NEWBURY, Ohio — The Geauga County Park district is leading a three-day tree planting event in honor of Earth Day.

What You Need To Know

  • The Geauga County Park District plans to plant 1,000 trees with the help of more than 300 community members and volunteers

  • Matthew Kneitel, a land steward with the Geauga County Park District, said each tree was picked specifically to ensure they will flourish in their new ecosystem 

  • Veterans Legacy Park was once a golf course before the park district purchased the land

  • Most of the trees have been purchased with the help of community sponsors and donations

One thousand trees are the goal, with the help of more than 300 community members and volunteers like Paula Lesko and her husband, Len, who are using this day to commemorate their grandson’s birthday.

“Cade was born on 2016, on April 22nd, 2016, which is Earth Day,” Paula Lesko said.

Giving back to the community is what each of the 300 volunteers are doing as they work to “reforest the fairway”.

“We decided to celebrate his birthday and give back to the community” Len Lesko said.

Matthew Kneitel is a land steward with the Geauga County Park District and said each group of trees will be fenced in to keep out the deer, but more importantly, were specifically picked to ensure that they will flourish in their new ecosystem. 

“We want trees that will grow well here in Ohio," Kneitel said. "Some of them are already in our local ecosystems and we have a mix of some dry areas, some wetter areas."

Many of the trees have been purchased with the help of community sponsors and donations. And the district hopes projects like this one will give community members a sense of engagement. 

“It's a good way to engage, good way for people to feel some ownership of their parks a little bit more because they're actually doing this kind of work out and they can come back and take a look at what they've done in the years to come," Kneitel said.