Written by Hannah von Oeyen, FOR Stewardship Coordinator

a massive restoration task for FOR’s biannual Student Stream Team project. They planted nearly 1,400 trees along 2,185 linear feet of stream bank in under five hours. The collaboration with the high school in this project was made possible through the Serve and Learn class taught by Susan Easter at Colonial Forge. Prior to project day, students were taught and tested on the importance of healthy Riparian Buffer Zones. Riparian Buffers are vegetated habitats, normally forested, along the banks of streams and rivers that protect against erosion and prevent pollutants, such as nitrogen and phosphorous found in fertilizers and manure, from entering the water. The students replanted bare riparian buffer zones in Fauquier County at Priestly Farm in Marshall, Virginia, along two small tributaries that eventually lead into the Rappahannock River. Friends of the Rappahannock also partnered with Tom Turner from the John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District and with th