Mill Creek Revival celebration set for Saturday
May 16, 2013 | 1593 views | 0 0 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Volunteers plant new vegetation at the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve as part of an ongoing effort to remove invasive plants such as Russian olive and tamarisk and replace them with plants that are native to the region. Photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy
Volunteers plant new vegetation at the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve as part of an ongoing effort to remove invasive plants such as Russian olive and tamarisk and replace them with plants that are native to the region. Photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy
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The public is invited to celebrate the progress that has been made in restoring Mill Creek to its native habitat during the Mill Creek Revival on Saturday, May 18.

The event kicks off with a volunteer tree planting at Cross Creeks Park, 100 South 100 West, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Those taking part should park in the Zax parking lot and bring gloves, sturdy shoes, sun protection and water.

The celebration continues from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rotary Park with remarks by Moab Mayor Dave Sakrison and riparian restoration experts, free lunch, music by the Grand County High School Band, and guided walks down Mill Creek to explain the work that has been done. Helen M. Knight Elementary School fourth graders will be on hand to help attendees make special Mill Creek watercolor paintings.

Costumes are optional, organizers said, and attendees are encouraged to come as a riparian plant or bug or animal.

The celebration marks the work done by the city of Moab, Rim to Rim Restoration, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Forestry Fire and State Lands, and The Nature Conservancy to remove Russian olive and tamarisk trees that were crowding out cottonwood groves along the creek.

“Mill Creek is being restored to the gem that Moab’s pioneers first enjoyed,” The Nature Conservancy’s Canyonlands Regional Director Sue Bellagamba said in a news release.

The revival is hosted by the Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership, whose mission is to restore, protect and maintain a healthy riparian ecosystem in Utah’s Colorado River watershed.

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