Nature At The Confluence celebrates Earth Day with Free Oak Sapling distribution.
In celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day, Nature At The Confluence will distribute 250 free bare-root bur, red, and swamp oak saplings as part of the Rock River Trail’s efforts to restore habitat along the Rock River. The public is invited to pick up the free bare-root oak saplings at Nature At The Confluence, 306 Dickop Street, South Beloit, IL on Earth Day, Friday, April 22, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 23, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (or while supplies last). Each sapling is 1-2 feet long and will need to be planted within a few days of pick up.
For the 12th year in a row, the Rock River Trail will distribute 11,000 Bur Oak, Red Oak, and Swamp White Oak 1-3 ft. tall bare-rooted saplings along the Rock River corridor in mid-April.
Chad Pregracke, president of Living Lands and Waters’ One Million Trees program, has graciously donated over 117,000 trees to the Rock River Trail Initiative and our watershed over the last 12 years.
The trees are distributed to eleven counties in Illinois and Wisconsin which border the Rock River. The goal is to re-establish native, nut-bearing, hardwood trees along waterways to help reduce erosion, improve water & air quality, provide shelter and food for wildlife, and to improve biodiversity.
The trees should be planted near the Rock River or near the mouth of one of its tributaries. Trees are available for the public sector: city, county, state, parks, preserves and conservation areas, and for private individuals on farms, residences and businesses along the Rock River—all free of charge.
