Ames Today

The Ames Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded a $10,000 Community Forestry Grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. Funds from this grant assist communities with recovering from the August 2020 derecho and tree loss from Emerald Ash Borer. This grant will be used to plant 75 trees in public rights-of-way in the Toronto Street neighborhood.

The Ames Parks and Recreation Department, the Ames Foundation, and volunteers will be planting these trees from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 20. To volunteer, sign up under Upcoming Events on the Ames Foundation website at https://www.amesfoundation.org/. Volunteers will meet at the corner of Toronto Street and Alberta Avenue. The event will begin with a tree planting demonstration. All ages are welcome to participate.

The trees for this planting, along with mulch and auguring holes for planting, were paid for with the Iowa DNR/USDA Forest Service grant. “Trees are an integral part of our community and enhance the environment in many ways,” said City Forester Gabriele Edwards. “Thanks to the grant we received, we are able to replant trees lost to storm damage or disease in this west Ames neighborhood.”

The Parks and Recreation Department manages 38 parks and offers approximately 180 athletic, aquatic, instructional, and wellness programs. Indoor programs are provided year-round at the Community Center and Ames/ISU Ice Arena. For more information, visit the Parks and Recreation homepage at www.amesparkrec.org or call the Community Center at 515.239.5350.

Original source can be found here.