Reforest Riverside: Village Foresters & Community Stewards

At press time, all eyes are still on the Grand River…and this includes the Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, the 2013 Arbor Day Award recipient of the Excellence in Urban Forest Leadership Award for their outstanding work in tree planting, conservation, and stewardship.

On the day that they are to receive this award at the Arbor Day Foundation’s Lied Lodge & Conference Center, located at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, our small organization, along with a team of local businesses and citizen volunteers, will descend upon Riverside Park to begin their second day of planting new trees to repopulate our park impacted by the emerald ash borer. (The emerald ash borer is a non-native beetle that is very destructive to ash trees in North America.)

And while they had hoped to complete the project, at press time, they have conceded that because of the flood, they will have to return on May 11 to complete the last round of plantings. (Click here to sign up to participate at the May event.)

For those who cannot wait to get involved in helping Reforest Riverside, please show up at 9 a.m. at the North end of the park. (Friends ask that you park on one of the many neighborhood streets that feed into the park and walk to their work site, which will have signage for ease of identity.)

The tree planting for this Arbor Day will take place in the higher elevation areas of the park and will be led by citizens who have been trained by the Friends’ Urban Forest Project program manager, Lee Mueller.

If the response to their call for volunteers is overly successful, citizen volunteers will work with other members of the Friends’ leadership in helping clear and beautify the park of the debris that has accumulated since the flood.

Friends ask that you please remember to dress for the weather (which is forecasted to be very pleasant), wear close-toed shoes, and bring water and a snack for yourself. In addition, all volunteers will need to sign an Emergency Medical and Photo Release Waiver once on site in order to participate.


Admission: Free