We started the day with a few inspirational words from Bill MacIndoe and John Bowman. Bill suggested that we write on a slip of paper our hopes and dreams for the camp, and dedicate some of the trees to special people that have been apart of the camp through the years. These slips of paper were planted with the trees as an invisible reminder of the connections that we all have with this camp. We also had a variety of snacks and even cake to give us the energy to complete our planting task!

Then we were off to plant our trees. Our group consisted of volunteers of all ages, from 13 to 90, including 3 helpers from the UTRCA. They dispensed the trees to us from the back of their truck. The trees were all a good size, about 5 - 6 feet tall, so it took some effort digging out a proper sized hole for each one. We also wrapped each tree with a plastic collar to protect it against mice and rabbits.

The UTRCA helped pick out tree species that are native to our local ecosystem (Carolinian Oak Savanna) that will thrive and prosper for another 50 years or more. We planted 40 red oak, 5 sugar maple and 5 serviceberry. If you come by the camp, look carefully for the trees that have the plastic tree collar around their trunks - these are our "50th anniversary" trees!

Here's more pictures from our tree planting day. You can click on any picture for a larger version.