Davis non-profit volunteers collaborated with Texas Trees Foundation as a part of a $22 million green schoolyards project
By MATTHEW MCELDOWNEY — city@theaggie.org
On Feb. 22, Tree Davis worked alongside the Washington Unified School District (WUSD) to plant trees around River City High School. The non-profit organization was founded in 1992 by former Senator Lois Wolk and former Parks and Open Space Administrator Bob Cordrey to help create a 40-year urban forest management plan and plant trees.
Since Tree Davis’ founding, the non-profit has worked with over 5,000 volunteers to plant over 12,000 new trees. The non-profit also worked alongside the city of Davis and UC Davis on climate action plans and educational programs respectively.
Community members and volunteers alike were able to plant a total of 48 trees through the Cool Schools Yolo County program, according to the Tree Davis Instagram.
Community planting events such as the one at River City High School are part of only the first stage of the Cool Schools Yolo initiative. As a partner of the Cool Schools Yolo, Tree Davis is working with nine Title I school campuses in West Sacramento and Woodland to plant trees, gardens and more. The Cool Schools Yolo initiative is seeking to promote climate-ready, nature-based schools through a $22 million grant from the Cal Fire Urban Community Forestry Program.
The Texas Trees Foundation — the organization behind the development of stage one of Cool Schools Yolo — unveiled the greening designs for River City, Riverbank, Yolo County and Westmore Oak schools in West Sacramento on March 1 during a community event and celebration. Additionally, Cool Schools Yolo will be making renovations to Beamer, Dingle, Prairie, Freeman and Whitehead Elementary Schools in Woodland.
Ellen Denk, the principal-in-charge for Studio Outside — the landscape architecture practice responsible for creating the Cool Schools Yolo designs — went into detail about the exciting renovations to come.
Cool Schools Yolo will be replacing heat-absorbing asphalt with wood, trails and garden spaces, according to Denk. By using naturally cooling surfaces, building shade and interactive playscapes, Cool Schools Yolo hopes to encourage students to enjoy their time outdoors.
“It’s too hot in a lot of areas of the county,” Denk said.
For schools like River City High, they will also be introducing interactive elements such as parkour, climbing, sensory swings and a statue of River City’s mascot — the otter.
Jillian Zwerdling, a science teacher and supervisor of the gardening club at River City High School, is excited for the nature-based teaching opportunities Cool Schools Yolo will provide.
“I’m definitely most excited about the gardens,” Zwerdling said. “The pollinator is a big plus. […] Kids are really disconnected from nature, and so this is a nice opportunity to really enjoy the outdoors.”
Zwedling said she is especially excited to use these spaces to help make her classroom activities more engaging for her students. Zwerdling looks forward to conducting outdoor science labs like soil quality testing and weather monitoring for next year’s students.
The Cool Schools Yolo is currently reaching out to contractors and expects to break ground for construction by the end of the 2024-2025 school year. They expect this project — two years in the making — to be complete by the start of the 2025-2026 academic year in the fall.
Information about donating to or working with Tree Davis is available on their social media and website. The Texas Trees Foundation website also has further details on the progress of the Cool Schools Yolo project as well as their overall mission to ensure that “no child [is] left behind.”
Denk then made remarks about the importance of spending time outside and emphasized the importance of the Cool Schools Yolo County mission.
“I would love for a parent to be comfortable for their kids to spend time outdoors,” Denk said. “It’s a space for everybody to be comfortable in the environment and in their mind.”
Written by: Matthew Mceldowney — city@theaggie.org
