Under bright blue skies and a lingering April chill, more than 400 people lined up early Saturday for a spring ritual that has become as much about community as conservation.
By the time the Town of Estes Park’s Arbor Day giveaway began at 9 a.m., the line had already stretched along the parking area outside the Parks Division greenhouse. Families, gardeners and curious first-timers waited patiently for their turn to pick out chokecherry saplings and an assortment of native perennials.
“It’s just a wonderful community kind of collection this morning,” one attendee said, surveying the crowd. “Everybody’s here.”
This year’s giveaway featured two dozen varieties of native perennials — nearly 2,000 plants in total — all grown from seed in the Town’s greenhouse by horticulturist Eli Ertl.
“Probably close to 2,000 if they all go,” Ertl said, describing the scope of the effort as she arranged trays of young plants and answered questions from residents about planting and care.
Participants were allowed to take up to two saplings and four perennials each, a limit designed to spread the benefit widely while encouraging residents to diversify their yards with hardy, water-wise species.
Funding for the event was underwritten by the Platte River Power Authority, the Town’s wholesale electric provider.
While the trees were sourced externally, the perennials were a homegrown labor of months — seeded, tended, and nurtured through the winter by Ertl in the greenhouse.
The result was a mix of plants suited to the mountain climate, from low-growing groundcovers to flowering species that support pollinators. As attendees moved through the line, conversations turned from excitement over the selection to practical advice — how to deter rabbits, where to plant for sun exposure, and how to help new transplants thrive.
Despite the brisk temperatures, the mood remained upbeat. “It’s chilly, but it’s a pretty day,” another participant said. “And this is one way to get folks out.”
The Arbor Day giveaway reflects a broader, decades-long commitment to urban forestry in Estes Park. The town has been recognized as a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation for 29 consecutive years as of 2026 — a designation awarded to municipalities that meet standards for tree care, public education and community investment in forestry.
The roots of that tradition trace back more than a century. Arbor Day itself began in 1872 in Nebraska, when journalist and conservation advocate J. Sterling Morton encouraged settlers to plant trees across the largely treeless plains. The idea quickly spread nationwide, evolving into an annual observance focused on the environmental and social benefits of trees.
In Estes Park, that legacy plays out each spring in a hands-on way — one sapling, one perennial, and one resident at a time.
By midmorning Saturday, the line of people and the available plants had thinned out. For many, that was part of the appeal — not just the chance to take something home, but the shared experience of showing up.
“There’s no downside to this — just people, plants, and a community taking care of its place,” said one woman as she looked over the plants spread out on tables in front of the greenhouse.
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