On September 17th, the MNNRD received 1,750 Colorado blue spruce seedlings from Bessey Nursery that were produced for the 2020 Husker Harvest Days which was cancelled due to Covid-19. A planting day was coordinated and scheduled with the Valentine Middle School on September 29th to plant the seedlings in and around areas of Valentine. About 150 middle school students, grades 5-8, brought shovels, bags, water bottles and eager spirits to learn about trees, their benefits, Nebraska’s Arbor Day, and most importantly about tree planting. Braving windy, warm weather the students were able to plant approximately 1,200 trees in 90 minutes. Smiles on some of the faces soon turned to frustration as the students experienced hard, dry soil conditions making digging and planting difficult. With help from the adults, most of the 1,750 trees were planted and MNNRD staff was able to water the trees with their tanker truck after they were planted.