Boone Park continues to flourish, friends group leads the way

Posted on March 5, 2022 By Editor Neighborhood News, Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, Murray Hill

Dyan and Sam Dickerson with their son Charlie

One of the most iconic parks in Riverside and Avondale is Boone Park, otherwise known to locals at Boone’s Park, for its sprawling oaks, pine stands and magnolias, not to mention, its Kompan playgrounds and ample parking. On Feb. 12, a day dubbed, Love Boone Park South Day, included a cleanup, adopt-a-tree planting and other volunteer opportunities.

The park, which is stewarded by the local advocacy group, Friends of Boone Park South, is continually working toward tree renourishment and replacement, as aging trees will be replaced by younger trees planted during the annual campaigns. Children and younger residents will look for shade, water mitigation and a healthy parks environment, these replacements and supplemental plantings go a long way toward insuring this occurs.

Pamela Telis, the leader of the group, is always on hand to bring the annual event to fruition, alongside Greenscape and its newly appointed executive director, Lisa Grubba, and JEA’s Forester, Joe Anderson. This year marks the sixth annual outing and partnership, 20 trees will be planted by local families.

The Webb family plants a tree in memory of their beloved son Finley Reid Webb, whose memory lives on for the family that lost him to SUDC or Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, at age 4. The family was joined by grandparents Gary and Barb Johnson, as Charles, Madeline, mother Emily with new addition Sawyer and Baton relished in the time spent together planting the family tree of remembrance.

The trees are part of a mitigation fund, which delivers brand new Southern Magnolias, Oaks and other native species that will thrive in the park setting, when watered by volunteers and those dedicated to the greening of the park. Some trees are planted in memory of lost loved ones, some are simply a family tradition and others are planted by those seeking a great way to give back to their local community. For more on Friends of Boone Park South, visit facebook.com/friendsbps to learn more.