Photo By Master Sgt. Warren Wright | A participating student from Sembach Middle School stands ready to plant a tree in the...... read more read more
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KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - To celebrate Earth Day in Kaiserslautern, what better way than for students from Sembach Middle School to plant native trees near Kindsbach, Germany.
On April 17 more than 20 fourth through sixth grade students from Sembach Middle School came out to plant five different varieties of trees totaling 120 to help recreate a wetland that had gone dry years ago. The event took place in an area known as the Western Palatine Mire Depression, which extends between Ramstein and Kaiserslautern.
This Earth Day event was the result of collaboration between the Department of Power and Water, U.S. Army Garrison, Rhineland Pfalz, and the host nation’s Forestry Department.
“Thank you for protecting the environment” said Deborah Reynolds, deputy commander for USAG in her welcome remarks to the children “You are role models for other students because you are taking care of the environment.”
The children were divided into groups of three and paired with a forest representative. Their groups then spread out over a designated area, where they then dug holes and planted the trees about five feet apart. Hazelnut, downey birch, elderberry, white beam and mountain ash Among the types of trees the students planted were.
“This experience today will help these students get an appreciation for the environment,” said Kent Basset, Sembach Middle School principle. “Also, they’re having a blast while working and learning.”
Claudia Weber, USAG Rhineland-Pfalz Department of Public Works, explained why this specific area was so important.
“Hundreds of years ago all of this land was a type of wetland called a large mire or swamp. It was completely covered with water and full of many animal species that no longer exist,” she said. According to Weber, the wetland area began to change around 1740. “Farmers began digging ditches in order to grow cattle. Slowly the water table declined and the land became very dry.”
This mire has now been declared a protected area. The ditches have been damned up, and the water is slowly returning. Even though many trees have established themselves, they are not considered native. “The trees you plant today will help recreate the wetland as it existed naturally long ago,” said Weber.
Bodo Mahl works in the environmental section of the Forestry Office and hopes tree planting events like this attract species to the mire. “On Earth Day, we want to do good things for the environment,” he said. “We are planting these different trees today for insects in the spring and for other animals when their fruit is ready in the fall.”
After getting the trees planted in the ground, the work was not done. The children then covered each sapling with a plastic tree shelter to keep them safe from deer browsing and eating the plants. “The shelters will cover the tree until they are tall enough and the leaves stick out of the top.” said Weber. “This can take up to three or four years.”
For each child participating from Sembach Middle School, Earth Day means something different. “Planting trees is important to me because when I get older I want my kids and their kids to be able to live in a beautiful world,” said Seraphim Lyons, a sixth-grader.
“Since we are building more highways and railroads, planting trees can help replenish the earth so it can go back to how it was centuries ago,” said Nash English, also a sixth grader.
Chanelle Simpkins, a fifth-grader explained her feelings about Earth Day: “It gives you an experience to plant trees,” she said. “When you plant a tree you increase the oxygen and decrease the carbon dioxide. If we have more trees in the area, maybe less people will get sick from pollution.”
The first official Earth Day was held in 1970 and was created by Gaylord Nelson, a former U.S. senator from Wisconsin. At that time, 12,000 events took place. Today it is celebrated worldwide with 20 million events annually.
“It is very important for these children to get out at an early age to learn to protect nature and to be stewards of the land,” said Reynolds. “This is also a great opportunity for the children to learn from our host nation partners.”
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2015 09:22 |
| Story ID: | 160784 |
| Location: | KAISERSLAUTERN, RP, DE |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sembach Middle School Students “dig in” to Earth Day, by Ronna Schelby, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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