PARK GETS GRANT FOR TREES

North County Park's new arboretum will be planted with 144 trees over the winter thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

"This is great news for the parks," said Joe Sherinski, chairman of the Cape Girardeau County Park Board. "This grant means we'll probably get it entirely planted this fall, winter and spring. Some trees have already been ordered."

The "Branch Out Missouri" grant will provide $5,000 toward the purchase of trees. The price tag for trees and labor to install the planting is between $8,000 and $9,000. The park board had planned to raise most of that money through donations and gifts. The fund-raising efforts will continue, Sherinski said. But the grant means plans can move ahead more quickly.

An arboretum is a way to exhibit trees for their specific interest and educational value. The arboretum will be developed around a one-mile walking trail completed this summer. The trees will add interest and shade for the people who use the trail. Trees will be labeled with both common and botanical names.

The tree grant is the second link between the park and the Missouri Conservation Department announced in less than a week.

On Friday, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved construction of a new $4.7 million Conservation Campus nature center in the north park. The campus will include both indoor and outdoor educational facilities.

Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said the arboretum "will be a great tie-in with the new nature center. People can learn about the different trees at the nature center then walk through the arboretum and see them growing."

Those to be planted come from a list of 50 "preferred trees" compiled by the Southeast Regional Missouri Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council. Sherinski is a member of this board as well. The trees were selected by nurserymen, arborists, foresters and professors as those best suited for Southeast Missouri.

"The park board will actually plant three to five of each of those trees in this arboretum," Sherinski said. "People will be able to see them growing in the county park."

The grant also allows the park board to purchase trees between an inch and an inch and a half in diameter. The trees will be between 6 and 12 feet tall. Smaller trees are less expensive, but more prone to damage and vandalism, Sherinski said. "This allows us to plant the sizes we'd like to plant."

Four grants were awarded in the southeast region. Cape Girardeau's was the only one to receive the maximum funding request.

The grant won't cover all costs of developing the arboretum. It will cover 60 percent of the direct costs associated with the trees. Additional costs will have to be met with other funds.

In September, the park board launched a memorial program to solicit donations of trees and other equipment for the park, including benches and picnic tables. The memorial program continues.

"Even when the arboretum is complete, we have other places in the park that need more trees, benches and tables," Sherinski said. "We hope people will be willing to donate."

North County Park is one of three parks owned by the county. The 189 acres include a hiking trail, walking trail, two fishing lakes, nine picnic shelters and four playgrounds. North County Park is also home to the annual Holiday of Lights display that runs from Nov. 25 through the end of the year.