Volunteers aim to beautify Watertown one tree at a time

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - Two piles of mulch, 40 trees, and a whole lot of volunteers. On Saturday, Watertown held it’s 21st annual fall tree planting event. This year’s target for beautification? Pleasant Street.

“The goal of a project such as this is to help make neighborhoods in the city more livable and nice places to be,” said Watertown City Planner Mike DeMarco.

While some Watertown officials were present, City Planner Mike DeMarco says the main bulk of work was done by volunteers affiliated with Tree Watertown. And a lot of them were on the younger side. DeMarco himself was more than happy with the turnout.

“I think there’s a lot of joy and a lot of reward that comes along with that thinking you’re actually helping the community. We have a big thanks for all of our volunteer groups,” said DeMarco.

Where did Tree Watertown find so many volunteers? The answer is student groups. Heading up the volunteer team from Watertown High School was Dee Caldwell. She says her students’ eagerness gives her hope for the future.

“It’s awesome to see our young people participating like this. Helping the community, helping the city, and planting trees. It’s great,” said Caldwell.

While they might not look like much now, A lot of these trees are set to hit heights of 50 feet in the next 10 or so years. People that live on the street say they’re excited.

“I actually live on this street. So it was actually nice being able to help out my part of the community. Being able to come back 10 years from now and see them grow is going to be amazing,” said Leila Schaber.

Volunteers were able to finish planting all 40 trees in under an hour, helping the city become more eco-friendly, one tree at a time.

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