The City of Norwalk Tree Advisory Committee and Norwalk Community College are pleased to announce that Norwalk has been awarded grant funding as part of the 2021 Restoration and Resilience COVID-19 Recovery Fund provided by the National Environmental Education Foundation. Grant funds will be used to plant trees at Ludlow Park near the playground adjacent to Gregory Boulevard, which will help provide shade and a barrier to the roadway. The project will also include more seating at the area to allow families to safely gather. 

“Anything we can do to help improve our tree canopy, especially at our much used and much loved parks, is a real win for the entire community. I appreciate the Tree Advisory Committee for all their hard work to protect and expand our tree canopy, and thank Erica Kipp for helping bring this project to Norwalk. It’s going to make a big difference at Ludlow Park,” said Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling. 

The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is providing grant funding to support public lands that have been impacted by increased use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people have spent time outdoors, which has also lead to increased use of City parks. NEEF is providing funding to help restore and increase resiliency to vital community assets. Erica Kipp, chair of the Norwalk Tree Advisory Committee and professor, environmental science, at Norwalk Community College, was instrumental in helping secure the grant. 

“Trees not only provide a myriad of environmental benefits, tree-planting initiatives serve to strengthen community bonds through shared experiences as we work towards a common goal. Thank you NEEF for supporting our vision for a greener Norwalk,” Kipp said. 

The trees will be planted later this spring during the City’s normal tree planting season. A special ribbon cutting event is being planned at the park. More details will be released in the coming weeks.