The median along a stretch of Jefferson between Sunset High School and Westmoreland is getting greener. Neighbor Van Johnson led an effort to get 32 trees from a city program that allows developers to pay fees instead of planting new trees to replace the ones they cut down. But once Johnson, who formed the Jefferson Median Beautification Project, got the trees, the city canceled funding that would have paid for the trees to be planted and watered. So now the group is raising the money it needs — about $2,000 — to plant the trees, and they’re about half way there.

"The program requires that we water and mulch the trees for the first two years," Johnson says. "So we’re going to be needing a lot of volunteers so that we can water them once a week."

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The group wants to buy donut-shaped watering bags, which hold about two gallons and water the tree over two or three hours. They cost about $15 each. More information on donating and volunteering is available here.