St. Patrick Gives Good Luck to Green-Up

A sunny sky dotted with clouds welcomed intrepid volunteers to this year’s Green Up at the Las Vegas Wash, Saturday March 18, the day after St. Patrick’s day. The event, which is hosted by the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee, was postponed from the previous week due to the threat of rain, snow and unusually cold temperatures.  Approximately 180 volunteers worked together to plant close to 2,000 trees and shrubs that in time will provide habitat for wildlife and stabilize the soil. (Volunteers of all ages arrived in the morning behind Sam Boyd Stadium and were bussed to the planting site.) 

Equipped with shovels, work gloves, and plenty of water, the volunteers dug in and revegetated almost eight acres with native species.  The planting site is part of a much larger 60-acre site recently cleared of the invasive species salt cedar, also known as tamarisk. Mesquite trees were among the natives the group planted. Mesquite is the favored habitant of the Phainopepla, a bird that is native to the desert southwest. The hundreds of mesquites planted at the Green-up, once mature, will provide acres of additional habitant for the black, crested bird in the Wash.  Volunteers carefully planted the new vegetation under the watchful eye of experienced site supervisors to ensure healthy growth.  Debbie Van Dooremolen, an environmental biologist with the Las Vegas Wash Team, said the volunteers understood that it was not a race to finish, and did a great job. 

The fruits of Saturday’s labor should develop soon and continue through the next few years.  Even though they were covered in dirt, and the only clean things about them were their smiles, volunteers expressed excitement for the next Green Up.   Organizers welcome the enthusiasm because there is still much more planting to be done.