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MARQUETTE - Upper Peninsula residents planted about 11,300 trees in the 2009 EarthKeepers Tree Project that wrapped up Sunday with the distribution of the final 700 trees in the western U.P.

The trees were planted at homes, camps, parks, American Indian reservations and many other places.

Catholic EarthKeeper Kyra Fillmore of Marquette, the project distribution coordinator, said the 12- to 16-inch white spruce and red pine seedlings were given to more than 100 churches and temples in all 15 U.P. counties and one in northeast Wisconsin.

"We hope these trees grow strong and tall," Fillmore said.

Carl Lindquist, executive director of the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette, said the effort was a great family project.

"My kids and I had a great time packing trees and planting trees," he said.

The EarthKeepers team includes 10 faith traditions with more than 150 participating churches and temples from the Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, Zen Buddist and Quakers traditions.

Also part of the effort are the Superior Watershed Partnership, Cedar Tree Institute and the Northern Michigan University EarthKeepers Student Team.

Trees were purchased or donated by the U.P. EarthKeeper team, SWP, Holli Forest Products, Forestland Group, Plum Creek Timber Company and Meister's Greenhouses.

Some groups and individuals have donated money to help the tree project, including Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Western U.P. Chapter 30918 in Ironwood.

This is the fifth year the U.P. EarthKeepers has launched an Earth Day environment project.

From 2005-2007, more than 15,000 U.P. residents turned in more than 360 tons of household hazardous waste at a dozen collection sites across the U.P. Most of the items were recycled and the remainder was properly disposed under federal guidelines, including electronic waste such as computers, monitors, printers and cell phones; pharmaceuticals; pesticides; herbicides; oil-based paint; and vehicle batteries.

Last year, the EarthKeepers provided a household energy conservation checklist that resulted in a reduction of more than 3 million pounds of carbon emissions, Lindquist said.