Cacapon Institute

West Virginia Project CommuniTree (CTree) promotes tree planting and education on public land through volunteerism in the Potomac Headwaters of West Virginia (Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan, & Pendleton counties). The program also focuses on enhancing and promoting awareness of watershed and riparian area needs such as storm water management, water quality issues, buffer zone planting, and soil erosion. The project is entirely volunteer based and engages stakeholders in the process of making priority decisions within their respective communities and offers a strong educational message along with a physical planting component. CommuniTree is a program of the WV Conservation Agency and the WV Potomac Tributary Team that is engaged in on-the-ground actions throughout the Potomac headwaters.

CTree and its partners invite organizations and agencies to apply for CTree kits to organize, coordinate, and implement urban tree plantings through a competitive grant process. Twice annually groups can apply for CTree Kits for spring and fall plantings. CTree Kits include: 1) Trees in a variety of species and stock sizes for Landscaping, Shade, Reforestation, or Wildlife; 2) Tree tubes or cages to protect from deer; and, 3) Mulch to foster good root growth.
Successful CTree applicants will receive technical assistance from CTree partners and the WV Division of Forestry. Any interested group that is dedicated to increasing urban canopy cover in the Potomac Basin is eligible to apply (with or without prior experience planting trees). CTree is designed so any volunteer group or public entities, regardless of experience, can apply for help from CTree and the WV Division of Forestry. We want your group to apply and join the growing number of volunteers who are making their communities more beautiful and health by planting trees. CTree applications include a cover letter, narrative, pre-planting checklist, and tree maintenance agreement.

Potomac Highlands Leaders Of Watersheds. PHLOW [flow] offers students practical, real-world, science education in watersheds dynamics and the problems and causes of water pollution. PHLOW focuses on stormwater runoff pollution, harmful material from hard surfaces such as rooftops and parking lots that rainwater carries to streams. Students learn to identify problems on their campus and are empowered to fight pollution. PHLOW is fostering a future generation of watershed stewards. With support, PHLOW will continue to provide science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) lessons while helping students reduce erosion and fight water pollution.
PHLOW is a year-round education program teaching local and regional river pollution problems AND offering hands-on conservation programs to solve them. PHLOW helps students discover the connections between land use practices and the health of rivers and watersheds. Through classroom STREAM exercises students make a connection with the flora and fauna in the river system, from the small grass and creatures that live on the bottom to human use of river resources, from drinking water to recreation. By the end of the year, PHLOW provides students with a personal experience, working as a team, to problem solve and improve their school and community.
Unmanaged stormwater runoff pollution carries oil, solid waste, fecal coliform, nutrients, and sediment to streams which degrades drinking water quality and harms wildlife. Stormwater runoff pollution can also cause a rapid rise in stream temperature which is harmful to beneficial and economically important game fish such as native trout. PHLOW’s science education gives students will have the knowledge needed to conduct a comprehensive campus assessment looking for stormwater runoff pollution problems (e.g., oil in the parking lot, erosion, fertilizers and pesticides). Student leaders identify established U.S. EPA approved “best management practices” to install to reduce the pollution from their school grounds (e.g., rain barrels, rain gardens, tree plantings, and “green infrastructure”).
CI will invites exceptional students to participate in our Stream Scholars Summer Camp, a five day investigation of stream ecology that includes overnight camping, river canoeing or rafting, or a trip aboard a real-life science vessel. Stream Scholars is a unique opportunity that allows student leaders from different schools to meet, compare experiences, and celebrate their successes. Toyota’s contribution and support will be highlighted on Stream Scholars material.