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Vancouver, Washington – Vancouver Parks and Recreation and the city’s Department of Public Works’ Urban Forestry program celebrated Black History Month with a tree planting at Bagley Community Park (46070 Plomondon St.) on Saturday, Feb. 27. Volunteers from Boys & Girls Clubs of SW Washington and the city’s Urban Youth program planted 24 trees, while following COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Volunteers worked in small groups to plant nine tree species at Bagley Community Park, including Oregon white oak, giant sequoia, incense cedar and black tupelo. Participants from Boys & Girls Clubs and the Urban Youth program were joined by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Urban Forestry Commissioner Clif Barnes and Parks and Recreation Advisory Commissioner Matthew Kuntz.
The annual tree planting event began in 2006 and honors the legacy of many Black American leaders by encouraging civic engagement and cultivating community pride.
Saturday’s tree planting began with a land acknowledgement recognizing the Cowlitz and Chinook tribes, read by City of Vancouver Volunteer Coordinator Hailey Heath. The Boys & Girls Clubs of SW Washington were then awarded a plaque for their on-going service at Bagley Community Park through the Adopt-A-Park program. The opening ceremony ended with Vancouver Parks and Recreation Special Events Coordinator and Urban Youth leader Johnie Tucker sharing a brief history of George Washington Bush, a Black pioneer who was one of the earliest permanent settlers in the Washington Territory.
In addition to aesthetic improvements, increasing the urban tree canopy helps offset carbon dioxide produced by cities and the root systems that trees develop are useful in stormwater management.
Find information about Vancouver Parks and Recreation at www.vanparksrec.org. Learn more about Vancouver’s Urban Forestry program at www.cityofvancouver.us/UrbanForestry. To sign up for a future volunteer project, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/Volunteer.
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