Under varying shades of blue and gray cloudy skies that felt more like spring than dark and dreary winter, Bear Hollow Reservoir’s water fowl, song birds, and beaver family awoke to the hustle and bustle of Rancho Cordova’s Arbor Week festivities. Folks from the City of Rancho Cordova, Cordova Recreation and Park District, and the Sacramento Tree Foundation readied 90 native oak seedlings along the bike path and 19 street and park trees dotting the Stone Creek neighborhood.

Individuals and groups with happy faces and energetic bodies poured into the area. Students from Burbank and Folsom High Schools came to put in some service hours, unexpectedly learning a few things along the way. Scouts made their presence known, and so many others readied their bodies as we kicked off the event. So many great partnerships made this event possible with coordination between the Tree Foundation, City of Rancho Cordova, Cordova Recreation and Park District, and SMUD. It truly is exciting to see what’s possible with a little collaboration and perseverance!

In the end, our efforts left Bear Hollow and Stone Creek a much better place. Now everyone from this community can experience the tranquility that nature and trees provide. It’s inspiring to see the transformation from what Mayor Budge described as a “moonscape” left behind by dredges and gravel mines to nature in the city! NeighborWoods is becoming a core value at the City of Rancho Cordova, driving efforts to make significant increases to tree canopy in the next few years by planting a minimum of 365 new shade trees a year for many years to come. The future looks very bright, or perhaps more accurately – shady!

When you volunteer with the Sacramento Tree Foundation, you join the ranks of these extraordinary members of the community who are truly making a difference. You’ll also get to enjoy a wide range of benefits, from building meaningful connections with your neighbors to learning from our staff of tree experts. We have so many opportunities throughout the area – check out our event listings to find out how you can join this movement!