Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) recently partnered with two groups to help make two city parks more green and beautiful. Irving Girl Scout Troops 1810 and 6458 didn’t sleep in on Monday, March 13, their first day of Spring Break, but instead came to Towne Lake Park, 800 Esters Road, to plant eight trees along the walking trail. On March 22, ten employee volunteers from Abbott Laboratories spent the morning at Thomas Jefferson Park, 1200 Hidden Ridge, planting 20 trees.
At both events, the City of Irving’s Urban Forestry Team walked the volunteers through all the steps in proper tree planting. Volunteers learned about the types of trees they were planting, how to measure the ideal depth, and tips for maintenance throughout the life of the trees.
The combined results of the two events were 22 volunteers who gave 54 hours of service in planting a total of 28 trees. The trees were a mix of bur oak, red oak, cedar elm and desert willow, which will bring more beauty and many other benefits to these two parks. The purchase of the trees was made possible by corporate donations from Northrop Grumman and Mentor Texas.
“Events like these two tree plantings are great examples of what KIB does and how we bring people together in a common goal,” said KIB Board member Jim Scrivner. “KIB’s youth outreach program includes organizations like the Girl Scouts, who have been active volunteers for many years. We also have a strong corporate outreach program, and in this case, two companies provided the funding and a third company provided the volunteers to plant the trees. We appreciate all those who make a positive difference, and everyone involved in the two projects did an outstanding job.”
