In April, 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) awarded $5 million to the Cities of Chelsea, Fall River and Holyoke for a Greening the Gateway Cities Program that would run until December 2015. On October 4, 2014, over fifty volunteers and staff from the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Fall River Community Maintenance (DCM) gathered at the Mary Ann Wordell Tree Farm on Bay Street to begin the process of planting nearly 50 trees that day. Mary Ann Wordell, Director of the Fall River Street Tree Planting Program (FRSTPP) was on hand with Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Perry Long to direct the operation. Four teams were assigned different sectors of the Maplewood Neighborhood and went out with FRSTPP tree stewards and DCM crews to plant six to seven trees each where City residents had applied to receive them. The Sandy Beach Neighborhood had 65 trees planted earlier in the year. Click here for a ten-minute video of the event. For more information about the Street Tree Planting program, contact Mary Ann Wordell at 508-679-8887.

(Top row, left) Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Perry Long talks with Walgreens volunteers Marianne Costa, Laura Farney and Christine Mello about their work for the day. (Top row, center) Arborist Consultant Doak Marasco and Fall River Community Maintenance Supervisor John Perry talks with Street Tree Planting Director Mary Ann Wordell, (Top row, right) Perry Long talks with Department of Conservation and Recreation staff members Hillary Dimino and Hanna Wingard. (Row two, left) Hanna instructs Bishop Connelly High School volunteers Malique Jelks, Mike Sullivan and Mike Quinn on how to plant the tree. (Row two, center) Homeowner John Rebello poses with the honey locust tree in front of his house. (Row two, right) DCR employee Gladys Cosme removes the ties from the tree. (Row three) The crew, including DCR employee David Bresnahan, center, places the tree and begins to fill the hole. (Bottom row) After Gladys and David fill in the mulch and add water to a gator bag that wraps the tree, Mr. Rebello steps back to admire it.