On November 4-5, 2022, members of the community joined Maricopa County Parks Department for a tree planting and pollinator garden installation at Estrella Mountain Regional Park in Goodyear.  Hundreds of native trees and pollinator shrubs were planted, as well as a xeriscape conversion of park area.

During the Covid pandemic, a diverse group of public, non-profit, academic, and community-based organizations conducted a project to increase urban tree canopy in disadvantaged neighborhoods of the City of Mesa along the Salt River corridor. The Arizona Department of Forestry & Fire Management and USDA Forest Service provided catalyst funding for this 2-year heat action planning and mitigation project. Project partners included the Great Communities Community Development Organization, City of Mesa, ASU, Maricopa County Public Health, Arizona Sustainability Alliance, Unlimited Potential, SRP, and MesaPublic Schools. Bank of America and the Arbor Day Foundation provided additional funding for the project. At the conclusion of the project, over 300 trees were planted at schools, parks, residential, and community locations identified by neighborhood ‘heat champions.’

Media coverage