As the weather continues to warm up, the MTSU Stormwater Program is looking for some True Blue volunteers to help it plant trees and clean up green spaces this spring in an ongoing effort to protect waterways and the environment.

The latest effort runs from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 25, when a number of student volunteers and student groups will be planting 200 to 300 tree seedlings along the Stones River near the MTSU Dairy Farm at 3211 Guy James Road.

In this undated file photo, a volunteer plants tree seedlings along Garrison Creek in Murfreesboro. (MTSU file photo)

The purpose of Saturday’s project is to help stop erosion along the banks of the East Fork of the Stones River, according to Matthew Wade, director of farm laboratories at the MTSU Dairy Farm, while the blooms from the trees will help provide nectar for the bees in the MTSU Bee Program, he added.

Interested volunteers can pre-register with Cynthia Allen, a coordinator with MTSU Environmental Health and Safety Services, by emailing cynthia.allen@mtsu.edu. Volunteers should wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, closed-toe shoes, work gloves and they should also bring water bottles. The forecast calls for dipping temperatures Saturday.

Other events on tap this spring:

• A tree planting will run from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 9, at Jordan Farm, 1233 Cherry Lane in the Siegel area. The rain date is Friday, March 10. Tree seedlings will be planted along the stream on the farm, and volunteers should again wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, closed-toe shoes, work gloves and bring water bottles.

• Parks Day at Old Fort Park will run from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 1, with lunch provided from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers will meet at Pavilion No. 2 at 1025 Old Fort Parkway and will be cutting and spraying invasive plant species and removing trash from the area. Volunteers should again wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, closed-toe shoes, work gloves and bring water bottles.

Email cynthia.allen@mtsu.edu to pre-register.

Keep up with volunteer opportunities with the Stormwater Program by visiting http://mtsu.edu/stormwater/involvement.php.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)