Those who were walking dogs, riding bicycles or hiking at Sam Houston Trail on Dec. 14 likely noticed peculiar activity at the meadow: an enthusiastic group of volunteers, who were planting trees under the guidance of the City of Irving Parks and Recreation Department. Members of the Calvary Church “Loving Our City” team joined Keep Irving Beautiful (KIB) to plant twelve trees, a mix of bald cypress, bur oak and cedar elm, in an area known as the meadow. 

The six volunteers gave 18 hours of service and worked side by side with Parks and Recreation staff, who taught them proper planting techniques throughout the process. The volunteers learned about root preparation and ideal planting depth, as well as staking techniques and the use of mulch.

The purchase of the trees was made possible by a generous donation to KIB by Northrop Grumman through their Corporate Citizenship Program.

“Keep Irving Beautiful works with all areas of the community, and this tree planting demonstrates that,” said KIB Board Vice President Chuck Kirk. “This project was funded by Northrop Grumman, which has an office in Irving, while a Calvary Church faith group planted the trees. As always, the Parks Department did an outstanding job in guiding and educating volunteers through all steps of the planting.”

Keep Irving Beautiful is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the community about litter abatement, recycling, and beautification to help preserve the health and promote the social and economic prosperity of the city. As an award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful, Keep Irving Beautiful reaches out to all sectors of the community, including government, businesses, churches, as well as cultural, educational, neighborhood and civic organizations. For more information on volunteering with KIB or making an activity a “green event,” visit CityofIrving.org/284/Keep-Irving-Beautiful or call (972) 721-2175.