CAPTIONS: Earth Month and tree planting events helped build a feeling of community in 2023 in The Cov.

Volunteer events to help build community, love for the planet

COVINGTON, Ky. – Earth Month – aka “April” – will be celebrated in Covington with events and activities related to trees, beautification, waste disposal, recycling, and pollinator gardens.

Many of the events need volunteers.

“April has a little of something for everyone – and we are looking forward to a great turnout,” said Sheila Fields, the City of Covington’s Solid Waste & Recycling Manager. “Whether you are picking up litter during the Great American Cleanup, planting trees and flowers, or clearing out debris from a garden bed, it’s that time of the year when you can improve your community and make a lasting impact.”

The City’s Urban Forester, Patrick Moore, agreed.

“You might get a little dirty and will probably be tired afterward, but people who come to our tree plantings say they leave with a strong sense of accomplishment and giving back,” Moore said. “And as you watch the trees grow year by year, you will feel even better about having helped build Covington’s tree canopy.”

The Keep Covington Beautiful (KCB) program and the Covington Urban Forestry Board are partners in many of the events, which include:

• Book sales: During April, Roebling Books & Coffee will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to KCB from sales of books about sustainability. The bookstore/coffee shop is located at 306 Greenup St.
• Goebel Park Pollinator Garden maintenance: Volunteer events will be held this Saturday and April 20 (as well as the first and third Saturdays of each month through October). events run 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and involve things like weeding, pruning, debris cleanup and pruning back bushes. Wear sturdy shoes or boots and old clothes. The Partners include Covington Parks & Rec, KCB, the Northern Kentucky Sierra Club, and Make Goebel Great. The effort is part of the national Mayors’ Monarch Pledge.
• Tree planting: Volunteers are needed for a tree planting to be held 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 13 in Latonia, sponsored by the Covington Urban Forestry Board. Meet in the Latonia Elementary School parking lot on Park Avenue. Wear old clothes and sturdy shoes or boots and bring gloves and a shovel if you can. Among the streets to get trees will be 38^th Street, Park Avenue, Southern Avenue, and Lincoln Avenue.
• Waste disposal: You can drop off furniture, tires, propane tanks, batteries, and other difficult-to-dispose-of items and waste at the annual Kenton County Spring Cleanup on April 12-13. There are two drop-off places for the event, organized by Kenton County Waste Management.
• Great American Cleanup: This annual beautification event will be held 9 a.m. to noon April 27 at sites across Covington. Registration of sites and volunteer signup is happening now at Great American Cleanup 2024, as organized by KCB. Among the groups sponsoring cleanups are Pig Works and the Banklick Watershed Council.
• Seedling giveaway: Some 400 seedlings will be given away (two per guest) on April 27 during the Linden Day: Arbor Day Community Celebration at Historic Linden Grove Cemetery & Arboretum. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Covington Urban Forestry Board will have 100 seedlings available of each of these four species: wild plum, buttonbush, persimmon, and burr oak. The event will include music and more.
• Tree City USA/World recognition: The national Arbor Day Foundation has named Covington a Tree City USA for the 20^th year in a row and has given it a Tree City Growth Award for the eighth year in a row. Covington was also recognized as a Tree City of the World for the third year in a row (a recognition given to just 48 cities in the United States).

# # #