Bringing the trees back

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
— Joyce Kilmer

DUNKIRK — One of the most familiar signs of autumn is the spectacular changing of colors from green to orange, yellow, purple, brown and crimson red of the leaves on local trees.
And with the arrival of warmer weather in the spring, along with the return of robins to this area, comes another familiar sign — the sprouting  of leaves and blooming of flowers on area trees.
For many years these were familiar sights along Main Street, Ind. 167, in Dunkirk. But then came the 2005 ice storm, followed by road construction and water main improvements along that stretch of highway a few years later.
Now most of those beautiful, stately trees are only a memory. They are present in old photographs from Glass Days Festival parades of years ago, but no longer dot the Dunkirk landscape, providing beauty and shade to all.
However, a small, determined group of Dunkirk residents and civic leaders have started a campaign to change that.
And they have already reached half their goal.  
“My Roots are in Dunkirk, Indiana,” is the theme of the campaign. Their goal is to plant 114 new trees from the south to the north end of Main Street.
They launched their campaign late last winter with a call for contributions and a breakfast fund-raiser at the Dunkirk Elks Lodge.
By early autumn — a good time to start planting trees — contributions totaling more than $14,400 had already been received. That was enough for 64 trees, slightly more than half of the goal to be planted, reported Kyle Cook of Cook’s Nursery and Trim, Portland.
Led by members of the Dunkirk Beautification Committee, Discover Dunkirk Main Street Committee and Dunkirk city officials, the adopt-a-tree for Main Street Dunkirk program is now well underway.
 “Pretty impressive” was how Beautification Committee member Judy Garr described being able to raise $14,000 for this project in such a relatively short period of time.
“This is exciting,” Beautification Committee chairperson Donna Revolt added.
With the blessing of the Dunkirk Beautification Committee, a crew from Cook’s was soon busy planting the new trees, primarily on the south end of town at first.
However, several have also been planted on the north end of town in the vicinity of West Jay Middle School, former site of Dunkirk High School, in response to a large donation from the DHS Alumni Association.
This “Refresh Dunkirk Tree Campaign” was described last February to Jay County Chamber of Commerce members by Beautification Committee chairperson Revolt.
The cost of planting each new tree will be $225, and this will also cover the cost of initial maintenance by Cook’s Nursery and Trim.
Individuals or organizations may sponsor one or more trees, or as an alternative make a donation of any amount to help with this tree beautification project.
“We really miss the trees,” Revolt told chamber members.
She explained that the new trees will not be as large as the former ones and their roots will not be as intrusive as well. These are varieties of trees recommended by Cook’s and state highway department officials.
“The plan calls for an array of 114 trees with a variety of foliage,” Revolt said. They will include such varieties as “Apollo” sugar maples, “Rocky Mountain Glow” maples, “Chanticleer” pear, “Royal Raindrops” crabapple, “Frans Fontaine” hornbeam, “Crimson Sentry” maple, and “Golden Raindrops” crabapple.
“By planting a mix of each of the trees in the green areas along the Main Street corridor, it will provide a hue of color and blossoms for citizens and visitors to enjoy.
The exact locations for the planting of the trees is being left to Kyle Cook who explained that the different varieties would be spaced in such a way as to complement each other.
Also local Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts have helped with this fall’s tree planting efforts.
For more information persons may contact Dunkirk residents Donna or Chuck Revolt or other Beautification Committee members Judy Garr, Gay Ann Rife or Karen Williams.[[In-content Ad]]