Tree Board readies booth for May 9 Greenway event, seeks volunteers and webpage/email improvements

Amy, who coordinates event logistics for the town, told the Tree Board on April 15 that the Greenway event is set for Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Town Park and will include roughly 26 environmental and community organizations.

"The event itself is going to be on Saturday, May 9th from 10:00 to 2:00 and it's in the town park," Amy said, and asked the Tree Board to staff a booth and identify the materials they want supplied by the Friday before the event. She said native-grass giveaways would be sponsored by Riptide and reusable tote bags by J&J Air, and that the town will collect an email list of attendees.

Board members agreed to provide staffing in shifts so four people could cover the booth during the four-hour event and discussed family-friendly activities. One idea was a simple planting demonstration for children (planting a sweet potato or similar hands-on activity) to reduce printed handouts and to link to resources using QR codes.

The board also reviewed website and contact issues. Members suggested adding photos from Arbor Day, the recommended tree list, links to the National Arbor Day Foundation and Tree City USA requirements, and hurricane-preparation guidance. They expressed concern about using personal email addresses on the public site after several scam attempts; the chair said she would ask the chief whether an official Sunset Beach committee email could be created and whether the town would cover any associated costs.

Logistics for the booth included arranging tent, table, chairs, printed name tags stating "Tree Board", and Town of Sunset Beach T-shirts to identify volunteers. Liz from the Forest Service was noted as participating at the event and would be placed adjacent to the Tree Board booth to support outreach and giveaways.

Next steps: Amy requested booth content by May 1; the board will form small subgroups to assemble QR-enabled posters and 25-copy handouts, finalize volunteer shifts, and coordinate with the town for email and webpage solutions.