MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) – A new project is underway at the Bonita Lakes Watershed to educate residents about trees.
Dr. Joshua Granger, a dendrologist at Mississippi State University, marks 85 tree and other plant species along the Bonita Lakes trails.
Hundreds of people walk these trails every week, but few are aware of their surroundings.
“Our society has moved away from an agricultural knowledge base, and so people see things but don’t know what they’re seeing. I’m convinced there are people out there who have a favorite tree along this trail but have no idea what it is. And now they can see a sign, scan the QR code and learn about their favorite tree,” said Angela Barnard, chair of the Meridian Tree Commission.
Dr. Granger is working with Ollie Wilkes, a Meridian resident who provided the seed money for this project, and the Meridian Tree Commission to educate the community about the biodiversity here in Meridian.
“Some people may be tree nerds, like me, tree lovers, enthusiasts, but most people are just walking around and there’s a term called ‘greenblindness’ or ‘treeblindness.’ They’re just walking around, they only see green and they don’t really recognize the unique features that these trees offer that make them unique species or varieties. So I think it’s going to be important for people to be out there today where we can tag these trees and help showcase them. It’s good publicity,” Dr. Granger said.
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