This cache is located in beautiful Plumtree Park in Bel Air, along the banks of Plumtree Run. But the park wasn’t always this pretty.
In 2012 Harford Soil Conservation District aided in restoring Plumtree Run stream. For the past 50 years it had been diverted through a pipe running below Plumtree Park. The process of reestablishing the stream is known as daylighting.
Once the pipe was removed, the new stream bed had to be stabilized so the soil wouldn’t wash away. The banks were planted with native species. A corridor was installed on both sides of the stream to provide wetland habitat. This habitat also serves as a flood plain during storms.
Daylighting Plumtree Run improved water quality by increasing water contact with native soil and vegetation, providing flood storage and exposing the stream to air and sunlight. It also improved the local aquatic and terrestrial habitat.
Today, Plumtree Park is home to a wide variety species, including ducks, fish, birds, dragon flies and frogs in addition to the many families who spend time in this lovely park.
The project was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The design was prepared by Ecotone, a local environmental engineering company. Harford Soil Conservation District administered the project in partnership with the Town of Bel Air.