More Than 80 New Trees Planted in Cottage Grove thanks to Trees for Houston - and Bulleit Whiskey!

If you've ever taken the U-turn under the TC Jester bridge at Kansas St, you probably cringed at the height of the grass on the bridge median. This is because the bridges in the City of Houston are only mowed two times per year. That's just gross if it's the entrance to your community like this bridge is! Rather than throw up our hands, the Cottage Grove Civic Association decided to think outside of the box and contact a fabulous community partner to find a solution: Trees for Houston!

At the same time, Memorial Heights TIRZ was finishing up an exciting new extension to the Heights Hike and Bike Trail ending at this exact bridge - this would bring more people into the area, and beautification would become even more important. Everything was coming together to create a project that the whole community could enjoy. All we needed was...money. The one thing we didn't have enough of.

Trees for Houston loved the project idea and pressed ahead with designing two options for our neighborhood. We reviewed these plans with the community and approved one of the plans in early 2022. Trees for Houston verified the plans with the City and received all the necessary permits. Then, they set out on the difficult task of finding the perfect donor, as the project was more than $14,000 to complete.

Fast forward to early 2023. Through a partnership with American Forests, Trees for Houston connected the team at Bulleit Frontier Whiskey to the project and asked them to sponsor it. Because our area is in need of trees to soak up the substantial amount of rain we get (we showed them the photos of Harvey's impact on our neighborhood), they said yes! Street Art for Mankind also contributed to this project's success.

Bulleit not only gave their funds to support this project - they also gave their elbow grease. They helped plant all the trees that Trees for Houston supplied. This hard-working group planted more than 80 trees, not just in the bridge median, but around the bike pathway's entrance to our neighborhood as well.

As part of this project, three years of maintenance and watering for the trees is included. We encourage all community members to keep an eye on this precious new gift and let the Civic Association know if a tree needs watering or replacing.

Trees for Houston is an incredible resource for our community. They do tree giveaways and various other awesome programs throughout the year, so be sure to sign up for their newsletter or follow them on Instagram so you're in the know. We are so grateful to them for supporting our community and making it a more beautiful place to live!

Want to help make Cottage Grove better? Become a member of the Cottage Grove Civic Association!