I-205 Multi-Use Path volunteer portrait: Centennial High School

By Shelli Romero, ODOT

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 135 volunteers came out to the I-205 Multi-Use Path for a tree planting in the Montavilla neighborhood on January 17. Many of the volunteers included high school and college students, who worked alongside other volunteers to put a total of 173 trees in the ground.

Five of the students were from Centennial High School. Three of these students—all 16-year-old juniors and student athletes—had never volunteered with Friends of Trees before.

Haylie Gisi plays soccer in the position of sweeper, and the January planting on the I-205 Multi-Use Path was her first time planting trees.

“I found the planting very informative,” she said. “I never knew what went into planting trees before. It’s really going to help. What we are doing today is setting a tone for the next generation of kids.”

Justin Christensen, a wrestler at Centennial, explained his impression of the project.

“It’s good—fast-paced—many people get together to plant trees and get work done, and it will pay off later,” he said.

Alex Eubanks, who plays the position of defense on the soccer team, said, “I thought I’d last 20 minutes, but once I developed a pattern, it was easy.  The next time I looked at my watch, it was an hour-and-a-half later, which surprised me. I think this project is really good, we are setting an example for our community.”

“Today is a national holiday, a day off. And yet there are so many people who came to plant trees on the side of a highway, and that’s pretty sweet,” added Christensen.

Gisi, Christensen, and Eubanks participated with other volunteers to plant trees and shrubs along the I-205 Multi-Use Path, a collaborative effort between ODOT, Friends of Trees, and Metro.

With grant funding from Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods Capital Grant program, ODOT, and Friends of Trees—and hundreds of volunteers—will add thousands of trees and shrubs to existing ODOT property along the I-205 Multi-Use Path over a three-year period. The project is part of ODOT’s overall vision to make significant improvements to the 16.5-mile path used by commuters, neighbors, residents, bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit users.

–Romero is Public Policy & Community Affairs Manager, ODOT-Region I.

The I-205 Multi-Use Path plantings are a part of Friends of Trees’ Green Space Initiative program. Friends of Trees has scheduled four more plantings along the I-205 Multi-Use Path in March and April. Please join us! People of all ages, backgrounds, and experience are welcome.