Maine SWCD coordinates Arbor Day event for elementary students 05/31/2022
Maine’s Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District helped coordinate a tree planting event on Arbor Day with elementary students from Lisbon Community School.
“We planned a full schedule so all students would have time to be outside, learn about their local forest ecosystem, and participate in planting a native tree,” said Emma Lorusso, Androscoggin Valley SWCD Project Director, who helped coordinate the event. The day’s activities were shaped, in part, by NACD’s Stewardship and Educational resources on forest curricula appropriate for this mixed age group. NACD’s Northeast Region Representative Annica McGuirk also helped coordinate the event.
A local landscaper in Lisbon donated enough white pines for each grade to participate in planting a tree they will observe grow throughout their years at the school. Lisbon Parks and Recreation Department helped select the hardiest saplings and stayed for the day to help prepare planting sites.
Approximately 500 students participated in the event. The students met with conservation leaders to discuss the importance of Arbor Day before taking a walk through the woods. During the walk, students practiced their observation skills, learned about the importance of forest management, and got to view a prescribed burn site for invasive plant management. During the tree planting, students learned how to be good conservation stewards and how the local SWCD serves as a resource and partner for the community.
Students were sent home with stickers provided by #forestproud and invasive forest insect temporary tattoos from Androscoggin Valley SWCD.