Arbor Day
Author: Linda Southall, Tree Board
Arbor Day: Annual 5th Grader Tree Poster Contest
Linda Southall
Tree Board
The winter of January & February of 2025 was one for the records. Now, spring is in the air. With spring comes thoughts of Arbor Day. Once again, the Townsend Tree Board is sponsoring the annual Broadwater County 5th Grade Arbor Day Tree Poster Contest.
This contest, first sponsored by the Townsend Tree Board in 2004, is designed to get fifth-grade students to think more about trees and how they make our community’s life better. This competition not only helps promote trees by giving you the opportunity to ponder trees and to illustrate your thoughts and knowledge of trees but also gives you the opportunity to win some prizes.
All Broadwater County fifth-grade students who submit a poster will receive a small gift certificate from a local Townsend restaurant for a small food item, like an ice cream cone.
There will be three top winners. The third-place winner will receive a $20 cash prize. The second-place winner will receive a $30 cash prize. The first-place winner will be rewarded a $50 cash prize. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will have their posters made into postcards. The top three place winners will receive several postcards for personal use.
Several postcards will be used by the Townsend Tree Board for thank-you notes to people who donate to the tree board and for meeting announcements. The first-place poster will be made into 2 framed pictures. One framed print will go to the winner to keep and share with future generations. The other framed picture will be proudly displayed either in the elementary school or at another public venue or place.
All contest entries will be displayed at the Broadwater Community Library this summer.
The theme of the Broadwater County 5th Grade Arbor Day Tree Poster Contest for 2025 is
"The Townsend Tree Board Beautifying the First city on the Missouri one tree at a time since 1990".
The Townsend Tree Board was formed 35 years ago to care for the older trees in the community. Many of these trees were rotting and consequently, branches were breaking off and falling. Many community members were very concerned that falling branches might hit property and/or people.
The Townsend Tree Board enables citizens in Townsend and Broadwater County to address the issues of the “urban” and rural tree population. Over the last three and a half decades, the Townsend Tree Board has been a major force in the planting, removing, and maintaining of old trees and other vegetation in our local county. This local tree board has taken on a great responsibility for the care of the plant life in our area as a voluntary service to the community and has received many awards.
All fifth graders are encouraged to use their imagination to draw a poster showing how the Townsend Tree Board improves the first city on the Missouri and Broadwater County through its work with trees and other vegetation.
If you choose to make a poster for the 2025 contest, please contact Linda Southall by telephone at 406-266-3863 and I’ll send you a packet of rules and schedules.
Posters are to be delivered to the Townsend Elementary office by April 17th, 2025.
The Award ceremony and tree planting event will be on May 1, 2025.
