Volunteers of many different backgrounds, organizations and interests came together on Saturday in a great show of support for the planet on which we all depend.

Helping at Sleepy Hole Park were King’s Fork High School ecology club and band members, Virginia Master Naturalists, Suffolk Master Gardeners, members of the Junto Woman’s Club and Boy Scouts of America Troop 16, among others.

This wide-ranging group helped do maintenance on the riparian buffer and native plant arboretum near the pier at the park. The volunteers braved the cold to prune branches, relocate trees, spread mulch, take inventory of dead plants that need to be replaced and collect trash.

This buffer project was put in place about three years ago with native plants, trees and shrubs to help prevent stormwater runoff into the waterway. It also has the benefit of creating habitat for wildlife and creating a nice area for humans to let time stop for a few minutes and breathe in some fresh air.

The Nansemond River Preservation Alliance gathers volunteers quarterly to help with maintenance so that this area continues to look nice for parkgoers and, more importantly, continues to help the environment in the way it was designed.

One volunteer on Saturday, Haleigh Wilson, said it was exciting to see the way the project area has evolved since she and her family first started volunteering there. It’s a family affair for her, and they continue to come out whenever opportunities are available.

Whether it’s a family thing, a Scout troop thing, a woman’s club thing, a band thing or an I-need-service-hours-to-graduate thing, we applaud those who volunteered Saturday. It takes all of us.

We love to see volunteers young and old from many different organizations come together for projects like this. It reminds us that we’re all living on the same planet, and we all benefit from projects that help keep it healthy.