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Trees Planted in an Earth Day Celebration

Jun 08, 2016 10:01AM ● By Bryan Scott

By Cassandra Goff  [email protected]

Cottonwood Heights - The Cottonwood Heights Youth City Council (YCC) celebrated Earth Day at the developing new city hall location. On April 22 at 3 p.m. at 2277 Bengal Blvd, construction workers from Layton Construction lowered multiple young trees into previously dug holes next to the sidewalk east of the site.

The event was scheduled in the afternoon to ensure members of the YCC would be able to attend. Many of the members were students attending Brighton High School, so all they had to do was walk across the street, if school had been in session that day. 

Councilmember Scott Bracken, Youth City Council advisor, stood before city staff, photographers, construction workers, fellow councilmembers and the YCC members to discuss the cause for their involvement in Earth Day. He laughed as he noticed that some of the YCC members could not see him behind a ready-to-be-planted tree. 

After he had thanked the construction crew for speeding up the process, which allowed them to be able to plant trees that day, he asked the YCC members to pick a tree.

Construction workers and city staff, including Councilmember Tee Tyler, Councilmember Mike Shelton and Assistant Manager Bryce Haderlie, held the saplings straight in the dug holes as the YCC members divvied into small groups to help bury the roots.  

Members began grabbing shovels. However, after a few minutes, many YCC members realized there were not enough shovels for each member, especially when City Manager John Park was helping, so many kneeled down to push mounds of dirt into the hole. In some cases, this proved to be more effective. One of the YCC members even got onto her stomach and began pushing mounds of dirt into her designated hole as her fellow members watched in disbelief. 

Unfortunately, it was a blustery day, so many of the YCC members had to battle the wind to accomplish their task. Many times the members had to turn their faces away from the dirt to deter it from blowing into their eyes. A few times the members watched as some of the dirt they had just dug up onto their shovel blew away. 

Councilmember Bracken noticed one member taking a selfie with his sapling, so he ran over to join him with his own phone in snapping a selfie. 

After all the hard work, Ann Eatchel, events coordinator, provided cold Gatorade and snacks to the YCC and their helpers while the construction crew placed poles on either side of each tree. This effort will help the trees grow straight. 

Altogether, the YCC helped plant six young trees on the east edge of the 2300 East sidewalk. 

During the city council work session meeting the following Tuesday night, Councilmember Bracken reported that the YCC members enjoyed the event, but complained about it being too short and wanted it to last longer.       λ