In late 2019, students in Sammamish High School’s environmental club, EnAct, had a great idea. Why not plant trees in a few of the grass fields that dominate the school campus?

Shortly after developing a planting plan, students faced two major obstacles: a pandemic that kept the students away from the campus and no source of funds to buy trees.

When 300 Trees heard about the students’ dilemma, we knew we had to help. First we secured grant funding from the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources, which administers urban tree funds from the US Forest Service. Then we got a planting permit from the City of Bellevue. Finally, we partnered with the wonderful folks at YMCA Earth Service Corps who brought volunteers, tools, and lots of experience with planting projects.

After months of planning, it all came together on a stormy weekend in late October 2021. Dozens of volunteers braved wind, rain, and lots of mud to get 300 trees planted. We finished with only minutes to spare late Sunday afternoon!

We learned a lot through this event and will be looking for similar opportunities in the future. If you know of a largish piece of ground near a school, church, or business that would be a happy place for dozens of trees to grow, please let us know!