The Arbor Day Organization of North Idaho (ADONI) would like to thank all those who helped make the 2022 Arbor Day seedling program a success. ADONI is a small nonprofit organization that is run entirely by volunteers. What started out as a small program for local fourth-graders 36 years ago has now expanded to include all the grade schools in Kootenai County, and we have now given away more than 78,000 trees.

Due to COVID school closures last year, ADONI took on the challenge of raising double the funds and volunteers to provide seedlings to fifth-graders that missed out, as well as the fourth-graders.

We especially want to thank the following companies for stepping up contributions to cover our costs this year: Idaho Forest Group, Potlatch Deltic, Stimson Lumber Company; Inland Empire Paper Company, Avista Power Company, Bartlett Tree Experts and Idaho Department of Lands.

Many thanks also to the more than 70 dedicated enthusiastic volunteers (including many Venture, Coeur d’Alene and Lake City High School students) who spent a cool, wet morning individually bagging and tagging the 3,800 trees needed for this effort.

Additional supporters also included: Coeur d’Alene Safeway, U.S. Forest Service Nursery, Starbucks Coffee and the Coeur d’Alene Press.

A limited supply of seedlings are available to the public at all of the county libraries. We hope everyone who receives a free seedling will enjoy watching it grow for many years to come. It will be a living legacy of Arbor Day 2022.

JOHN SCHWANDT

President ADONI

Coeur d’Alene