By George Bournias
Detroit Arsenal, Family and MWR

Warren, MI - US Army Garrison – Detroit Arsenal (DTA) – Over the past few years, a great number of trees at the Family & Morale, Welfare & Recreation (FMWR) Selfridge Golf Course at Selfridge Air National Guard Base (SANGB) have died due to the Emerald Ash Borer as well as a variety of tree diseases.  

With the approaching golf season and the Earth Day Anniversary, Recreation’s Commercial Sponsorship Dept. worked over-time to address the replacement of trees while paying homage to the Earth Day Anniversary at the same time. 

Over the course of several months, Commercial Sponsorship spent a considerable amount of time searching for potential partners for FMWR’s beautification efforts at the Golf Course.  Despite a very difficult economy that has hit the landscaping and tree growers industry extremely hard, efforts were made to partner-up and some very generous and supportive companies were convinced that the time was ripe to honor Earth Day’s Anniversary at Selfridge Golf Course.

Thanks to generous in-kind sponsorship support of James & Diana Matusik’s The Tree Connection, and J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., twenty young trees, including Autumn Fest Sugar Maple trees and Skyline Locust trees (currently 10-12 feet in length), now grace the Selfridge Golf Course. 

Ms. Denise Ellis-Goyke, the Director for FMWR commented that “at a time when we are all tightening our budgets, the arrival of these twenty trees really gives a boost to our beautification efforts at the FMWR Golf Course.” 
         
“Thanks to The Tree Connection and J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., The U.S. Army’s FMWR division was able to re-invigorate the beauty of the Selfridge Golf Course while still enjoying substantial cost avoidance” said Leonard Sullivan, Chief of Recreation.  Additionally, The Ray Wiegand Nursery assisted by temporarily storing the trees.  The in-kind sponsorship value is estimated at over $6,000.

Additionally, Home Depot and ACO Hardware were also supportive of this year’s FMWR Earth Day Anniversary efforts. 

Selfridge Golf Course’s James Blauvelt, who cares for the FMWR Golf Course added that "we are certainly looking forward to fall colors of the Autumn Fest Sugar Maples and Skyline Locust trees that have been planted on both sides of the nine fair-way at Selfridge Golf Course."