BY T’NEIL GOODEN
Flushing Meadows Corona Park promoted climate week with a new Hackberry tree planted on Sept 21st. Standing high in the depths of the park it sparked a new focus on the perennial plants that are never truly taken care of: Our Trees.
Alliance For Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which supports New York City Parks and Recreation Department’s maintenance and operations team, partnered with a Minneapolis based artist to bring a new life to the scenic park. The effect was to draw more attention to the need for trees not only in Queens but New York City and the tristate area.
“If we can cheer for the US Open, if we can cheer for a tennis player, why can’t we cheer for a tree?” said the artist, Amanda Lovelee.
She brought her two loves, art and community together by making this event not only educational but into a parade that she named ‘Homecoming’.
“It’s really just bringing up environmental issues in a playful way,” said Lovelee. “A tree is a tree and we all love trees,” she said. Lovelee uses trees as a tool to speak about climate and “to talk about the environment, again, in a non-threatening, joyful way.”
This tree planting was a combination of informing families about the importance of trees and having activities that brought children of all ages closer to understanding what trees do for them and their climate. Children participated in press planting and writing encouraging messages for the trees that surrounded them.
“The trees are important because they give us life, and in a concrete jungle, it’s nice to have a little bit of nature by us,” said Gabriel Marin, a climber pruner with New York Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). “These trees also provide oxygen for us and not just oxygen, they enrich us. They bring beauty into our communities.”
This event was filled with children learning the different types of trees within the park, such as: London Plane trees, Hackberry trees, and Okame Cherry trees, to name a few. Hackberry trees are deciduous trees that provide food for wildlife and is a host plant for caterpillars making it a mandatory tree for the local food chain.
Jennifer Graeff, the Director of Strategic Planning and Engagement at NYC Parks, had a message for the children who participated in the event. “We’re hoping that these are our future stewards and that they come back and they care for the trees,” she said. “We hope they come out and care for other parts of the park. There’s so much that this park offers. I was so thrilled to see so many little ones here getting excited.”
Graeff wasn’t the only one with a testament to the importance of children learning about climate safety at a young age, Marin had his own knowledge to share: “It’s important that we educate our kids on what trees do for us. I think it’s great and important. 100%.