300 trees planted for Rails to Trails

 After raising $3,333 for the Reedley Rails to Trails project, Reedley College students and staff volunteered to plant the trees along the newly-built trail.

            On the morning of April 20, RC instructor Kent Kinney and many of his forestry students, Diana Ba?elos and her Upward Bound students, and other RC members helped plant over 300 trees. 

  ?We teamed up in groups of three and four,? explained RC Residence Hall Advisor Lisa McAndrews.  ?We had a lot of fun.?

            RC Kinney?s forestry students aided the volunteers in planting the trees properly. ?My students felt it was a really positive experience,? said Kinney. ?They?ll be able to show it to their family and their children in the future.? The RC Forestry Club is active in all national resources programs, including the Adopt-a-Highway and Adopt-a-Trail on the Kings River.

 The Rails to Trails Committee opened the event to anyone in Reedley who wanted to take part.  For his group, Kinney said, it was good to interface with the community, including the local officials. ?We look forward to helping plant more trees for the Rails Trails program in the future,? Kinney said.

   Refreshments were provided for the RC volunteers who started at 9:00 a.m. and finished by noon. The trees were purchased by local organizations, business or individuals in order to help pay for the project.  However, some trees are still available for sponsorship. Both McAndrews and Kinney described the event as being well organized and credited the City of Reedley.

            Rails to Trials is a city project that began a few years ago and is still continuing to grow. The project was created to replace abandoned railroad tracks with a park-like trail that runs throughout the city.

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