Nearly 100 trees planted at Sheboygan schools
A variety of trees and shrub were planted Saturday
SHEBOYGAN — Volunteers spent Saturday planting nearly 100 trees at two schools.
Restoration of Our Trees Sheboygan (ROOTS) and the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership (LNRP) partnered with the Sheboygan Area School District for Saturday’s event. Volunteers planted some 90 trees and shrubs. Funding was provided by private donors and a $25,000 grant through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The day started at North High School where the school’s Botany Teacher David Miller led a tree planting demonstration. After their work was finished at North High School, volunteers finished their efforts at Pigeon River Elementary School to plant the remaining trees and shrubs. This was the largest project ever done by ROOTS according to Tony Fessler, co-coordinator of the effort.
“I love to be outside, I love pottering around in the garden and planting trees of my own,” said Todd Gutschow, a volunteer with the Sheboygan Rotary Club. He has been helping to plant trees in Sheboygan for the past four years. “To enrich the community in which you live,” added Gutschow on why it is important for citizens to volunteer. “It’s a nice thing to do.”
The collaboration, which is the first of its kind in Wisconsin, began last October with a similar large-scale planting at two elementary schools. The initiative addresses the ongoing threat of the Emerald Ash Borer to Sheboygan County. Together with local municipalities, ROOTS is transforming our communities and protecting tree-lined streets for generations to come.
This year, the City of Sheboygan is celebrating 47 years of being designated Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. Tree planting is just one of the many ways the city has maintained the status of the longest-running in all of Wisconsin for both of these designations.
For more information or to make a donation, visit sheboyganrotary.com.
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