Greenbelt Joins Stewardship to Protect Forests

On Oct. 28, Public Works Superintendent of Operations Lesley Riddle attended the second annual "Threats to Urban Forest Ecosystems" workshop, marking the beginning of Greenbelt's partnership with the Baltimore-Washington Partners for Forest Stewardship (BWPFS).

"The partnership involves a number of different federal and municipal sites that offer contiguous forest cover and wildlife habitat and we need to protect it, especially in this day and age," Riddle said.

Mayor J. Davis said when Greenbelt was initially offered the invitation to join the Stewardship, she was so relieved someone was paying attention to the forests that weave in and out of the city.

"We've got huge stretches of forest to protect and not just one person can come in and save it, we can't do it all by ourselves," Davis said.

For Riddle, the workshop offered a jumping off point for starting some community outreach and educational campaigning about the protecting the forests.

"There was just a wide array of information, very important information on climate change, where we got really great concrete, empirical information so we can take the appropriate steps toward forest restoration and what to save. There was also great information on invasive species and deer populations," Riddle said.

One of the biggest problems in other forests is an overpopulation of deer and figuring out how to control the herds. Riddle said that they do not plan on controlling the deer population in town because they do not even have a herd count available, which is something they really need. She did say that one of the unique problems in Greenbelt is that the forest abuts the beltway, making it dangerous for the deer to live, so this is something else she needs to think about.

"A lot of people in Greenbelt are already there and already interested and we just need to create those platforms to get them more organized," Riddle said.

Since Riddle is still in the planning stages, she has many ideas on what to do with this new partnership. She said she wants to do educational outreach to children about the benefits of protecting the woodlands and add a volunteer component.

"This is a really important partnership and certainly puts Greenbelt in limelight and gives us strength in numbers. The more people willing to preserve, the more implication there is to make that happen," Riddle said.