The Sag Harbor Village Board on Tuesday, January 14, honored Alison Bond, a longtime member of the Sag Harbor Tree Fund, for her service to the village.
Reading from the proclamation the board presented to her, Mayor Tom Gardella cited Bond’s “tireless efforts” to create and maintain an inventory of street trees in the village and encourage citizens to donate trees through the “Plant a Tree for Sag Harbor” program. He said that more than 360 commemorative trees, each identified with a plaque, have been planted over the years through the program.
“I stand on the very tall shoulders of the people who founded the Tree Fund,” said Bond, who joined the organization about 25 years ago. She cited Lois Underhill, Gail Slevin, Alexandra Eames, Mac Griswold and Shana Conron for their work in the early years of the organization, which was created in 1994 with the goal of preserving and replenishing trees in the village.
She cited major donors, Adrienne Harris and Paul and Jeannette Wagner, as well as landscape architect Ed Hollander and Declan Blackmore of Summerhill Landscapes for their donations.
Bond said she had no intention of retiring from the Tree Fund, telling the board, “One of my greatest pleasures is riding in Dee Yardley’s red truck” to look for suitable places to plant new trees. Yardley is the village’s superintendent of Public Works.