The City of Othello celebrated its 2nd annual Arbor Day on Monday, Oct. 30 in conjunction with Tree City USA.

Tree City USA is part of the Arbor Day Foundation that offers grants to communities small and large to help with the beautification of city streets and parks. Tree City USA offers direction, training and technical assistance to improve the quality of life and desirability to the communities that they serve.

Parks and Recreation Coordinator Amy Hurlbut, has been the driving force behind applying for and receiving the Tree City USA grant for the City of Othello the past two years. She stated “Grants are one reason that we apply for this grant. The other reason, trees are really popular with some people. Our city thinks fondly of trees, when you think of city parks and tree lined streets, they create a natural beauty that wouldn’t normally happen in the desert of Washington.”

With that mindset this year, she and her committee were able to plant 54 new trees, all maple trees, in Othello. Most notably, the trees were planted along 14th Ave near the new Columbia Basin Health Association building for a future of summer green and fall colors. In the state of Washington there are 88 Tree City USA communities and Othello is proud to be one of those cities.