Kellogg celebrates Arbor Day
On April 29, the City of Kellogg celebrated Arbor Day by planting a special tree in the City Park. Pictured next to the tree (from the left) is Craig Turbak, Brian Kolczak, Barney Norris, Mac Pooler, and Terry Douglas.
JOSH McDONALD
KELLOGG –– Arbor Day has come and gone, but the City of Kellogg continued their participation in ceremonial tree planting with a particularly special tree in 2022.
Craig Turbak, the interim city superintendent for Kellogg, decided that this year the city would plant a brand new tree in Kellogg’s City Park, near the parking lot of the swimming pool right in front of the recently refinished Scout House – in honor of the late Craig Lewis, the man Turbak has replaced.
“I couldn’t think of a better place to plant this tree,” Turbak said. “Getting the Scout House fixed up was one of Craig’s (Lewis) big deals and he didn’t get to see it finished with the new windows and everything. I just think it would mean a lot to him to have this new tree right here.”
The new tree is of the mountain ash variety and could grow up to roughly 40-feet in height.
The tree was purchased after the city received an Arbor Day Grant from the Idaho Nursery and Landscape Association (INLA).
The tree has already had a bit of a tumultuous life within the Kellogg City Park, just a day after it was planted, two juveniles decided that it would be a good idea to pull the tree out of the ground and drag across the parking lot to the park’s gazebo. This was done after they had attempted to enter the Scout House and tip over the nearby totem pole.
What they didn’t realize was that the City of Kellogg has security cameras throughout the park and the situation was quickly handled with the juvenile vandals being apprehended.
Turbak discovered the tree in the gazebo and subsequently planted the tree for the second time – hopefully no one else gets any foolish ideas that could lead to a third planting.
The INLA, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), Avista, Rocky Mountain Power, and Idaho Power awarded 45 Arbor Day Grants in 2022, including to the local Cities of Kellogg and Smelterville. This program helps communities celebrate Arbor Day, plant appropriate trees for energy conservation and fosters a stronger relationship between Idaho communities and the Nursery and Utility Industries.
Arbor Day began in 1872 as a way for people to take positive action for their communities by promoting education about trees and the surrounding environment.
This year marks the 150th Arbor Day in the United States – which is celebrated annually on the final Friday in April.