III.1. Proclamation Celebrating Arbor Day in Hopkins; LarsonCITY OF HOPKINS
City Council Report 2025-054
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Mike Mornson, City Manager
From: Mikala Larson, Sustainability Specialist
Date: April 1, 2025
Subject: Proclamation Celebrating Arbor Day
RECOMMENDED ACTION
MOTION TO adopt a proclamation celebrating Arbor Day in Hopkins.
OVERVIEW
Arbor Day dates back to the early 1870s in Nebraska City. A journalist by the name of
Julius Sterling Morton moved to the state with his wife and purchased 160 acres in
Nebraska City and planted a wide variety of trees. Morton spread his knowledge of
trees and stressed their ecological importance to Nebraska. And on January 4, 1872,
Morton first proposed a tree planting holiday to be called “Arbor Day” at a meeting of
the State Board of Agriculture. After the board passed the resolution, more than one
million trees were planted on the first official celebration of the day on April 10, 1872.
The City of Hopkins is a recognized Tree City USA community and is committed to
preserving a healthy and robust tree canopy. This year, Arbor Day is on Friday, April
25th. Arbor Day is a day of recognition and celebration of the benefits and beauty trees
provide, with the intention that Arbor Day can be celebrated every day of the year.
On April 25th from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m., the City of Hopkins is partnering with Alice Smith
Elementary and Tree Trust to hold a community celebration of Arbor Day. The event will
take place at Alice Smith Elementary, where community members can participate in a
community tree mulching activity, an engaging tree talk, and cookies. Earlier in the day,
Alice Smith Elementary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math)
students will plant trees in front of the school during their class times.
Next Steps
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a proclamation celebrating April 25,
2025, as Arbor Day.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
•Proclamation Commemorating Arbor Day in Hopkins
•Flyer for 2025 Arbor Day Celebration
Engineering
A Proclamation Commemorating Arbor Day
WHEREAS, in 1872, the Nebraska Board of Agriculture established a special day to be
set aside for the planting of trees; and
WHEREAS, trees are an essential resource to our city and the world, trees make our
homes and community more livable and beautiful; and
WHEREAS, the City of Hopkins is a Tree City USA community and recognizes that trees
can be a solution to combat climate change as they play an important role in cleaning
the air, conserving energy, producing life-giving oxygen, and providing habitat for wildlife;
and
WHEREAS, each year people across the country celebrate Arbor Day and pay special
attention to the treasure our trees represent, while we as a society become more aware
that human activities, along with acts of nature, threaten our trees, creating the need for
action to ensure the future of our urban forests; and
NOW THEREFORE, I, Patrick Hanlon, Mayor of the City of Hopkins in the State of
Minnesota, along with my fellow Council Members, recognize, adopt, and proclaim April
25, 2025, as Arbor Day in the City of Hopkins, and urge all residents to be more aware of
the importance of trees to their well-being, and to participate in tree planning programs
that will ensure a healthy and green city.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set
my hand and caused the Seal of the City of
Hopkins, Minnesota to be affixed this 1st day of
April 2025.
Patrick Hanlon, Mayor
A R B O R D A YARBOR D A Y
C E L E B R A T I O NCELEBRATION
FRIDAY, APRIL 25 | 4 - 5 P.M.
ALICE SMITH ELEMENTARY
C E L E B R A C I Ó N D E LCELEBRACIÓN D E L
D Í A D E L Á R B O LDÍA D E L Á R B O L
VIERNES 25 DE ABRIL | 4 - 5 P.M.
ALICE SMITH ELEMENTARY