Celebrating Summer at Groundwork Erie!
Green Team 2026
There’s something about summer at Groundwork Erie that is filled with life and energy. The trees are growing leaves, the farm and school gardens are abundant, and our youth and adult crews are out across the city doing the kind of work that makes Erie greener, healthier, and more connected.
This season, our Green Team and Ground Corps crews have been hard at work caring for trees, tending gardens, testing water quality, growing and distributing fresh produce, and caring for our neighborhood green spaces. It’s a season of learning about our community, developing leadership skills, and getting our hands in the dirt, and we’re excited to share a glimpse of what our crews have been up to this summer!
Meet Our Summer Green Team Crews!
This summer, five Green Team crews worked across Erie, each bringing a different kind of care to the land and to our community.
ARBORICULTURE CREW
Our Arboriculture crew spent their summer caring for the hundreds of street trees that Groundwork has planted over the last year! They harvested fruit from local orchards for Pay-What-You-Can Markets, watered and mulched street trees that cool our city streets and sidewalks, and scouted locations for even more tree plantings this fall. They are learning the importance of trees for air quality and for shade on these hot summer days!
FORESTRY CREW
The Forestry Crew stewarded four tree-planting projects at public schools this summer. These sites include orchards, a tiny forest, and native tree plantings. Their days were filled with watering, pruning, and weeding, but also with learning: about native trees, and about the role fruit and nut trees can play in local food sovereignty. This crew definitely won the fastest mulching award this summer!!
WATER CREW
This summer, our Water Crew partnered with the Regional Science Consortium and the Erie County Conservation District to test water at Presque Isle, clean up local creeks like Mill Creek and McDannell Run. The idea for this work came directly from our Youth Leadership Council members. This group of returning Green Team members helped design this crew’s work to give young people the chance to help protect and to better understand the connection between healthy water and healthy communities!
4th STREET FARM CREW
Over at the 4th Street Farm, the farm crew assisted in keeping this quarter acre plot producing plenty of produce and created a welcoming space for neighbors and community members. The crew also managed the 4th Street Farm Pay What You Can Market now in full swing on Thursdays from 12-2! If you stop by one of any of the markets this summer, there’s a good chance you’ll see the results of their work on the table.
FARM TO SCHOOL CREW
The Farm to School Team has helped school gardens grow and thrive all over Erie this summer. Working at 12 (!) different schools, they harvested fresh produce, weeded beds, mowed, and maintained outdoor learning spaces so they stay productive, beautiful, and welcoming. School gardens don’t take the summer off, and thanks to this team, they kept growing produce for school families and the Pay What You Can network!
Summer with Ground Corps!
Our Ground Corps adult crew has been busy taking on projects that beautify neighborhood green spaces and keep some of Erie’s newest tree plantings healthy through the hottest part of the year.
One recent project brought the crew to 10th and Wallace, where they completed a native planting installation and serviceberry tree planting designed to add beauty, support pollinators, and create a more resilient streetscape. These plants do a lot of quiet work, stabilizing soil, providing habitat, shade, and overall make this neighborhood corner more vibrant!
TREE CARE & STREETSCAPING
Ground Corps is also deep into the tree-watering season, ensuring newly planted trees across the city get the care they need to survive the summer heat and establish strong roots. Watering may not be flashy, but it’s one of the most important parts of summer urban forestry work, and our crew is putting in the time to make sure Erie’s young trees have a strong start.
And this summer, Ground Corps is supporting Bayfront East Side Taskforce Parade Street streetscaping and landscaping projects, helping design and plant beds along the corners of Parade Street between East 2nd and East 6th. These projects combine native plants, herbs, and food, to bring about a beautiful result! Check out their work at the center of 6th and Parade and on the corners of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of Parade Street!
