Rafferty School pupils plant at Busy Bee Farm

PERRY — Combining Earth Day and Arbor Day into one event, pupils from Pleasant Point’s Beatrice Rafferty School spent Wednesday sprucing up the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s Busy Bee Farm by planting 700 balsam fir seedlings.

The Georgia-Pacific Corp. donated 1,000 seedlings to the project. The remaining trees were given to the pupils to plant at home. The 200-acre Busy Bee Farm is on South Meadow Road in Perry.

Guidance counselor Chris Altvater said the project was a combination of several observances and ideas.

“First, we wanted to do something for Earth Day and Arbor Day. This is a good way to bring the two together. We want to continue to plant every year, build up a Christmas tree farm and use the money for class projects,” he said, “and we’re going to have every student keep a record of how a tree grows (and) use it as a science project.”

The pupils will plant ornamental trees, such as blue spruce and black pine, at the farm next fall, he said.

Louis Paul, 4-H coordinator, said the next project at the farm will be the planting of a community garden for Pleasant Point. Lending a hand for the tree planting were members of the Indian Township Forestry Department.