You’ve heard of adopting a highway. Now you can adopt something much less noisy and dangerous: a patch of forest at Gulf Branch Nature Center.
Naturalist Jennifer Soles is looking for volunteers who want to call part of the nature center their own. Volunteers would be responsible for keeping the area free of invasive plants and litter. In recognition of their work, a small marker will be placed in the ground bearing the name of the volunteer or the volunteer group.
Soles said that adopting an area is a great way to get to know the forest in greater detail.
“It’s your area,” she said. “You see the long-term health and recovery of that area, and that’s very gratifying.”
“Eventually I’d like to see the whole park adopted,” Soles added, while acknowledging that would require a lot of volunteers.
Children as young as middle school may be able to effectively manage an adopted area on their own, Soles said. Adoption is also an ideal volunteer opportunity for groups.
For more information, call 703-228-3404 or email jsoles[at]arlingtonva.us.
Photo c0urtesy Community Volunteer Network