On April 25, staff and students from the Hampton Elementary School, members of various town and state organizations, and several residents gathered together to celebrate Arbor Day. This was the town’s sixth annual commemoration.

This year’s event took place at the Hammond Hill Preserve, a parcel of over 50 acres in the Little River Valley which the Town purchased a few years ago for open space. Bruce Spaman, a member of the Recreation and Conservation Commissions, served as Master of Ceremonies and spoke of the preserve, encouraging everyone to visit. The preserve offers trails to hike, a viewing platform, and ample opportunities to fish in a pond and in the Little River.

All of the elementary school students participated in the ceremony, starting with the first and second grade students singing “This Land is Your Land”. The pre-school students shared ways that even little people can make a big impact on trees and on the environment. Their suggestions included planting trees, planting gardens, and planting flowers for the bees. The kindergarteners recently explored Hampton’s trees and wrote a collective letter to a tree. Students in third and fourth grade wrote essays on the importance of trees, and the fifth graders wrote poems on trees. Sixth grade students were at Nature’s Classroom all week, where they undoubtedly celebrated plenty of trees.

Sugar maple trees were planted at the preserve in honor of Randy Thompson, a life-long resident of Hampton who was a member of the Conservation Commission and instrumental in the town’s purchases of many parcels to preserve as open space, including the one at Hammond Hill. Conservation Commission Chairman Mark Samios explained to the children that Randy wanted to protect nature and the rural character of the town for future generations, and expressed hope that this and other preserves will be protected for years to come.

Mr. Spaman thanked all participants, including the Department of Public Works for preparing the site for the planting of the trees, and introduced guest speakers. A representative from Eversource spoke of the history of Arbor Day, a forester from the Department of Environmental Protection fielded several questions from the students, and Selectman Bob Grindle read the annual proclamation. A well-known “star gazer”, Mr. Grindle also encouraged families to visit the preserve at night, explaining that there are few places in Hampton as spacious for viewing constellations.

Students were given bags of tree-related gifts, and  Kousa dogwoods to plant at their homes.

Dayna McDermott