Auburn’s Les Gove Park will be a little greener come springtime, courtesy of local Boy Scout Elliott Pelfrey.

Pelfrey, a 16-year-old Auburn Mountainview High School junior, organized the planting of 36 trees at the park last Saturday as his Eagle Scout project.

Boy Scouts must organize and complete a community project in order to obtain the organization’s highest ranking.

Pelfrey turned to Auburn Parks Maintenance Manager Mike Miller, who has helped more than 70 Boy Scouts gain their Eagle rank during the past 22 years.

“Mike had a couple of ideas,” Pelfrey said.

Miller told Pelfrey about the opportunity to plant 15 Tschonoskii crab apple trees and 21 Kwanzan cherry trees at the park.

The Pelfrey family jumped at the chance to do something at the park.

“We’ve spent a lot of time at Les Gove Park over the years, so this one was close to home,” said Pelfrey’s mother, Connie.

After working the phones to gather volunteers, Pelfrey’s efforts culminated last Saturday with about 25 workers gathering on a frosty morning to put the trees in the ground.

“It’s real important to the city because it saves us a lot of time and energy trying to do that work ourselves,” Miller said.

In addition to helping the community and fulfilling his Eagle Scout project requirements, Pelfrey had a little extra incentive.

“In our family, you’ve got to get your Eagle if you want to get your (driver’s) license,” Pelfrey said. “And I wanted to get my license.”

It also is a good way to inspire and teach the next generation of Boy Scouts.

“There are younger kids here, and this teaches them a little about hard work and getting a job done,” he said.

According to Miller, the cost of the trees was paid by a Neighborhood Tree grant

The planting of the Kwanzan Cherry trees brings the count at the park back up to 100, the number donated by Auburn’s Japanese sister city, Kasugo-Cho, in 1984.