The Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Pennsylvania was honored with the Good Steward Award from the Arbor Day Foundation’s 2016 National Awards Competition, for planting trees, adding forested buffers along stream banks, and improving water quality in the Commonwealth.
“Restoring 19,000 miles of impaired rivers and streams in Pennsylvania requires steadfast leadership, commitment, and ingenuity,” said Harry Campbell, CBF executive director in Pennsylvania. “Since 1997, our restoration staff has been at the forefront in planting forests along streams, which science has shown to be one of the most cost-effective ways to bring streams back to life. We are honored to be acknowledged with this award for our passion and dedication to clean water.”
In 2015, CBF gave away 12,280 ADF trees to 148 landowners in 14 counties in Pennsylvania. Trees absorb and filter agricultural and urban/suburban runoff of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment, before it reaches Pennsylvania waterways.
“This year, we will be giving away more than 14,000 trees to help replant streamside forests, mostly on private land,” said Clair Ryan, CBF watershed restoration program manager in Pennsylvania. “Mid-to-late April was prime tree-planting season in Pennsylvania, so the restoration team has been extremely busy over the last few weeks getting all those trees where they need to go.”
CBF was among 17 organizations and individuals honored at a ceremony at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Neb.
“The Good Steward Award recognizes landowners or organizations whose creativity, outlook, and accomplishments exemplify wise stewardship practices and sustainability on private land from which others can learn,” the Arbor Day Foundation said. “With support from thousands of volunteers, partner organizations and donors, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has planted more than 2.2 million trees, restored 6,000 acres of wetlands and has added almost 20,000 acres of forested buffers along stream banks.”
The Good Steward Award from ADF was the second award for CBF in less than a month.
Earlier in April, CBF Pennsylvania received the prestigious Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for helping landowners plant thousands of trees, and reducing pollution of rivers and streams in the Commonwealth.
For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the CBF-PA webpage. Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column). Click Here for a copy of CBF-PA’s most recent newsletter.
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