Falls Church Mayor Robin Gardner and Fairfax County Board Chairman Sharon Bulova will join forces this Saturday for ceremonial tree plantings as part of a new Living Classroom project.

Set to launch April 17 at 9:30 a.m. at the Chesterbrook Water Pumping Station (1804 Kirby Rd., McLean), the joint effort between the City of Falls Church Water Utility and the Fairfax County Restoration Project (FCRP) is an environmental-restoration activity. It aims to increase forest cover to provide native habitat for area songbirds and butterflies. Paths, seating and interpretive signing are designed to provide an educational environment for visitors to encounter and interact with the natural world.

The Chesterbrook Living Classroom, located in a meadow on the Falls Church Water Utility Chesterbrook water-pumping station site, will be used by Falls Church City Public Schools and Fairfax County’s Chesterbrook Elementary School. The outdoor classroom will offer hands-on opportunities for students to apply environmental and natural science concepts. Tours of the Living Classroom will be provided to the public.

This project is part of the Falls Church Water Utility’s environmental stewardship efforts and community partnership activities. Fostered by the Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships, FCRP strengthens the relationship between people and nature through community action.

For more information about the April 17 launch, call FCRP Information Officer Jim McGlone at 703-324-1489. For more information about volunteering to participate in work days at the Chesterbrook meadow, contact Living Classroom Project Leader Alan Ford at 703-732-5291 or amford@acm.org.