ENDICOTT, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Students at George F. Johnson Elementary got to spend the day getting their hands dirty and learning outside of the classroom.
Kindergarten through fifth grade students spent last Friday morning planting trees along the Brixius Creek with help from the Broome County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition Buffer Team.
The program is called trees for tributaries, and the goal is to re-establish stream side communities throughout both the county and the state.
The students started with learning how to plant the trees and ensure they would be safe from any wildlife in the area.
Natural Resource Conservationist Bailey Park says this is her favorite part of her job.
“I absolutely love it. This is one of my favorite parts of my job is coming out and engaging with the public and the community and of course educating the kids as much as possible. They’re going to be our next generation and if they can learn about how important it is to get these trees established along the streams then I think we are going to be in better hands,” she said.
Park says she wants to continue to involve local communities in the trees for tributaries program.
To get involved, all you need is a body of water on your property and the Broome County Soil and Water Conservation District will work with you to create a buffer on the stream.