No Winter Dormancy for PA/NJ Volunteers

The forest may be sleeping but the volunteers of The American Chestnut Foundation continue to move our restoration mission forward through the long winter months. Just in the PA/NJ Chapter alone, we have seen volunteers multiply the efforts of staff on both the research and education fronts.  Take a quick look at some of the activities:

In January volunteers helped kick off the New Year with a weeklong outreach event, the PA Farm Show. This annual event is the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation with many thousands of attendees daily. Twenty-two of our most dedicated volunteers gave their time to represent us at this event covering a 77-hour schedule. They engaged the public with their enthusiasm and thorough knowledge of the American chestnut and our mission. We should not underestimate the value of public education at events like these. As the “mighty giant” passes from living memory, outreach events like these provide an opportunity for our volunteers to share the story of the chestnut with a new generation.

Soon after this event, another group of volunteers stepped up to help with the planting of seedlings for the 2017 growing season. Over the course of two days in February, 25 volunteers helped Steve Hoy our Orchard Manager, to plant 4,462 seedlings. We have to wonder if he would still be planting if not for all those helping hands. Although the work can be repetitious and time consuming, the act of planting a seed is one of hope and optimism. In February, the greenhouse is a nice place to be when you live in Central PA!

This showcases just a couple of the many volunteer events that the PA/NJ Chapter will coordinate this year. Stay tuned to hear about many more as winter gives way to spring. Whether they are acting as educators at a public event or getting their hands dirty helping with the nitty gritty of our orchard research, our volunteers are vital to our success. We owe them our heartfelt thanks!