The city of Lexington hosted the 26th annual Reforest the Bluegrass tree planting event. This event gives volunteers the opportunity to plant new trees across different parks in Lexington.
Held on Saturday, April 19, the event allowed volunteers to participate in different activities including a cookout, live music and the planting of seedlings across Jacobson Park.
Lexington environmental initiative specialist, Jennifer Myatt, said each year the event relocates to a new park in order to expand the planting of new trees across Lexington. According to the city’s website, more than 200 acres of floodplains have been restored across Lexington since the event’s start 26 years ago.
“It’s been a long-standing event in the community,” Myatt said. “Last year we went back to Coldstream Park and it was really cool because as you were planting seedlings, you could see the old site with all those trees that are now 25 years old.”
According to Myatt, anyone can participate in the tree planting, regardless of experience level, in an attempt to involve the entire community.
“It’s hard as an individual sometimes to really feel like you can make a difference with environmental issues,” Myatt said. “But really your individual choices do have an effect.”
According to Urban and Community Forestry Program manager Heather Wilson, the event was created after a water quality engineer recognized the amount of pollutants in the open waterways in Lexington.
“But now it’s beyond just tree planting,” Wilson said. “It’s community involvement.”
During its first year, the event occurred every weekend in April and had 20 volunteers, but now the event has been shortened to one weekend with typically 500 volunteers and more activities, according to Wilson.
“We have generations of families that come out,” Wilson said. “I think it’s something that is now just ingrained in the culture of Lexington.”
Naomi Howell, a Reforest the Bluegrass volunteer, said coming to the event inspired her studies of natural science at Eastern Kentucky University and the event is now a long-standing tradition within her family.
Howell said she became a crew leader at 16, where she then started bringing her friends to the event each year to spread awareness and get more volunteers to participate.
Their love and desire to make a difference in the local environment started the family tradition, according to Kathy Howell, mother of Naomi.
“We just love the environment and this is such an easy way to make a difference,” Kathy said. “Having children really brings it back to that full circle moment.”
Joe Howell, husband of Kathy, said the event allows his family to give back to the environment and community.
“We are here for a short time so this is a way to give back and pay it forward,” Joe said. “I think this helps make a difference, even if it is local.”
