Fifty oak trees were delivered to Neponset Grade School on Tuesday for select students in honor of Earth Day.
The trees were donated by the Living Lands and Waters Organization in East Moline, as part of their Million Trees Project. Neponset Grade School, and the Neponset community at large, have received trees most years since 2011.
According to spokesperson Marty Golby, a Neponset native, the Living Lands and Waters Organization held an on-line lottery in early March, and trees were reserved by groups and individuals competing on-line at a specific date and time. Golby waited on-line for the link “to go live” and was able to reserve the trees.
Approximately 75 trees are available for Neponset and area residents who are interested in planting and caring for them. Red oak and bur oak varieties are still available. Most trees are one to three feet tall.
If interested, you may text or call Golby at 309-945-7750 within the next few days to reserve trees, or check for availability. Trees will be dropped off at a specified location in the Neponset area between April 30 and May 2.
Golby encourages those who reserve trees to be sure to call JULIE at 811 or 800-892-0123 a few days before planting to avoid complications with underground wires, cables or plumbing. You may also submit an on-line request to JULIE.
He also encourages those planting the trees to “avoid planting them below power lines. Oak trees grow large and need a lot of space, so they should also be planted at least 25 to 30 feet from other trees or buildings.”
Living Lands and Waters was started in 1998 by Chad Pregracke, Hampton, Ill. native, and since then the organization has removed over 10 million pounds of garbage from America’s rivers, with the help of countless volunteers.
The organization has also planted millions of trees. The organization’s motto is: “To aid in the protection, preservation, and restoration of the natural environment of the nation’s major rivers and their watersheds.”
To learn more, go to www.livinglandsandwaters.org.
