The River Ridge CUSD is now home to 25 new oak trees with the help of the Jo Daviess County 4-H program and Jo Daviess County Soil and Water Conservation District. Together, these volunteers participated in the 4-H Green Communities Tree Program, which addresses the decline of native oak trees throughout Illinois.
"The loss of our oak trees is a global issue, and it is important that our youth see the difference they can make locally by simply showing up and giving their time! When Mindy Pratt at the Soil and Water Conservation District reached out to express their interest, we started the planning process. Mindy found our location, and our 4-Hers and volunteers planted the trees," says Angela Miller, 4-H Program Coordinator. "It is exciting to know that our 4-H members who go to school here, those who visit, and those who will someday send their own children to River Ridge School will remember that they helped plant those trees."
Throughout the spring of 2025, youth in 49 counties participating in the 4-H Green Communities Tree Programs are planting groupings of 25 oak trees on public properties in their county for 1225 newly planted trees across Illinois with help from Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
"More trees will move us closer to cleaner water, healthier soils, more animals and birds, greater biological diversity, and cleaner air," says Curt Sinclair, University of Illinois Extension 4-H Natural Resources and Shooting Sports Specialist. "All these are critical to people's health and quality of life.," says Curt Sinclair, University of Illinois Extension 4-H specialist. "Illinois 4-H is primed to take action to increase the number of oak trees in the state. The natural world is talking to us, and Illinois 4-H is primed to listen, learn, and act."
Illinois once held 14 million acres of trees, according to Sinclair. That number dropped to 3 million acres before intentional efforts 50 years ago began to reverse the decline. Today, Illinois has 5 million acres of trees. To help support this project, please visit https://go.illinois.edu/4hgreencommunity.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.