Shafter, CA-This past Saturday, the Valley Air District, City of Shafter and Tree Foundation of Kern worked alongside community volunteers to plant 12 large box trees at Veterans Park in the community of Shafter. This project is one of several Shafter projects air to improve air quality and public health in the Shafter area.
The Shafter Community Steering Committee (CSC) -comprised of residents, local organizations, local business, and other community stakeholders-has been working together with the Valley Air District since 2019 to develop and implement a clean air plan to reduce air pollution emissions and exposure through investments under Assembly Bill 617 (AB 617), the Community Air Protection Program. As a part of their adopted plan, the CSC supported allocating funding for Urban Greening, a clean air measure that provides more tree canopy to the Shafter community to reduce urban heat islands and provide a healthy environment for vulnerable residents.
“This is just one of the many exciting air-friendly community-focused projects happening in Shafter under the AB 617 program,” stated Jessica Olsen, Director of Community Strategies and Resources at the Valley Air District. “In addition to Urban Greening, the CSC has prioritized 46 clean air strategies for Shafter, totaling over $45 million dollars and reducing nearly 2,000 tons of emissions in this historically underserved part of the Valley.”
Mayor of Shafter, Chad Givens stated, “We are excited for this tree planting opportunity. It beautifies our city and our park and adds to the honor of our veterans by allowing this city to give back to those who gave their all. Trees are a symbol of family and legacy, one that’s planted in one season and fruitful in the next. They are a diagram of a family as they represent what could be when well nourished, growing to provide opportunities for the next generation. We plant trees for our future and our legacy so that those who come after us can enjoy the labor put before them, and these are planted at a place of honor for service members and children to enjoy for a forever moment.”
The District and City of Shafter enlisted the support of the Tree Foundation of Kern to help with this effort. The Tree Foundation of Kern is a non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of communities through the planting of trees throughout Kern County. Since its inception, Tree Foundation of Kern has planted over 18,000 trees. Dedicated to creating healthier greener communities.
This program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billons of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.
