Maple Grove Arbor Committee Celebrates 40 Years
Maple Grove’s Arbor Committee celebrates 40 years this year, and longtime member and current chair, Mary Parenteau, is proud of the work the group has done.
“To have this group go for 40 years as they have been shows that the initial group, 40 years ago, who decided this was a good thing to have happen and the continuation of it is a great reflection on the people of Maple Grove and what’s important for them,” said Parenteau.
She and other members have worked to establish Maple Grove’s Forest Preservation Area in the 1990s, and helped research and educate residents and property owners about emerald ash borer before the disease was even discovered in the city. Members have also helped lead efforts against buckthorn in the city.
But, Parenteau admits the continued cooperation with the city is what makes a big difference for the committee and its members.
“It’s really important to have the buy-in with the city staff and the elected officials, because they’re the ones that can actually make things happen,” Parenteau said. “The Arbor Committee can recommend, but the staff and the council are the ones who will decide if it will happen or not.”
Maple Grove City Forester Shane DeGroy, right, talks with a MG Buckthorn volunteer last September near Rice Lake.
The city is also celebrating its 40th year as a National Arbor Day Foundation-designated Tree City USA. City Forester Shane DeGroy said a city has to three things to qualify: have an Arbor Day proclamation and Arbor Day event, it must have a tree board and a department to take care of trees along with an ordinance to protect trees, and the city must spend an average of at least ten dollars per resident on its urban tree program.
“We couldn’t have done it without the Arbor Committee,” said DeGroy. “We wouldn’t have the trees that we have now.”
Arbor Day Celebration
“There’s going to be seed giveaways, you can learn about emerald ash borer, learn about buckthorn, (and) you can enter a raffle to win a full-size tree to take back to your yard,” said DeGroy.
There will also be presentations by the Raptor Center and Reptile and Amphibian Discovery Zoo, he said.
