This Friday is Arbor Day, and several Michiana organizations are giving away free trees to celebrate.
As part of South Bend’s Arbor Day celebrations in Pinhook Park, state Representatives Maureen Bauer and Jake Teshka and State Senator David Niezgodski will be holding their annual native tree giveaway.
Starting at 10 a.m., native trees provided by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will be available to the first 50 people in attendance. Recipients must be able to transport them.
The Elkhart Environmental Center is also hosting an Arbor Day tree giveaway on Saturday as part of its Earth Day celebrations.
Starting at 10 a.m., free native trees will be available for adoption on a first-come, first-served basis at the center, which is located at 1717 E. Lusher Ave. in Elkhart. The giveaway is limited to only one tree per household.
At 11 a.m., the Environmental Center will be holding a habitat restoration activity — volunteers can help remove invasive species along the Elkhart River and replace them with native trees.
And at noon, it will be hosting a spring plant exchange. Visitors can bring seeds, bulbs and small plants to swap with other gardeners. All plants must be non-invasive species, healthy, potted in soil and properly watered.
Finally, the city of Goshen will be giving away trees on Friday as part of its Arbor Day celebration at the County Courthouse. Starting at 4:30 p.m., there will be 100 sweetgum, 100 pecan and 100 silky dogwood seedlings available.
The Goshen High School Youth Caucus is also raffling off 18 older trees in a fundraiser for local nonprofit Trees for Goshen. The raffle runs from 6 to 7 p.m., and these are the available trees:
- Paw Paw: There are two small trees available for $10 per tree
- American Plum: One large tree is available for $15 per ticket
- Scarlet Oak: There are two taller trees available for $15 per tree
- American Sycamore: There are two taller trees available for $15 per tree
- Hop Hornbeam: There are two taller trees available for $15 per tree
- Catalpa: There are two small trees available for $10 per tree
- Tulip Tree: One taller tree is available for $15 per ticket
- Sweetgum: There are two taller trees available for $15 per tree
- Serviceberry: There are two small trees available for $10 per tree
- American Beech: There is one taller tree available for $15 per ticket
- Magnolia (Sweetbay): There is one taller tree available for $15 per ticket
Contact Jakob at jlazzaro@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @JakobLazzaro.
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