The cool January morning was no deterrent to several dozen volunteers who came out for a tree planting event at Tahoe Park Sunday. Representatives from several local civic organizations, along with friends and neighbors from the community, came out to plant several Northern Red Oak, Valley Oak and Willow Oak trees.

Jacobe Caditz from the Sacramento Tree Foundation gave a crash course in Tree Planting 101 before teams were divided and sent off to prearranged locations throughout the park.

“We have a campaign going on right now where we want to plant 5 million more trees in Sacramento in the next 25 years,” Caditz said. “Today’s event is just another of many that’s going to help us reach our goal.”

Sacramento District 6 City Councilmember Kevin McCarty lent a pair of hands and picked up a shovel, helping to plant two trees himself.

“Events like this are just another great thing about our city,” McCarty told volunteers. “It’s a great chance to get out and enjoy your park, talk to your neighbors, and really do something good that’s going to be enjoyed by people for a long time.” Over the past seven years, events like this in Tahoe Park have yielded over 100 new trees, he said.

Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association President Bill Motmans worked through a bad rotator cuff but still managed to contribute and lend a helping hand.

“It was a great effort by all the people who came out today,” he said. “It’s always nice to see different people show up to these things. It’s very rewarding when you see the people show up and really help out.”

Members of the Congregation B'nai Israel, who’s temple is located far beyond the boundaries of the Tahoe Park neighborhood, were also in attendance with a volunteer team.

This event marks the beginning of several volunteer days that will be occurring throughout 2011. Park clean-up days, neighborhood clean-up days, and recycling and safety fairs are in the works over the next few months. Citizens wanting more information are encouraged to visit tahoe-park.org.

For more information about The Sacramento Tree Foundation please visit www.sactree.com 

Isaac Gonzalez is a member of the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association.