November/December 2015 | 15
Left: Ken Christensen and Karen Wise
supervise as event attendees plant the
first tree on National Planting Day at
the Ohio Statehouse.
Below: Ken Christensen stands proudly
before his Ohio Native Pollinator
Garden plans at the Ohio Statehouse.
Project No. 2:
National Planting Day
Pollinators, native plants and bee hives were all
the buzz at the fourth annual National Planting
Day held at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus,
Ohio. The Capitol Square Review and Advisory
Board (CSRAB), in partnership with Keep
Ohio Beautiful (KOB), established this day to
celebrate the power of pollinators in nature
and our food chain.
Davey's Ken Christensen, senior scientist
for Davey Resource Group (DRG), and
Karen Wise, DRG manager of natural resource
consulting, as well as vice president of KOB,
joined approximately 100 public officials,
community members, elementary and high
school students for an entire day of planting
and learning about the importance of native
species in restoring ecological balance to the
environment.
"We went over how to correctly plant the
trees and plants at the right depth for the kids,"
Christensen says. "The educational aspect is
a really cool part of the day, as well as seeing
all the kids get into the bees and butterflies
and understanding that. Hopefully they will
go home and tell their parents about native
trees and plants."
Christensen developed the Ohio Native
Pollinator Garden plan in partnership with
Ohio Statehouse Grounds Manager and
Beekeeper, Tamra Ansel. DRG also donated
all non-woody plants to the garden project.
A challenging tree to find in the nursery trade,
a black locust was also donated and transplanted
from the property of Rick Hanshaw, branch
manager of the Davey Nursery in Wooster,
Ohio. As Christensen says, "The Davey name is
now on four garden maps and several dedicated
trees throughout the Statehouse grounds."
Wise adds, "It's an excellent opportunity;
is there a bigger house in the state of Ohio
than our Statehouse? And so, to have Davey
involved and to be the expert that they rely on
and invite in as a partner and a sponsor—it's
the right place to be."
A new coat of paint and trees restored the McMicken play area into a
safe, vibrant park in which Cincinnati-area children may play and explore.
