Due to COVID-19 we celebrated Arbor Day virtually! We created a video demonstrating the planting of a Yellowwood tree and Chokecherry bushes. We also passed out about 200 Chokecherry seedlings via social distancing drive-thru pickup to our local 4th and 5th grade students at the elementary school neighboring our property. We are excited about the opportunity to use this as a way to invite our community members to join us in our aim to invest in and care for the outdoors.
Despite the challenges we’re all experiencing during quarantine, there is one area that has benefited greatly from this season-the environment. There is data showing that air quality has improved, carbon emissions have decreased, and certain bodies of water are clearer as a result of less human activity. There is also footage of wild animals enjoying more freedoms in national parks and roaming freely due to a decrease in visitors. We all know that we should take this virus seriously to stop it’s spread so that we can go back to “normal” life, but it’s worthwhile to take note of the ways that the environment benefits when humans slow down. Perhaps when we get busy again, we will be more conscious of our impact on our surroundings and do our best to limit the harmful things we do to the environment!