By Summer Roberts, WCCD Community Forester A big thanks to our partners, Ypsilanti Township, Huron River Watershed Council, and ReLeaf Michigan, as well as to workshop participants who helped plant 25 fruit and nut trees at Appleridge Park in Ypsilanti Township on April 30th! This workshop marked the start of a new community garden spearheaded by T.C. Collins of Willow Run Acres. Sue Shink, Washtenaw County Commissioner for District 2, kicked off the event with some inspirational words acknowledging the benefits of trees and green spaces. Thirty workshop participants learned from Ashley Laux, a ReLeaf Michigan forester, how to properly plant a bareroot tree and then were able to practice their skills while helping to enrich a local park and lay the groundwork for improving access to local food. Community gardens encourage community engagement, activism, and empowerment and help to facilitate environmental justice, collective action, and equitable access to green spaces, nutrition, and good health. If you would like to be involved in helping to maintain or build the community garden at Appleridge Park, please contact T.C. at Willow Run Acres. It is WCCD’s hope that participants will use and spread the skills they learned at the workshop to better their communities. Plant a tree, grow your community!
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