CAMDEN – Every spring the Camden Public Library gathers volunteers and cleans the winter debris out of the Amphitheater and Harbor Park. The all volunteer event took place on Saturday, April 21. This year children’s librarian Loraine Murray decided that it would be a treat for the kids to make seed balls for planting in their own yards.

Now, what is a seed ball?

“Shredded paper and potting soil in a container,” said Murray. “I’ll mix in some seeds and a little water so it sticks together and the kids form it into balls.”

Murray said they can throw the balls or plant them. She said they also have seeds they will plant today as well.

“It’s nice out, so I figured we’d do it outside,” she said. “That makes for less of a mess inside.”

Dave Jackson is the director of Camden Harbor Park and Amphitheater. He said they try to do the clean up on or near Earth Day.

“I just learned today,” he said, “that Senators King and Susan Collins had declared that today is National Park Day. That is quite appropriate in that the Amphitheater is a national landmark.”

There was no trash or plastic, but Jackson called the leaves, dead brush and fallen branches the winter debris.

“And there was a lot of it,” he said. “It’s been a tough winter.”

Jackson and close to a dozen volunteers turned out to help.

“We’re going to work until noon,” he said. “There’s a truck coming at 11:30 to pick up the debris. We started at 9 a.m. and as you can see there are people all over the grounds raking and leaf blowing and generally cleaning out the dead debris.”