Plant a Tree, Save the Planet

Story & Photos by Brenda Lentsch

This year’s winner in the annual New York State Arbor Day Poster Contest is Annika Chang, a fifth grade student in Mrs. Petraglia’s class at Mandracchia Sawmill Intermediate School in Commack. The theme for 2014 was “New York’s Forests, Where We Live.”  More than 1,200 posters from fifth graders across the State were submitted to the nine Department of Environmental Conservation (D.E.C.)  regions and judged by local community volunteers, green professionals, and staff.  Annika’s poster was then selected as the finalist by the D.E.C.’s Central Office.

.Annika and her parents were invited to a celebration ceremony on March 27, in Albany, NY.  Annika’s artwork was fashioned into the State Arbor Day Bookmark, which will be distributed to schools, libraries, environmental centers, and other educational facilities across the state. International Paper donated the paper for the official Arbor Day posters and bookmarks.  In addition, the State Arbor Day Committee invited Annika to participate in the official Arbor Day Event to plant a tree with Commissioner Joe Martens on April 25 at the Empire State Plaza.

Trees keep our air supply clean, reduce noise pollution, improve water quality, help prevent erosion, provide food and building materials, and create shade. Just before school ended in June, Annika and students from other fifth grade classes gathered in front of her school and planted a Cherry Blossom tree on the grounds of Sawmill Intermediate School, donated in Annika’s honor by the  D.E.C. Urban Forestry Program. Sally Kellogg, Urban Forestry Program Assistant NYS D.E.C., and Vinnie Drzewucki, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, spoke to the assembled children about Arbor Day and the benefits of trees. John Wernet from NYS D.E.C. assisted the children as they took turns shoveling dirt  to plant the tree.