Courtesy of the New-Gazette - Sherri Tombarge

The sign spoke volumes about the Woods Creek Restoration Day, Saturday.   "Celebrate Trees," it said.

    This year, the event's third, not only trees were celebrated. Its theme was wildlife habitat, so along with planting new trees and caring for those already growing along the creek's riparian buffer, an area of trees and shrubs that helps restore the quality of the water and provides a shady habitat for fish, local residents erected 12 bluebird houses.

    In the morning and early afternoon, a half-dozen workshops were offered for the first time. About 35 participants learned about the mammals of Virginia , bird and butterfly habitats, and invasive plants.

    Also new this year was the event's expanded schedule. William Jordan lectured on ecological restoration Thursday night and Friday afternoon.  Backyard wildlife habitat workshops took place Thursday through Saturday by a representative from the National Wildlife Federation.

David Frazier, 11, came to the event with his friend Abe Wapner, 12.  Abe's father, Mitch, and sister, Pearl, 9, also attended. David and Abe came not only to enjoy digging in the dirt and seeing the insides of an owl pellet, but to spend time together. Although they attended the same elementary school, David is a student at Maury River Middle School and Abe attends Lylburn Downing Middle School .

    "Here they kind of put learning into action," said Mitch Wapner. Abe and Pearl may not do the mulching at home, but along the creek, it's more of a community effort, he said.

    It's that community interaction that has brought out residents for the last three years.

    More than 100 volunteers worked at eight sites along Woods Creek between Ross and Lime Kiln roads in the warm afternoon.

    They dug holes for new plants and the birdhouses. The houses feature a 1 1/2-inch opening sized for bluebirds, which have almost become an endangered species since European starlings often overrun their nesting sites, said coordinator Mollie Messimer. The birdhouses were constructed by members of the Roanoke Valley Bird Club and include a metal "baffle" to keep snakes from climbing the pole and stealing eggs.

    Tree swallows, chickadees and a type of warbler may also use the birdhouses. Messimer said school groups would later put up other birdhouses along the creek for three other bird species.

    Volunteers also sampled the creek water to test for pollutant levels.

    "The creek still has pollutants," Messimer told the crowd of volunteers. "Make sure to wash your hands at the washing stations."

    One of the strategies to help reduce those pollutants, rain gardens, was the subject of a slide show presented Saturday by Bill Blatter, city planning and development director.

    Rain gardens slow down storm waters that would otherwise rush into the sewer system. More importantly, the plants and specially mixed soil filter out heavy metals and hydrocarbons. Landscaped with trees and plants that tolerate flooding and drought, the rain garden also helps provide wildlife habitat.

    This biofiltration system can be part of a storm-water management plan for new construction throughout the Woods Creek watershed. Blatter said rain gardens, and how to create one on a residential site, could be the theme for next year's restoration day.

    The event ended with a concert featuring mountain music by Mike Seeger, James Leva and Carol Elizabeth Jones.