A Used Jewelry Sale by Riderwood Residents Results in $1,162 Donated to Helps Local Schools' Environmental Education Projects

A Used Jewelry Sale by Riderwood Results in $1,162 Being Donated to Support Environmental Education at Two Local Public Schools
SILVER SPRING, MD (May 16, 2012) - An Earth Day-themed used jewelry sale by Riderwood retirement community residents has resulted in a total of $1,162 being donated to support environmental education at  two local public schools.  Strathmore Elementary School in Montgomery County received half of the money to purchase special equipment for its "salad" garden.  The other half was sent to Beltsville Academy in Prince Georges' County for environmental education and for an addition to its courtyard garden.
Riderwood residents observe Earth Day every day of the year at their 120-acre campus through their wildlife habitat work. Their Riderwood Wildlife Habitat Project is certified under the Wildlife Habitat Council's Wildlife At Work^SM program. This certification recognizes the partnership between Riderwood residents and the campus' Grounds Department staff and their longstanding commitment to the natural environment, which is visible through the extensive acreage of protected woodlands and enhancement projects. Their commitment is setting new industry standards each day and has been evident throughout the history of Riderwood.
During construction of Riderwood, more than  80 individual tree species that would have been cut were relocated on site and replanted in an arboretum and other natural areas around the campus. For this activity, the site received a Grand Award from the National Arborists Association in 2003.
Riderwood residents built upon this work by forming a Wildlife Habitat Steering Committee to further enhance the property for wildlife. Resident members of the committee actively work to enhance the quality and diversity of plant life on the property, improve nesting habitat for small mammals and birds, manage and control invasive plant species and educate and involve other residents in the implementation of the wildlife habitat management plan.
Prescriptions recommended to achieve these goals are carried out by focused groups, such as the Garden Club, Weed Warriors, Birders, Butterfly Garden Group, Global Warming Group and Project Budburst Group. The Steering Committee also works closing with the Grounds Department to implement many of the projects, such as those involving the landscaping. For example, the committee has worked with the Grounds Department to gradually replace the non-native, woody ornamental trees and shrubs around the property with native, berry-producing shrubs and trees, which will benefit a variety of birds, insects and mammals.