Girl Scouts to help replant trees at Westover Park

Local Girl Scout Troop 1219 will soon help revitalize Westover Park.

The girls, which have worked with Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation in the past on environmentally friendly efforts, will assist Parks and Rec staff on Saturday by planting trees at the park. The effort aims to help replace trees that were recently removed due to the emerald ash borer.

The girls will get to see the trees they plant grow over the years to support Westover’s habitat and the local community. They will add 20 trees to the area, focusing on a variety of native trees.

“Girl Scout Troop 1219 is excited to team up with Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation to help plant trees at Westover Park,” Troop Co-Leader Cristin Iwanici said. “Our troop has a continued goal of giving back to the community that we love so much. Our focus for this year and last is to help the environment around us by planting trees, flowers, weeding, and making sustainable places for pollinators to go.”

Troop 1219 has assisted Parks and Rec with installing and maintaining a pollinator garden in Hillandale Park, installing butterfly houses outside of the Community Activities Center, participating in the Pollinators in Your Backyard event, and other important environmental projects.

Their efforts are much appreciated.

“I think it is great for the girls to be focused on environmental initiatives in Harrisonburg parks,” Harrisonburg Parks Superintendent Jeremy Harold said. “The girls will be able to learn and take part in helping our local urban ecosystem, and more specifically, watch the trees they plant grow and replace the trees that had to be removed due to the emerald ash borer.”

Additional community tree planting opportunities will take place this fall – including a tree planting during the United Way Day of Caring on Sept. 25 and a community tree planting event in October. Contact Jeremy Harold at 540-438-1644 or email [email protected] for more information about these opportunities.

More information about Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation is available online at www.HarrisonburgVA.gov/Parks-Recreation.