I consider myself to have had the luxury of growing up in a small rural town in northern Vermont. The distinctive “outdoorsy,” perhaps unorthodox, learning experiences I had while in elementary and middle school stick with me today as I attend a Vermont college and see the benefits they had on my academic career and personal values. One specific activity my small class of 19 students and I went on was planting saplings along a creek in middle school. Black Creek, which is just 2 miles from the Fairfield Center School, extends through the town of Fairfield, connecting to the Missisquoi River in Sheldon (to the north) and ending in Cambridge (to the south). Black Creek runs mostly through farm fields, and has little tree coverage along the sides due to the grazing pastures where cows tread heavily to access drinking water. Our (literal) field trips to plant along the creek-bed have lasted in my memory, proving the importance of this activity. Taking young children on school field trips to plant riparian buffer zones along creeks and streams can not only teach children valuable lessons about stream ecology and climate action but is also a fun and memorable way to positively influence the environment.
I live along a section of the creek where there are few trees (see Image 1). The water is murky, shallow, and warm (see Video 1). The lack of trees results in erosion of soil when cows walk down the bank to drink. As I have learned in my Ecology/Evolution class, having tree coverage on a stream increases shading which cools the stream, allowing for increased O2 concentrations and an improved environment for wildlife. A riparian buffer zone is a treeline along the bank, where tree roots hold the soil in place against erosion.
On our trips, my class spent the day planting Pine, Spruce, and Dogwood saplings which grow in sandier soils and are found locally. Our teachers for the activity, the farmer whose land we were on, and a local knowledgeable parent, instructed us on where to and how far apart to plant, how deep to dig, and how to make sure the sapling was firmly in the ground. However, I just recently noticed how our saplings failed to grow to maturation, and I am left wondering why. Did we middle-schoolers not plant them correctly? Were these species inappropriate for the location? Did cattle trample them before they could establish? Did other plant species outcompete the saplings?
The school trips I took planting saplings in my hometown as a child stuck with me. I still remember jumping on shovels to sink them into the ground and tugging on saplings to confirm their stability. The lesson about riparian buffer zones and how I can easily maintain the environment is one I have remembered since I was 12 years old, proving this hands-on learning was incalculably valuable.