AWA Planting Initiatives
Since our founding, the AWA has recognized the importance of planting trees and native plants. Read more about our initiatives and make sure to join our newsletter and follow us on social media to learn about volunteer opportunities.
Since 2024, our plantings have:
46 120
volunteers plants
2025 Riparian buffer planting
Twenty-one volunteers gathered on April 26 along the banks of Aquetong Creek to plant a new riparian buffer, a vital step in protecting water quality, preventing erosion, and enhancing wildlife habitat in the region. The project was funded by a mini grant from Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic.
The riparian buffer planting included over 50 native trees and shrubs installed along a stretch of streambank in Aquetong Spring Park, as well as live staking willow trees. Riparian buffers, or vegetated areas along waterways, play a crucial role in improving water quality, stabilizing streambanks, and providing habitat for birds, pollinators, and aquatic species like native brook trout.
“Healthy streams start with healthy buffers,” said Michael Zolkewitz, Director of the Aquetong Watershed Association “By planting native species here today, we’re investing in clean water and a more resilient local ecosystem.”
Some of the plants included Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), and Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor).
2024 Native planting
In May 2024, the Free Library of New Hope and Solebury and AWA was awarded a Plant Grant from Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (BHWP). In partnership with the Free Library, AWA, and Girl Scout Troop #21270, volunteers planted over 55 native plants in the Library’s garden beds.
More than twenty-five volunteers, including Girls Scouts and Daisy Troops arrived at the Library to plant the beneficial native plants. “I wish there were more plants to plant!” stated one of the Girl Scouts.
“Native plants are very important to include in your garden,” says Aquetong Watershed Assoc. President Jade Greene, “they provide food and homes for wildlife who depend on these plants plus they look beautiful! They are good for both the environment and for people!” The plants will attract butterflies, caterpillars, bees and provide many important ecosystem services to the community. More information on the importance of native plants can be found on BHWP’s website.
Thanks to the generosity of Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, there are now more native plants benefiting the environment and community. “We love bringing people together at the library,” says Library Assistant Patricia Lynch, “please come see the plants next time you visit the library. You can walk along the right-side of the building and enter through the gate to your left, or walk up the stairs from the exit of the children's room inside the library.”
Tree Plantings
Since 2008, the AWA, in partnership with Solebury township and the Bucks County Conservation District, plus over 100 volunteers from across the community, have helped plant over 1,200 trees along streams and tributaries in upper reaches of the Aquetong watershed in Solebury.
The goal of past and future tree planting projects in the watershed is to revitalize the forest and riparian buffer near the headwaters of the Aquetong Creek, helping to prevent erosion, provide shade to cool the stream water, and improve the habitat for fish and wildlife.
These planting projects were made possible by a TreeVitalize (www.treevitalize.net) grant program sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. TreeVitalize provides plant material and deer protection to leading conservation and community organizations. The Bucks County Conservation District is instrumental in guiding and supporting these programs at the local level.
Communities throughout southeastern Pennsylvania are working hard to restore trees to riparian and urban areas through the TreeVitalize program. Recently, the program expanded statewide with a goal to plant one million trees across the Commonwealth in the next five years.
Solebury Township is engaging in a long term project to restore the creek on its Aquetong Spring Park property and the surrounding forests while creating recreational trails and outdoor activities open to everyone
