It's Tree Time - we're getting ready to plant another 10,000 trees in our community this spring. Here's our preview of the spring tree plans and how you can get involved!
We need many, many, many hands to plant 10,000 trees this spring! Most of these trees are seedlings – about 2′ tall and a very small diameter. We plant them using a “dibble bar”. Please sign up for one (or several) of our planting workdays and help us get these trees in the ground before the heat of the summer arrives. Volunteers must be 18 years or older unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and then must be at least 12. All volunteers must be able to spend at least 2.5 hours on their feet, use hand tools safely, and lift a weight of about 15 pounds. Learn more about volunteering.
Your donations (as an individual, as a Tree Team group, or as a business sponsorship) are greatly needed to raise the funds needed to continue Tree Corps' success. At approximately $5 per tree for planting costs, we need to raise as much as $50,000 for this year’s tree planting efforts. As the Ecology Action Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. Please donate generously within your means.
To meet the need for both donations and volunteer labor for planting, the EAC is challenging church congregations, community groups, workplace groups, families, and any other interested group of people to support planting 100 trees by forming a Tree Corps Team.
Each Team can get started by making their pledge towards 100 trees (or more!). At $5 per tree (which covers the cost of both a tree and related supplies and expenses) the recommended minimum group pledge is $500. Tree Teams can raise money towards their pledge amount within their groups, through family or friends, or by any other legal means (see how to create a donation page below).
Tree Teams can also support the Tree Corps effort by recruiting some volunteers to help with spring planting workdays (if possible, given that planting workdays will be weather dependent).
In partnership with the ParkLands Foundation, the Ecology Action Center will plant 5000 trees at the Lexington Preserve in memory of Mike Hall who passed away on January 7, 2023. Mike was a longtime familiar face in the Bloomington-Normal community, working for the Town of Normal for twenty-two years, fourteen of which he served as the Director of Public Works, overseeing waste and recycling programs and other critical services that help protect our local environment. During this time he represented the Town of Normal on the Ecology Action Center Board of Directors providing both oversight and lending his professional expertise and perspective. He retired from the Town in 2010 and in 2012 he was hired as the first ever Administrative Director of the ParkLands Foundation. He combined his love of nature with his strong organizational skills to help professionalize and grow the organization.
Please join us in celebrating Mike Hall’s life and his impact on our community by helping us plant 5000 native hardwood tree seedlings at the ParkLands Foundation Lexington Preserve this spring 2023. Please donate generously within your means to support this project and/or volunteer to help plant trees at upcoming workdays.
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