Jack Roberts, a sophomore at University High School, spearheaded an Earth Day project to create a greener environment and call attention to Fresno’s “endemic ecology.”

Roberts, alongside 30 student volunteers from Hoover High School’s Science Enrichment club, celebrated Earth Day by planting trees.

The students worked together from 12:30p.m. to 3p.m., placing five trees on Hoover’s campus.

“It’s pretty awesome that we all got to work as a team to do something that will benefit us for a long time,” said John Banuelos, a member of the Science Enrichment club.

The club also celebrated Earth Day by guiding students through planting wildflowers to take home.

Five valley oaks, a species endemic to California, were planted on Wednesday, a number the group hopes will grow.

How the Effort Came Together

Robert worked with Fresno Unified for close to a year to get the project underway.

The University High student pitched presentations to trustees, the site principal, and maintenance managers.

His presentation detailed the benefits of planting valley oaks and spreading environmental education.

“Over 90% of these trees (valley oaks) have been chopped down since the city’s founding, and I believe that we shouldn’t accept that for what it is,” Roberts said.

Roberts is working to restore planting sites and integrate valley oaks back into the community, aiming to plant trees at Free State next, he said.

He hopes that students will take pride in their campus and their contribution, while also cultivating an understanding of the importance of trees.

This project is an opportunity to begin doing just that.

“I think today went really smoothly,” said Favour Amobi, a senior at Hoover. “Everybody was working very hard. It was nice to see everything come together”

Why Plant Valley Oaks?

Valley oaks are native and exclusive to California making them best suited for its ecosystem.

The trees’ size and lifespan allow for a massive intake of carbon, efficiently converting CO2 into oxygen, while needing less water than grass.

Additionally, these trees house native species, so their removal caused “native ecosystems to start to vanish,” Roberts said.

Roberts hopes that bringing valley oaks back into the community will prompt more native species to return.

Two weeks prior to planting, a drilling company pierced through the site’s hardpan.

Drilling through the hardpan, a dense layer that water and roots cannot permeate, allows the tree to reach subsoil. This provides crucial water retention and essential resources for the plant.

Also, the tree’s roots will be able to grow down instead of out, ensuring that roots will not interfere with infrastructure or cause tripping hazards.

Environmental Education

Climate anxiety is rising amongst youth, but a lack of knowledge and education regarding the environment is prevalent.

That fear was shared by the students, who also reiterated a sense of responsibility.

“I think us, as a generation, need to make sure that we care about it (the climate),” Amobi said. “If we don’t care about it more then we’re going to lose our chance of being able to solve this. And that’s what I’m scared about.”

Despite widespread worries about climate change, a 2021 survey indicated that students ages 14 to 18 had large gaps between their conceptualization of Earth’s systems and reality.

“Here at school is one way to learn it and get the correct education about climate change, because it’s real,” said Aaliyah Miles, a junior at Hoover.

There are environmental science courses offered at Fresno Unified high schools, but the classes are not mandatory, the Hoover students said.

“I think it’s very important to emphasize how climate change is going to affect us. And how we can prevent that, even little steps within the community we can take to help,” Roberts said.