The public is invited to an Arbor Day and Earth Day Celebration at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 25. City of Monroe Mayor, Geoffrey Thomas, will host a tree planting ceremony with students from Fryelands Elementary School at Lake Tye Park to recognize the importance of preserving our natural resources. The planting will take place just West of the Monroe Board & Blade Park parking lot. Students of Kelly Harper's 4th grade class from Fryelands Elementary School will assist in the planting of a Red Sunset Maple (Acer rubrum 'Franksred' Red Sunset) Tree, donated by Monroe Garden Club. The tree will be planted to the West of the skatepark parking lot at Lake Tye Park.
The City of Monroe recognizes the benefits of its urban forests for improving air and water quality, providing greenspace buffers to development, producing habitat for wildlife, and generally enhancing the quality of life. The city’s vision statement, Imagine Monroe aspires that the City of Monroe is and will continue to be a “lively center surrounded by nature…. A place of beauty…” where our “parks, waterways, and environment are health and accessible for everyone to enjoy….” where “we strengthen connections through gathering spaces” that create “a safe place for all” to call home and to belong.
The Arbor Day Foundation recognized the City of Monroe as a Tree City USA in 2019, and this will be the sixth consecutive year the City of Monroe has been recognized as a Tree City USA. In addition, in 2021, the Arbor Day Foundation awarded the City of Monroe a Tree City USA Growth Award. Mayor Thomas has celebrated Arbor Day by planting a tree at Lake Tye with the Fryelands Elementary Class for over the last 8 years. He was instrumental in providing support for the city’s application to achieve its designation as a Tree City USA.
