Inspiration from Arbor Day
In Eugene, Oregon, there are more than 100,000 trees that line more than 530 miles of streets. Our community is passionate about trees and preserving the beautiful natural habitat of our home. Here at Delta Sand & Gravel, we too, are passionate about sustaining our community. Our team works in nature every day and is acutely aware of how important it is to not only preserve our environment but to ensure our operation is sustainable.The month of April featured two holidays that our team proudly celebrates—Earth Day and National Arbor Day. These holidays mark a special time here at Delta Sand & Gravel, a time where we plant trees in our own backyard to help enhance our already beautiful community.
The Beauty in Oregon
Spring is upon us, and summer is just around the corner. One of the many things we love about our community is Oregon’s natural wildlife. On our property, we frequently see fish, many different types of birds and occasionally deer!
We like to keep our property as wildlife-friendly as possible. This is why we have teamed with Ducks Unlimited and Boy Scouts of America to build 20 wooden nesting boxes that will be placed throughout our property. These nesting boxes are important to keep ducks safe from predators. Ducks are an important part of our ecosystem and they face greater challenges to successfully rearing their young in populated areas. While we are looking for the right spot for our nesting boxes, we generally keep the following tips in mind:
- The right material: we put special thought into what material is used to create these boxes. Rough wood is the preferred material for the box because the ducks can climb it as if it was a tree in its natural habitat.
- Improving the odds: securing the nesting boxes to posts keeps them out of reach of some predators that share the environment such as snakes and raccoons.
- Nesting material: these nesting boxes are new homes to our duck friends, so we provide them with the right bedding to make their home more comfortable. We use wood shavings for the bedding, so that the female duck can keep her eggs safe and warm.
Duck nesting boxes are just one of the ways we like to help ensure the habitat on our property is supported, and we love partnering with other businesses. If you have any more questions about our duck nesting boxes, feel free to contact us!
Inspiration from Earth Day
Every April, our team gets especially inspired by Earth Day and National Arbor Day. These holidays help our team evaluate our own earth- consciousness.
When the concept of “Earth Day” first started in the United States of America, the country looked very different. At this time, there was no awareness of the effects of oil spills, constant factory smog and overusing our precious resources. Earth Day 1970 forced people to reconsider their effect on the planet. In 2020, we will be celebrating Earth Day’s 50th anniversary!
Our team remains inspired by Earth Day throughout the year because of the beautiful setting we work in. Recognizing the importance of being aware of our impact keeps us passionate about our recycling efforts. Some of the materials we recycle include ¾’ minus rock, concrete and asphalt. Currently, our team has recycled over 15,253 tons of materials from January to April.
Recycling Aggregates is becoming more and more important with the rise of the construction industry. “Construction aggregates make up more than 80 percent of the total aggregates market, and are used mainly for road base, riprap, cement, concrete and asphalt,” according to the USGS. The remainder of the recycled aggregates that are not used for roads, etc., are used for new concrete mixes, low-value products and high-value riprap.
Our team is dedicated to continuing and improving our recycling efforts, and we hope you will join us by recycling as much as you can. If you aren’t sure where to take your recycling, BRING has a great resource here.
Earth Day is a popular holiday, but have you ever heard of Arbor Day? It is actually deeply rooted in the history of our country, and it is now a worldwide holiday.
The history of this holiday takes us back to the pioneer days. One of the pioneers that moved to the Nebraska Territory in 1854 was J. Sterling Morton from Detroit. He set out to establish this new area as his home by planting trees, shrubs and flowers. Morton also had a passion for writing, and leveraged this passion to write about agriculture in one of Nebraska’s finest newspapers. Morton wrote about the importance of trees, not only for the environment but to help the soil and protect the land. Through his writing and his leadership, Morton became the Secretary of the Nebraska Territory. With his new position, Morton created a tree planting day to be called “Arbor Day” on April 10th, 1872. Arbor Day spread throughout the country and world, and it was estimated one million trees were planted in Nebraska on that day. in 1885, Arbor Day was named a legal holiday in Nebraska on April 22nd, which was Morton’s Birthday.
Today Arbor Day is an established holiday, with celebrations all over the world. Arbor Day even has it’s own Facebook page, where you can find local events and participate in the celebration in your community.
This year, our team will be celebrating Arbor Day by planting 150 trees on our land to reduce dust and other naturally occurring pollutants, as well as preserve the natural beauty of our hometown. We are set to plant Skyrise Screening Trees on our property line, as well as Green Rocket Cedar trees. Both of these trees are extremely quick-growing. We love the way Skyrise Screening trees look when they have reached maturity. These trees provide clean air, dust protection and shade. In addition, the trees add an aroma to our property that smells fabulous.
Tree planting is important to our team, and our town. Every year around Arbor Day, our team jumps on board to start planting more trees! If you want to learn more about our earth-conscious efforts, please follow us on Facebook!