosts Backyard Buffers Workshop
Vanessa C. Kauffman
04/05/02
PITTSBURGH—The Three Rivers Habitat Partnership (TRHP), a regional project of the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), will hold its first Backyard Buffers workshop on Saturday, April 20, 2002 for watershed group members. The workshop will provide important conservation techniques on creating streamside buffers in backyards. The program will be held from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM at Dominion’s Oakford Station, the first demonstration site, located on Rt. 22.
Backyard Buffers: a Riparian Outreach Campaign educates residents about the environmental and aesthetic benefits of streamside buffers and encourages the establishment of buffers among the expanding number of suburban residents in western Pennsylvania. Many homeowners unknowingly contribute to pollution and erosion problems by mowing their grass up to the banks of streams. Riparian buffers can be grown instead of mowed lawns to improve water quality while creating a colorful, private landscape.
The workshop will include presentations from Jose Taracido, California University of Pennsylvania, Nicole Foremsky, Penn State Cooperative Extension Service, and Marcia Maslonek, Director of WHC Pittsburgh Office. Topics will include the importance of streamside buffers, attracting wildlife, and engaging residents, companies, and municipalities. After lunch, provided by TRHP, an interactive lesson on planting techniques and a case study of the buffer at Oakford Station will enable individuals and watershed groups to install their own Backyard Buffers. Participants will also receive an information package to help them plan their buffers and create wildlife habitats.
President and Chief Executive Officer of Dominion Delivery, Edgar M. Roach Jr., said that it’s wonderful to see a continued commitment from Dominion employees. “Our employees recognize that environmental concerns are an on-going matter. In April, we will address erosion problems and host our 9th annual Earth Day Celebration at Dominion Tower. It’s proof of our commitment and willingness to be involved in the community.”
Various corporate sites will provide demonstrations for suburban landowners to learn why and how to conserve riparian zones. Dominion’s Oakford station along Beaver Run in Delmont, Pennsylvania, is the first demonstration site. On April 10th, volunteers from Dominion will plant a combination of native plants including over 250 shrubs and trees and a 50’ by 300’ wet meadow and construct 20 bluebird boxes. Three workshops, including this first one, will be offered at Oakford Station this year.
Brochures will also be used to inform and instruct homeowners about streamside backyard buffers. The brochure will be distributed to communities around the demonstration site, as well as watershed groups and municipalities. In addition, a Backyard Buffers Web page will be accessible from TRHP’s Backyard Conservation section and will provide educational information and listings of native species for the region, buffer designs, and bioengineering techniques.
TRHP is implementing Backyard Buffers: a Riparian Outreach Campaign, in conjunction with the Alleghenies Watershed Network and Dominion to increase the general consciousness of riparian zone importance. Additional partners include: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, USDA Forest Service, Western Pennsylvania Watershed Protection Program, and Westmoreland Conservation District.
Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers of energy, with a production capability of more than 3 trillion British thermal units of energy per day. Dominion has a diversified and integrated energy portfolio consisting of 22,000 megawatts of generation, 4.6 trillion cubic feet equivalent of natural gas reserves, 7,600 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline and 3.8 million franchise natural gas and electric customers in five states. Dominion also operates the nation’s largest underground natural gas storage system with more than 950 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s Web site at www.dom.com.
The Three Rivers Habitat Partnership (TRHP), a Wildlife Habitat Council regional project, works to conserve and enhance wildlife habitat on private land by engaging corporations and encouraging partnerships with individuals, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. TRHP inspires and nurtures a strong corporate involvement in habitat restoration and conservation leadership. Over 2,500 acres on 20 corporate sites in the region have been managed for wildlife through TRHP at corporations such as Dominion. For more information on Backyard Buffers, please contact Ann Magdic at 412-777-2462. The TRHP Web site will soon have more information posted about the campaign.
The Wildlife Habitat Council is a nonprofit, non-lobbying organization dedicated to increasing the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public lands. WHC devotes its resources to building partnerships with corporations and conservation groups to create solutions that balance the demands of economic growth with the requirements of a healthy, bio-diverse and sustainable environment. More than 1.2 million acres in 46 states, Puerto Rico and twelve other countries are managed for wildlife through WHC-assisted projects.
Associated Link:
Three Rivers Habitat Partnership
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