Bilingual ‘tree walk’ in McKinley Park celebrates 60 years of support…

Neighbors in the McKinley Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side and environmental advocates used a sunny Saturday morning to participate in a neighborhood walk showcasing the importance of tree lined communities in combating air pollution.

The Bilingual Tree Walk served as one of many celebrations honoring Openlands’s 60-year mission of preserving clean air and water for northeastern Illinois and its surrounding communities.

As about 30 people strolled through the community, passing families doing yoga and playing pickup basketball, Openlands staff member and “treekeeper” Al Dereu answered the public’s questions about the history of the region’s trees and their impact today.

TreeKeepers like Dereu are part of a 30-year-old Openlands program designed to teach individuals about how to care for their trees in their communities. Conservation groups like Openlands promote planting trees in cities as a way of combating poor urban air quality. Experts say that trees reduces heat…