On Saturday, April 30, 10 am – 2 pm, come to Questa Park to plant trees, beautify our park, and share your vision for its future—All area youth are invited, and adults too! Let’s come together in solidarity with thousands of other communities around the world to celebrate Earth Day this month and kick off our 2022 Community Connection Day series. (Note: Earth Day is on Friday, April 22, but this is the date of the Questa Junior-Senior High School Prom. To enable as many youth as possible to participate we have moved this event to April 30.)

The day will include planting drought-tolerant trees, repairing the irrigation system, removing invasive plant species, trash pickup, and a brainstorming session for park planning and improvements. A hearty lunch for volunteers will be provided midday. Progress on the site is our goal, but more important is having fun, strengthening friendships, and amplifying youth and community voices to shape the future of our park (and beyond).

Bring a water bottle, hat and sun protection, and if you have them, work gloves, yard cleaning tools and a shovel; we’ll have extra gloves (donated previously by Questa Lumber and Hardware) and tools on hand as well.

The trees we’ll plant on April 30 will be part of the Questa Park Memorial Grove, a community-sponsored effort through the Vida del Norte Coalition. Our goal is to plant seven more trees.

What are Community Connection Days?
These are monthly collaborative, intergenerational days of community give-back and celebration, taking place in and around Questa. They give us the opportunity to connect with friends and make new ones, to care for and improve our public spaces, and envision together what we want for our community. The concept was born out of the youth-centered beautification day a year ago at Questa Park; six monthly Community Connection Days followed in 2021. This consistent coming together, with community members showing up for one another and our shared public spaces, is part of ongoing collaborative community-wide creative placemaking efforts.

The April Community Connection Day at the Park is made possible by these collaborators: LEAP, Vida del Norte Coalition, Localogy, Village of Questa, Questa Economic Development Fund, Questa Farmers Market, North Central Food Pantry, Taos Bakes, and many community volunteers. Funding is provided by Chevron Grants for Good as well as individual tree sponsors and donors. Thanks to all of you!
Next month, join in the May Community Connection Day in downtown Questa preparing the Questa Farmers Market and Visitor Center for opening on Memorial Day weekend.

You can make a tax-deductible donation to sponsor a tree in honor of a loved one and come help to plant it at the park for $140 each. Contributions of any amount are appreciated; donations of less than $140 will provide much needed overall support for the tree planting project, including irrigation system repair and maintenance. Donate securely by credit card online: https://vidadelnorte.com/parktrees/. If you donate by check, please make it payable to Vida Del Norte with “Tree Project” in the memo. Checks can be dropped off at Questa Credit Union for Vida del Norte or mailed to: Vida del Norte, Maria Gonzalez, PO Box 1015, Questa NM, 87556. For more info about the tree fundraiser, call Maria (575) 779-2260.

The first Earth Day was celebrated 52 years ago on April 22, 1970. This holiday was created by US Senator Gaylord Nelson, to mark the importance of keeping our planet healthy and clean, and for people to renew their commitment to making positive changes in their communities.