Monroe to mark Arbor Day and Earth Day in April

   A tree planting at the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library and a community mobilization of volunteers for roadside cleanups are planned for Arbor Day and Earth Day in Monroe next April.    A  six-foot white spruce—suitable for decorating with holiday lights—is to be planted outside the entrance to library Friday, April 25, at 2 p.m. in the traditional Arbor Day ceremony organized by Dave Solek, Monroe’s park ranger and tree warden. The public is invited to attend.    As in past years, the tree has been donated by Keith Bunofsky of TLC Wholesale Nursery. A white spruce was selected because the species is native to the Northeast and grows symmetrically.    Monroe has applied meanwhile to the Arbor Day Foundation for recognition as a Tree City USA for the 10th consecutive year, an honor reserved for communities that dedicate resources to preserving the urban tree canopy. Fewer than 20 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities generally qualify for the award.       The roadside work—set for Saturday, April 26 as part of U.S.-wide Earth Day the previous Tuesday—has become an annual spring deployment organized by Monroe’s Economic Commission.    Paul Moyse, a member of the commission, said the cleanup is designed “to make Monroe a better place to live and work” by picking up trash that may have collected over the winter on non-residential roads.   Volunteers are invited to participate—bringing with them work gloves--as individuals or as teams representing companies and social/cultural organizations. They assemble in the parking lot of the Monroe Professional Building at the intersection of Elm Street and Rte, 111.    The cleanup runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Trash bags are provided and Colonial Sanitation is providing dumpsters. To register call Paul Moyse at (203) 261-1355.