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Trick or Tree-t with us on Saturday, October 20th!

Ocean View, DE — The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays and the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife are coming together for a Halloween-themed tree planting event to be held on Saturday, October 20th from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Assawoman Wildlife Area.

Stop by to plant trees and add to a beautiful forested area at Sassafras Landing, then hangout with us to explore why forests are so important, and to celebrate Halloween! Bring your own paper milk carton and learn how to turn it into a festive owl-shaped bird feeder. Get decked out in your best costume and compete in our costume contest. Stop by the photo booth and take some spooky selfies! Trick or Tree-t at each activity station, making crafts, learning, and picking up candy as you go! This is a free event but we ask that you please RSVP at treet.eventbrite.com.

Why are we planting trees? Between 1992 to 2012, the Inland Bays watershed has lost 14 square miles of its important forested areas. Not only does this cause problems for the wildlife that depend on these forests (native birds, foxes, turtles, etc.), it also negatively affects the water quality of our creeks, rivers, and Bays.

“When we replace forests with homes, roads, businesses, or parking lots, we are creating more impervious “hardened” surfaces for rainwater to pick up pollutants and wash them into our waterways,” explains Victoria Spice, the Center’s Restoration Project Manager.  “But if we allow forests to grow and thrive, they can help reduce stormwater runoff and can even absorb and filter the rain, allowing it to enter our groundwater — where much of our drinking water comes from.”

This is YOUR chance to give back to the beautiful lands and waters of southeastern Delaware in a fun and festive way! This project is a partnership between the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays and the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife and furthers the Center’s Inland Bays Pollution Control Strategy goal to establish forested waterway buffers in the Inland Bays watershed, the Delaware Inland Bays Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan’s goals to provide forested buffers that reduce nutrient loading to the bays, and the 2015-2025 Delaware Wildlife Action Plan that calls for re-establishment of coastal plain forest habitats lost to fragmentation that can enhance and protect both biodiversity and water quality.

The planting will take place within Assawoman Wildlife Area at Sassafras Landing Rd, Delaware, 19945. This is an all-ages event with additional activities geared towards families with preschool through elementary-aged children. Tools will be available, but we encourage you to bring your own shovel, spade, and gloves if you have them! This is a rain or shine event so please dress for the weather! Free parking is available when you follow the event signage.

The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays is a non-profit organization established in 1994 and is one of 28 National Estuary Programs.  With its many partners, the CIB works to preserve, protect and restore Delaware’s Inland Bays–the water that flows into them, and the watershed around them.

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