By Sevanah Sandoval
If you attended Key Club meetings or were a member of the BHS Tree Service Club last year, you are likely familiar with the Benicia Tree Foundation (BTF). If not, BTF is a local non-profit organization with a mission of strengthening the community by “promoting and supporting tree planting, maintenance, and education.”
The BTF meets in various Benicia locations on select Thursdays and Saturdays. Activities range from planting tree saplings, watering trees, and monitoring saplings planted a while ago to ensure their health. Such events have taken place near Jack London Park, Liberty High School, Benicia High School, and the Lake Herman Open Space.
This past Saturday, I attended a meeting in the Lake Herman Open Space, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed myself. We met outside of the community park and took a short, scenic walk through the Lake Herman Open Space. We walked all the way to a hill with tall grass, dotted with plastic tubes that protected tiny tree saplings.
We were taken up the hill by Alison, the BTF worker leading us, and shown how to navigate through tall grass and spiky plants, take the tree tubes off of the saplings, check for a live tree, and weed the surrounding area. Then, we were broken into pairs to check on each tube. Throughout the entire walk and demonstration, we received valuable information about local flora and tree care. For example, what you might think is a dead sapling could be a special type of local tree that loses its leaves in summer!
The process of checking the tubes ended up taking about two hours. I had a lot of fun because I came to the event with friends, and navigating tall grass on a hill with my younger sister and clumsy tendencies proved to be very funny.
When we finished checking all of the tubes, we took a small walk to see an owl box that BTF put up as a temporary habitat for local owls. We concluded with a brief conversation about BTF’s goal of educating about tree planting and maintenance. And with that, after a scenic morning walk and fun time with friends, I had earned two and a half service hours.
If you are in need of service hours, or are passionate about your local environment, I would recommend attending a tree planting. I would especially recommend going with friends! More people are always helpful at these meetings, and any activity is more fun with a friend. These events are also a great way to make a direct impact on your community and learn about the plants that surround you. And don’t worry–not every event is up in Lake Herman’s hills. Many are in more easily accessible, public areas.
If you’re interested in volunteering, check out the BTF website for event dates, their mission, and to register as a volunteer!
beniciapaw.com 