Community Tree Planting

Outputs 

• 25 elementary school students given tree-planting education through experience at Sugar Pond 

• 20 high school students given the opportunity to help youth of Hastings and learn about tree planting 

• 2 areas around Sugar Pond addressed, by two different-aged populations of students

• 2 Sweet bay magnolia trees planted 

• 8 Swamp white oak trees planted 

• 2 Tupelo trees planted 

• 4 Arctic tip dogwood shrubs planted 

• 6 Spicebush shrubs planted 

Outcomes

• As a result of giving 25 elementary school students tree-planting education and experience in a familiar place, these kids will get to watch the trees grow and feel a connection to them. Their familiarity will encourage them to care for the trees they planted and hopefully their broader environment in future. 

• Many of the young kids were Girl Scouts, and they earned a badge for their work. 

• As a result of the high school students planting 12 trees and 10 shrubs, the stream bank below Sugar Pond will be more stabilized and the area will be more resilient to future climatic shifts. 

• The high school volunteers can also take pride in having contributed their efforts to the ecosystem, gained experience and mentorship, learned about the ecosystem and aesthetic values of trees, and benefited from teaching younger children about the environment. 

• The plantings will increase carbon sequestration. 

Process: 

1. Brainstormed project ideas 

2. Communicated with Haven Colgate and Taro Ietaka to determine the location for trees and shrubs and specific species to purchase. This included two walkthroughs of Sugar Pond. 

3. Got permission from the Village to plant in the Sugar Pond area and host the event

4. Continued planning with Hastings Youth Council and Hastings Kids board. 

5. Purchased trees, tools and supplies for the planting day 

6. Arranged for delivery of large trees 

7. Promoted the event to Hillside families 

8. Created a Google Form to recruit high school volunteers, which we posted on Hastings KIDS and NHS classroom pages 

9. Pre-dug some holes to make it easier for youngest children to participate 

10. Created “how to” tree planting instructions for children and families to follow 

11. Created an educational list of benefits of planting trees to display at the event 

12. Ordered pizza to be distributed during the event 

13. Supervised children and volunteers during the community tree-planting event 

14. Protected trees and shrubs by building enclosures and placing tubes around trees 

15. Created sign-up sheet for high school volunteers to continue watering the trees and shrubs in the coming months 

Lessons Learned 

• I learned that young people have an interest in improving their local environment.  

• I learned that it is important to create organized sign-up sheets and educational materials to display at an event. 

• I learned to send out reminder texts and emails to volunteers before the day of the event including recommendations on what to bring. 

• I learned many tips and tricks about planting trees, including breaking up the root ball and filling the hole with water before planting. 

Students Involved 

• 1 Project leader aged 15-24 

• 48 Total project participants (excluding leaders) 

• 26 Project participants aged 15-24 (excluding leaders) 

Digging holes and placing magnolia trees with the elementary school students

Thank You's 

Thank you to Haven Colgate for helping me plan and communicate throughout the project, and for helping during the day of the event. Thank you to Taro Ietaka, Assistant Director of Conservation at Westchester County Parks, for giving advice on which trees to plant and where; to Aaron Podhurst, Hastings-on-Hudson Superintendent of Parks, for granting me permission to use the Sugar Pond area; and to Hastings Mayor Nicola Armacost for supporting the project. Thank you to Lori Walsh of Hastings Youth Council for helping me organize the event for the younger children, and for helping at the event. Thank you to Kareem Ghalib and Erik Ghalib for helping with project work and organization. Thank you to all of the high school students who volunteered to help run the event, making it a huge success! And thank you to Bloomberg Philanthropies for providing funding for this project.