A national effort to plant a million trees is 25 trees closer to its goal, thanks to the Northport 4-H Chess Club.

NORTHPORT 4-H Chess Club members (from left) Jake
Ogemaw, Caleb Brown and Eli Cobb stake one of the white
pine saplings they planted behind Northport Public School
as part of a national 4-H "Million Trees" project.

According to 4-H youth educator Barb Duvall of the Michigan State University Extension office in Leelanau County, a 4-H club in California launched the “4-H Million Trees” project earlier this year. The project was described as a “large-scale service-learning project to plant trees across the United States to beautify America, absorb carbon dioxide and combat global warming.”

The project requires that the tree species be native to the area, Duvall explained. The Northport 4-H Chess Club members voted to plant white pine trees because it is the state tree of Michigan and grows especially well in Leelanau County. They planted the trees last Thursday.

Sue Boss, 4-H volunteer leader and fourth and fifth grade teacher, incorporated the project into her classroom’s language arts curriculum. The students have been assigned to write essays about their project.

Chris Machir, the father of one of the students, gathered materials and helped the group. The 10- to 18-inch conifer transplants were purchased from the Leelanau Conservation District.

To cover the cost of the trees, the students will hold a “Market Day” next Wednesday, May 14, from noon until 1:45 p.m. in their classroom at Northport Public School. The entire classroom will be transformed into a mall in which a variety of items will be sold: baked goods and chili, handmade jewelry, stress balls, duct tape wallets, and more. The public is invited.

The 14 Northport fourth and fifth graders involved in the project are all 4-H Chess Club members and include Michael Agosa, Caleb Brown, Jacob Brown, Eli Cobb, Hanen Dean, Anthony Driver, Fabian Hernandez, Autumn Huck, Hunter Kellogg, Jake Ogemaw, Samson Raphael, Ricky Roman, Andrew Sleder and Marcus Stowe.

The fourth and fifth grade classes are making a chart of each student’s guess as to how tall the trees will be when they graduate in 2015 and 2016.

Three seniors from the school are also participating: Ryan Blessing, Amanda Luna and Sophie Mosher.

The organizers of the “4-H Million Trees” project are tracking the project on a national level through their website at www.4hmilliontrees.org.