Tuesday, April 25, 2023
NIC student Addie Kiefer pulls weeds during the Associated Students of North Idaho College’s Spring Day of Service on Saturday, April 22 at the Gathering Garden at NIC in Coeur d’Alene.
North Idaho College is hosting its third annual drive-thru Arbor Day event at noon Saturday, April 29 in the Molstead Library parking lot at NIC’s Coeur d’Alene campus.
The event is free and open to the public. Once on campus, signs will instruct traffic flow.
The event is hosted by NIC in partnership with Idaho State Parks and Recreation, the City of Coeur d’Alene, the Idaho Department of Lands, the Arbor Day Foundation and New Leaf Nursery in Hayden.
Attendees will receive a free Eastern red cedar or European bird cherry seedling grown locally by Clifty View Nursery in Bonners Ferry. There will also be prizes, raffles and free NIC stickers.
Each seedling will come with planting instructions, and NIC Landscape Services will be available to show proper planting techniques, as well as to discuss tree selection and location consideration.
“It's a great way to involve the community and hopefully leave people with some knowledge or appreciation or awareness that they didn't have before,” NIC Landscape Technician J.D. Reeves said. “Events like this are important because they can help show people how much meaningful impact they can have on the planet just by properly planting and caring for trees.”
Observance of Arbor Day is part of NIC’s commitment to sustainability as trees help mitigate stormwater runoff, reduce air pollution, help save energy and more.
NIC is one of 411 colleges in the U.S. recognized as a Tree Campus by the Arbor Day Foundation and has held that status since 2017, the longest-standing Tree Campus designation in the state of Idaho. Boise State University and Lewis-Clark State College are also recognized as Tree Campuses.
For more information, contact NIC Landscape Technician J.D. Reeves at (208) 769-5904 or JD.Reeves@nic.edu.