200 Trees to be Planted Saturday at Wilde Lake

A Wilde Lake resident is calling on volunteers to help plant 200 trees at a half-acre site below the dam at Wilde Lake Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.

Rhoda Toback, a Wilde Lake village board member and vice chairwoman of Columbia Association's Watershed Advisory Committee, is coordinating the planting as part of a capstone project for the Howard County Watershed Stewards Academy. The trees will help prevent soil erosion in the area near the dam.

"We want people to come out, plant a tree and be connected to the environment," said Toback, in a statement.

CA said the dogwood, locust, oak, poplar, sweet gum and wild cherry trees were provided through a grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

“We have a significant erosion issue in the stream that flows into Wilde Lake, out of Wilde Lake and into Lake Kittamaqundi,” said John McCoy, watershed manager for Columbia Association (CA), in a statement. “This tree planting will enhance the buffer along the section of stream directly below the dam. It’ll keep that area stable, helping to trap sediment when the stream gets out of its banks and helping to slow runoff moving into the stream.”

Wilde Lake Park is located off Hyla Brook Road in Columbia.