In honor of Black History Month this year, we partnered with a new and local Black-owned small business launching here in the Corridor. Like many in the area, Nate Collins, who has lived in Iowa most of his life, witnessed firsthand the destructive derecho that impacted our community on August 10, 2020. It was one the costliest thunderstorm weather events in U.S. history that damaged and destroyed up to 100,000 trees in Cedar Rapids—65 percent of the city's tree canopy. Nate's dream is that The Oak Vessel will inspire the local community to plant more trees. "Our future depends on it,” Nate says. “The Oak Vessel allows you to witness one of the most amazing transformations, right before your eyes, by growing an oak tree from an acorn. You'll see the captivating growth of an oak's root system and a young oak begin its rise to the sky.” Oaks are mighty trees and support a large diversity of species, more than any other North American tree. Scout is taking pre-orders now and will have them in store this spring.

For more information about the Project, please visit https://www.theoakvessel.com/

Because the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago...