The City of Bandon Parks & Recreation Commission is organizing an event to celebrate Arbor Day, an annual national recognition of the importance that trees play in our communities. This year, the event falls on Saturday, April 30th, from 10:00 am – 1:00 PM in City Park. For more information about the Bandon Arbor Day Celebration, please visit the City’s website or contact event organizers Shannon Hartlep at CommissionerHartlep@cityofbandon.org or Nicolette Cline at CommissionerCline@cityofbandon.org. The event will include a “Tree-K,” a 2-mile educational walk to learn about the City’s trees and natural environment. This activity is family-friendly and will include a scavenger hunt for those both young and young-at-heart. Participants who finish the event will be given a special award created by local volunteers. During the Tree-K, community members are also invited to contribute to a mural dedicated to the City’s trees. In recent years, City Park has lost 25% of tree cover to disease and damage, a loss that is expected to continue as many of the existing trees reach the end of their normal lifespan. In response to this, the Parks & Recreation Commission has prepared a five-year plan to reforest city park with a diversity of new trees, shrubs, and ground cover to promote a health and resilient environment. The mural will depict our love for trees and effort towards reforestation. The funding to prepare the mural was received through a booster grant from Oregon Community Trees. During the event, community members are welcome to gather at the amphitheater for presentations from a few different speakers, as well as a reading of the Arbor Day proclamation by Mayor Mary Schamehorn. Don’t forget to stick around to be eligible for the Arbor Day raffle! Bandon has been a recognized Tree City USA member for the past 13 years and recently received its first Growth Award for reforestation work. Tree City USA is a program of the Arbor Day Foundation and requires that Cities maintain a tree board, have a community tree ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita on urban forestry, and celebrate Arbor Day. The Arbor Day Foundation website describes the event as follows: While most holidays celebrate something that has already happened and is worth remembering, Arbor Day represents a hope for the future. The simple act of planting a tree represents a belief that the tree will grow to provide us with clean air and water, cooling shade, habitat for wildlife, healthier communities, and endless natural beauty — all for a better tomorrow.