When Rotary International President Ian Riseley took office last July, he challenged each of the world’s 1.2 million Rotarians to plant a tree during his tenure as a way to promote environmental sustainability.
This Saturday, a number of members of both Evanston’s Rotary clubs, in cooperation with the City of Evanston and Northwestern University, plan to plant about 100 trees in local parks to help fulfill that challenge.
Volunteers from the two clubs, the Rotary Club of Evanston and the Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse, will assemble Saturday at about 10 a.m. at Elliot Park by Lake Michigan, James Park in southwest Evanston, and Twiggs and Harbert parks along the canal’s east side near McCormick Boulevard to get the job done.
City of Evanston arborist Paul D’Agostino identified the selected trees to best survive in Evanston’s environment that will provide food and shelter for a variety of birds and animals. The city will also provide support for the continuing care of the young trees.
The varieties chosen for the planting will include the Burr Oak, Shingle Oak, Eastern Redbud, River Birch, Frontier Elm, and Kentucky Coffee.
Trees for Evanston Parks is a project spearheaded by the two clubs as they tackled the tree-planting missive. After planting 20 trees last fall, club members have been collecting donations or purchasing trees on an individual basis to honor a loved one.
The Celtic Knot Pub and the Lincolnwood Gardening Club have also donated trees for this project. Saturday’s event will bring the groups’ total planting effort to 120 trees, which approximates the total membership of the two clubs.