Arkansas Black Mayors Association Awarded $250,000 to Implement Tree-Planting Program Across Five Arkansas Counties
This competitive grant awarded by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and the USDA Forest Service will help to plant 1,200 trees across the state of Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK, AR — The Arkansas Black Mayors Association was awarded a $250,000 Urban & Community Forestry grant by Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and the USDA Forest Service. With grant-writing support from the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP), the Arkansas Black Mayors Association was awarded this competitive grant to complete the Arkansas Delta Community Forestry Grant project.
The grant will help to plant 1,200 trees at community gathering spaces and public schools across five counties in the Arkansas Delta, including Monroe, Phillips, Chicot, Desha and Lee Counties. This project will be completed through assistance from elected officials in participating counties including:
- Mayor Butler of Eudora, AR (Chicot County)
- Mayor Boney of Dumas, AR (Desha County)
- Mayor Thomas of Haynes, AR (Lee County)
- Mayor Stevens of Marianna, AR (Lee County)
- Mayor Cunningham of Clarendon (Monroe County)
- Mayor Harston of Cotton Plant (Monroe County)
- Mayor Stokes of Holly Grove (Monroe County)
- Mayor Gilbert of Elaine (Phillips County)
- Mayor Franklin of Helena (Phillips County)
- County Judge Clark Hall of Helena (Phillips County)
These leaders will participate in the program by assisting with project coordination, implementation, and community engagement. The Arkansas Delta Community Forestry grant project will work to lower temperatures in targeted areas to reduce the impact of extreme heat on Arkansas residents while creating more accessible green spaces and providing shaded, healthy environments for community activities and outdoor learning.
“This grant will allow us to make a collective investment in the wellbeing of Arkansas Delta communities for generations to come,” said Frank Bateman, Executive Director at Arkansas Black Mayors Association. “The grant award will reduce our towns’ vulnerability to heat while also offering the opportunity to engage with residents on the ways urban forestry can improve their daily lives.”
“The Arkansas Black Mayors Association has committed to protecting their neighbors from extreme heat all while strengthening partnerships among residents, local governments, schools and community organizations,” said Sarah Beth Gehl, executive director of the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP). “With these new, sustained connections, Arkansas is on a strong path towards sustained engagement in urban forestry, a model that other Southern states should replicate.”
Funding for this project is provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program, in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division. The Arkansas Black Mayors Association is an equal opportunity provider.
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About Arkansas Black Mayors Association
The Arkansas Black Mayors Association (ABMA) is a coalition of forward-thinking leaders dedicated to advancing the concerns of black mayors and communities across Arkansas. ABMA’s goal is to foster economic growth, revitalize neighborhoods, and engage in political advocacy to improve the well-being of residents in black-majority municipalities. ABMA was founded in 1972 and is made up of black mayors from towns and cities throughout the state of Arkansas.
About SEAP
Launched in 2019, the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP) partners with policy thinkers and doers to amplify their efforts and bridge gaps in policy infrastructure. SEAP’s goal is to advance policies that improve economic security, healthcare access, and environmental justice for all Southerners—acting as a connector, convener, and policy entrepreneur across issues and states, translating good ideas to the Southern context. SEAP researches policies to achieve stronger outcomes at the state and local level in the South, amplifies the activities of local organizations through technical assistance, and provides a bridge between the best learnings nationally and a regional strategy for implementation and engagement.
