Plant trees and support tree equity

The public is invited to a tree planting event on Saturday, Oct. 26 to kick off the Clean River Advisory Council’s (C-RAC) Mississippi River Equity Vision and a bright, equitable future for river communities.

The event will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. in Rock Island and feature tree planting, remarks from organizational leaders and opportunities for the community to connect with the C-RAC project. The event is a joint effort by C-RAC, the West End Revitalization Project, Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation District and Living Lands and Waters.

C-RAC—a partnership of the Walton Family Foundation and the Quad Cities Community Foundation and guided by Iman Consulting—supports inclusive community-based efforts to connect people to the Mississippi River, centering people and communities of color and others that have been historically excluded from the process of developing environmental solutions and policy.

“Urban communities can play a central role in advancing nature-based solutions to issues like run-off, pollution, and soil erosion,” Dr. LaDrina Wilson, founder of Iman Consulting and C-RAC coordinator, said. “Tree equity—an initiative to address the lack of trees in underserved communities—is an example of the community-led, equity-driven projects that C-RAC is taking on. We are excited to share this opportunity and our broader vision with the public.”

An early priority for C-RAC has been the development of a Mississippi River Equity Vision (M-REV), an aspirational plan to connect communities and underscore the significance of culture, wellness, and sense of belonging in and around the Mississippi River. This event marks the public launch of the M-REV.

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