Volunteers support the new plantings. Photo Credit: USFWS

Volunteers and Service Biologists finish the tree plantings along the bike path. Photo Credit: USFWS

Volunteers measure up a tree before planting. Photo Credit: USFWS

Biologists Raymond Li, Chris Castiglione and Noelle Rayman from the Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources Office partnered with the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and Re-Tree WNY to plant native trees along the Scajaquada Creek bike path in Buffalo, NY on Sunday, May 4, 2008.  Following a brief demonstration on planting techniques, over 30 volunteers learned the ecological function and the important role trees and shrubs play in the health of a watershed.  Thirty native bare root trees were planted to enhance 1200 feet of riparian habitat, control invasive plant species (Japanese knotweed and Garlic mustard), and improve water quality for the Scajaquada Creek watershed.  Scajaquada Creek is a major tributary of the Niagara River, an Area of Concern (AOC) identified through the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and is 13 miles long with a watershed of 29 square miles.