For a couple hours Thursday afternoon a group of people got to escape the stress of their day-to-day lives and enjoy one of Iowa’s state parks.

From those recently retired or on vacation to those seeking Boy Scout and college course volunteer hours, less than 10 volunteers assisted Iowa Department of Natural Resources staff plant 100 trees at Springbrook State Park in celebration of the state park system’s 100th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the National Association of State Foresters. DNR Training Specialist Anne Riordan commented on the park holding this event as many in-person events have been cancelled amid COVID-19, “Oh my gosh, I’m ecstatic to have this in-person event. I think we need a little bit of this, we’ve been doing a lot of virtual things in our lives. When we can come outside it’s a little safer, we can breathe the fresh air and be together and come together. There’s something about working together for a common goal and the place that we value and for the future.”

Riordan and State Park Ranger Rod Nelsen emphasized how volunteer efforts like Thursday’s tree planting show the stake that the public has in state parks, as they’ve attracted increasingly more visitors since the pandemic. Hackberry, Hickory, Black Cherry, and Kentucky Coffeetree were planted around the campgrounds and picnic area.