By Naomi Kim-Yu
Home to about 500 residents, Crystal Lake Park, MO, is a tiny municipality located in St. Louis County with a big sense of community. The small Hunter Park, despite being under an acre in size, is one place where local residents gather for celebration and fun. From pancake breakfasts and birthday parties to Halloween parades and visits from Santa, the park is the place to be for special family events throughout the year.
Hunter Park is also the site of everyday joys for the community, too—thanks, in part, to its trees. Park Commissioner and local resident Peg Crockett describes how a large linden tree has come to be known as “the reading tree.” One of the tree’s sturdy lower branches is the perfect height for kids. “I’ve seen numerous kids sitting there and reading,” Crockett says. It’s a sight that brings her joy.
With Forest ReLeaf’s help, Crockett is adding more trees in the park, giving the Crystal Lake Park community more opportunities for play and leisure. In fact, she has tapped into Forest ReLeaf’s free CommuniTree offering for three years now. Over that time, she’s added about 20 trees and numerous shrubs.
Most recently, in spring 2026, Crockett and some local residents planted new oak and hickory trees at the park’s south end. As the trees mature, Crockett says, they’ll create “a mini forest for shade and an insect and bird sanctuary where children can play.” In the park’s north side, she underplanted the older oak trees to create an intergenerational canopy and added shrubs to attract butterflies and bees. The shrubs also form a natural screen between the park and a nearby condo complex.
“My hope is that they last for a long time,” Crockett says of the trees. She notes that trees are especially important now because their shade will provide some protection from the increased temperatures caused by climate change. “[Planting trees] is hope for the future. Trees are the answer!”
Through Crockett’s dedication and Forest ReLeaf’s tree offerings, Hunter Park is growing into a more shaded, more climate-resilient space for Crystal Lake Park’s community to enjoy well into the future. Crockett plans to keep planting, even though she recognizes that she may never personally see the trees reach full maturity.
“I’m not going to see it happen,” Crockett says with a laugh. “But as the saying goes, you plant for your grandchildren!”
This project was made possible by Forest ReLeaf’s CommuniTree program!
“Imagine the kids in your congregation growing up learning all the native plants in your area and how to take care of them, and being able to experience the divine in nature,” says Christopher Grundy.
Since 1999, the Ferguson Volunteer Flower Department has been caring for two gardens in downtown Ferguson.
With Forest ReLeaf’s help, Park Commissioner Peg Crockett is adding more trees to Hunter Park, giving the local community more opportunities for play and leisure.
I am Elijah Belz, the Field Operations Coordinator for Forest ReLeaf. I am a certified arborist and the primary person in the field for Forest ReLeaf, maintaining roughly 1000 trees planted in the St. Louis City, and maintaining our equipment our equipment used to maintain our trees! This job is a catch-all position that carries different responsibilities during the different seasons. Fall and spring are our planting, tree delivery, and inventory season; winter is our pruning, mulching, and planning season; summer is our watering season where we lead a crew of interns getting into the green industry.
My background is bicycle repair! I was in that industry for almost a decade, including running a bicycle repair shop, before taking a job with a tree planting organization in Atlanta. From there I moved to an edible landscape company. I became certified as an arborist while working at Forest ReLeaf this February! Trees rock, bikes are cool too.
De’Nonna Jones graduated from Knox College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, driven by a commitment to environmental justice and community-based conservation. Since then, she has gained hands-on experience working across a range of green spaces throughout the St. Louis region, focusing on the care, restoration, and accessibility of urban natural areas. She began her journey at Tower Grove Park, where she developed a deep appreciation for public green spaces as vital community resources, before moving into a stewardship role with the Missouri Botanical Garden in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway. She now serves as the Stewardship Crew Coordinator at Forest ReLeaf. De’Nonna is passionate about creating inclusive pathways into environmental work and empowering tree lovers and emerging conservationists to see themselves as stewards of their communities. Through her work, she strives to strengthen connections between people, trees, and places in urban environments.
After 17 years in the non-profit and public sector, Jess remains committed to mission-driven work that tackles the challenges facing our communities. Their career began with a year of service as an Americorps St. Louis Emergency Response team member, responding to natural disasters and performing conservation projects. That foundation of service led to roles supporting the arts, affordable housing, mental health, and grassroots housing advocacy in St. Louis. During this journey Jess has worked to center the value “nothing about us, without us.” They do their best to ensure that the voices of people who have been marginalized guide the strategy and execution of work that honors their lived experiences. When they aren’t working, Jess is out paddling, hiking, working in their garden, or building something.
