Made in the Shade: Pickaxes and Partnerships Forge Community Connection

During Earth Month 2025, Gonzaga teamed up with The Lands Council – the region’s longest-serving environmental nonprofit – to plant trees along Spokane Valley’s Appleway Trail. About 120 students, faculty and staff helped plant 50 trees to provide future shade along this hot corridor. 

A part of Spokane Conservation District’s CoolCanopy program, the Appleway Trail project not only provides shade for people walking or biking the path for enjoyment, but also for individuals using the corridor to reach the nearby STA plaza. Additionally, trees in this open area benefit nearby residents who will stay cooler during hot summers. 

From student-athletes and club members to representatives from the offices of mission, sustainability, marketing and more, everyone enjoyed the work culminating in choosing special names for each tree. Faculty from the Nursing department in the School of Health Science, no surprise, named one of their trees Patient Pat, following suit with the naming of their simulation mannequins. 

Gonzaga’s connection to this project with The Lands Council began with an idea from Tomson Spink, head of GU’s Plant Services department, who wanted to see the University more involved in sustainability projects in the community. Six members of his hardworking landscaping crew came to the site with trucks and equipment, and soon were digging into the brutally rocky soil along the path, often doing some of the extra strenuous pickaxe swinging for volunteers who needed the boost. 

“I’d like to see us plant 50 trees every year,” said Spink. “The crew loves being able to work alongside the students, and it’s just a great legacy for Gonzaga to have.” 

GU’s Center for Community Engagement hopes that the next step with The Lands Council will be to plant trees in Northeast Spokane where Gonzaga already has deep commitments to neighborhoods with special needs. Fortunately, that fits The Lands Council’s other urban canopy goals, outfitting committed residents with free trees to enrich their own yards and beyond. 

“The Lands Council and Gonzaga missions are very compatible, each seeking to work for social justice and environmental health,” says Kate Vanskike, a staffer in Gonzaga’s Marketing & Communications office who also is president of The Lands Council board. “I’m incredibly excited about the vision Tomson has and the positive impact this first activity had on members of both organizations. It’s a win-win-win, with our community’s long-term health benefiting the most.”