Arbor Day Celebration This Friday at Legion Park

The Whitehall Garden Club, in cooperation with the Town of Whitehall, is planning an Arbor Day Celebration. It will be held on Arbor Day, this Friday, April 30th in Legion Park from noon until 5:00 PM.

The Town of Whitehall will raise our 28th Tree City USA flags along Legion Street to celebrate our 28th year as a Tree City USA. Mayor Mary Janacaro-Hensleigh will welcome the crowd and read a proclamation recognizing Arbor Day, its history, and its future.

Whitehall Garden Club members will distribute 28 small trees FREE to attendees, along with clear instructions for planting and care. A variety of tree and plant-related information tables and vendors will assemble in Legion Park, with adequate spacing to allow social distancing.

A special display of books on trees is available at the Whitehall Library. A coloring sheet for elementary children will be provided to the elementary school and then judged for awards at the festivities. Tree Trivia and Tree Identification games will be held for youth and adults with prizes awarded.

A member of the Jefferson County Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission, Vaia Errett, will talk about distinctive characteristics that define some of the trees growing in and around the Whitehall area, and the surprising array of flowers, seeds, and other structures that reveal their offering pathways of reproduction.

This is an opportunity for the residents of Whitehall and the surrounding areas to get out and enjoy spring and the beginning of the planting, gardening season. It is hoped that local businesses will participate during the festivities with specials for shoppers.

Groups who will have a representative at the celebration include: Madison-Jefferson County Extension Office, Whitehall's Trees, Parks, and Cemetery Board, Jefferson County Conservation District, Montana Native Plant Society, Thomas Elpel (publisher/outdoor school), Local 4-H, Wagner's Nursery, Jefferson County Commissioner, USDA Forest Service, Expert Tree Care of Sheridan, Amy Martin, NCAT of Butte, Vigilante Electric, Northwestern Energy, Countryside Gardens, Whitehall Ledger, and Jefferson County Radio.

Here are some fun facts about Arbor Day and trees!

DID YOU KNOW:

- Trees conserve energy in the summer, and save you money. Properly planted trees can cut your air-conditioning costs by 15-35%.

- Trees help clear the air. Trees produce the oxygen we breathe, and reduce air pollution by lowering air temperature, through respiration, and by retaining particulates.

- Trees bring songbirds close by. Birdsong will fill the air as trees provide nesting sites, food and cover for countless species.

- Trees around your home can increase its value by up to 15% or more. Studies of comparable houses with and without trees place a markedly higher value on those whose yards are sheltered by trees.

- Trees help clean our rivers and streams. Trees hold the soil in place and reduce polluted runoff into our waterways.

- Trees conserve energy in the winter. Trees can slow winter winds, and can cut your heating costs 10-20%.