Ames Receives $10,000 Tree Planting Grant

Press release from the City of Ames:

March 10, 2021

The Ames Parks and Recreation Department has been awarded a $10,000 grant through Trees Forever and Alliant Energy’s Branching Out Program. Branching Out is a nationally recognized program designed to encourage tree planting projects that improve energy efficiency, environmental awareness, and community stewardship.

According to City Forester Paul Tauke, the funds will be used to plant trees in areas of Ames that were hardest hit by the derecho in August. He added, “This grant award, along with $1,000 from the local Ames Trees Forever chapter, will allow us to more than double the number of trees we can plant this spring. We will be planting 120 trees to begin replacing the roughly 300 City trees that were lost in the storm.”

If pandemic protocols allow, the trees will be planted by volunteers in coordination with the Ames Foundation in May. The planting may be rescheduled due to weather and/or ground conditions. For questions, please contact Tauke at 515.239.542 or paul.tauke@cityofames.org

The Parks and Recreation Department manages 38 parks and offers approximately 150 athletic, aquatic, instructional, and wellness programs. Indoor programs are provided year-round at the Community Center, Ames/ISU Ice Arena, and Municipal Pool. For more information, visit the Parks and Recreation homepage at www.amesparkrec.org or call the Community Center at 515.239.5350.

This press release was produced by the City of Ames. The views expressed here are the author’s own.