Page 8 March 10, 2021 Mississippi Alberta North Portland Vancouver East County Beaverton Photo Courtesy v anCouver P arks and r eCreation Volunteers from the Black community, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington and Vancouver Urban Youth Program, close out Black History Month by planting trees at Bagley Community Park. Cultivating Community Pride Tree plantings honor legacy of Black leaders Black History Month was cel- ebrated in Vancouver with tree plantings at Bagley Community Park. Volunteers from the Black community, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington and the city’s Urban Youth program, worked in small groups on Feb. 27 to plant 24 trees while follow- ing COVID-19 safety guidelines. They were joined by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Ur- ban Forestry Commissioner Clif Barnes and Parks and Recreation Advisory Commissioner Matthew Kuntz. The annual tree planting event began in 2006 and honors the leg- acy of many Black American lead- ers by encouraging civic engage- ment and cultivating community pride. This year’s ceremony began with an acknowledgement recog- nizing the Cowlitz and Chinook tribes. Vancouver Parks and Rec- reation Special Events Coordina- tor and Urban Youth leader Johnie Tucker also shared a brief histo- ry of George Washington Bush, a Black pioneer who was one of the earliest permanent settlers in the Washington Territory. In addition to aesthetic im- provements, increasing the urban tree canopy helps the environment by off-setting carbon dioxide pro- duced by cities, and the root sys- tems that trees develop are useful in stormwater management.