{"id":537161,"date":"2010-04-21T11:44:37","date_gmt":"2010-04-21T15:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greenrightnow.com\/?p=10944"},"modified":"2010-04-21T11:44:37","modified_gmt":"2010-04-21T15:44:37","slug":"arbor-day-announces-annual-awards-honoring-friends-of-trees-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/537161","title":{"rendered":"Arbor Day announces annual awards honoring friends of trees nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>From Green Right Now Reports<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Arbor Day Foundation will be honoring 17 individuals, organizations and corporations for their tree planting, nature education and conservation efforts.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-10969\" title=\"Trees\" src=\"http:\/\/www.greenrightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Trees.jpg\" alt=\"Trees\" width=\"172\" height=\"114\" \/>The winners will receive their awards at Arbor Day&#8217;s annual banquet May 1 at the Lied Lodge &amp; Conference Center at the Arbor Day Farm outside Lincoln, Nebraska.<\/p>\n<p>The foundation pays tribute to the friends of trees every year, since 1972, to highlight the need to conserve and restore the nation&#8217;s urban and wild forests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe winners honored this year are doing their part to inspire the next generation of tree planters and conservationists across the United States,\u201d said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation, in a statement. \u201cThe work done with their hands and with their hearts will have a significant impact on the world today and for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The top award this year will go to David Nowak, project leader with the U.S. Forest Service&#8217;s Northern Research Station. Nowak will receive the J. Sterling Morton Award, named for the founder of Arbor Day, for his work saving urban forests.<\/p>\n<p>Nowak led a team of researchers that helped show the benefits of urban forests, and by the early 1990s, he was the first and only person who had scientifically sampled and assessed the urban forests of Chicago and Oakland, Calif.<\/p>\n<p>His work helped city leaders in both places to appreciate the value of trees and led to the quantify the benefits of urban forests. By the early 1990s, he was the first person to statistically sample and assess the urban forests of Chicago and Oakland, Calif. Because of his work, city understood the value of trees. The project led to the development of i-Tree, a collaborative program that helps communities measure the environmental services provided by trees, which evolved into an &#8220;i-Tree tool,&#8221; according to Arbor Day.<\/p>\n<p>Nowak&#8217;s i-Tree tool is now being used by thousands of communities worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Nowak was among the scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Al Gore, Jr. in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>The other 2010 award winners include several individuals and organizations and three corporations. Arbor Day&#8217;s list of honorees:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Education at Big K of Macon, Ga.,  will be awarded The Good Steward Award,<\/strong> which recognizes landowners who  practice sustainability on private lands from which others can learn. Education  at Big K is owned by former Atlanta Braves baseball players Ryan Klesko and John  Smoltz, and the tree farm is making a positive impact by teaching conservation  and environmental stewardship to urban audiences of central Georgia. Klesko and  Smoltz began purchasing land in 1998 with the goal to create a tree farm. Since  2002, they have used their farm to educate people about the need for trees and  conservation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and  the Mile High Million Tree Initiative will receive the Public Awareness of Trees  Award<\/strong> for bringing attention to the importance of planting trees. The  City of Denver and Mayor Hickenlooper created the initiative to triple the metro  area\u2019s tree canopy to 18 percent by 2025, and the Denver Greenprint Council  worked with many groups to spread the word. The Mile High Million group took  advantage of local resources to inform the citizens of Denver about the need to  plant trees. More than 1,000 delegates and dignitaries from the Democratic  National Convention volunteered at 30 community-project sites around Denver. The  delegation included Michelle Obama and former president Jimmy Carter. The group  also worked with the NBA\u2019s Denver Nuggets and Major League Baseball\u2019s Colorado  Rockies to draw attention to the initiative.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Dave Mooter of Kennard, Neb., will  receive the Frederick Law Olmsted Award<\/strong> for his lifelong commitment to  tree planting and conservation in Nebraska. Mooter spent 25 years working at the  Nebraska Forest Service to create healthier and more extensive community forests  throughout the state. He worked to establish a tree-planting partnership with  the State Department of Roads, which adds planting trees as part of highway  renovation plans. This program was highly successful and replicated by  communities across the U.S. He also played a key role in helping to recruit more  than 100 communities in the state to earn Tree City USA recognition, which ranks  Nebraska in the top 15 nationally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>David Bragdon of Portland, Ore., will  receive the Excellence in Urban Forest Leadership Award <\/strong>for his  leadership in advancing sustainable community forestry. As president of the  Metro Council, the elected regional government for three counties and 25 cities  in the Portland area, Bragdon helped develop a major network of trails, parks  and natural spaces. The project, called The Interwine, encourages recreation,  connection to nature, and active transportation such as walking, running and  cycling. Since he started his tenure as president of the Metro Council in 2002,  Bragdon has protected more than 10,000 acres of natural spaces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Jim Schmitt of Gering, Neb., will  receive the Forest Lands Leadership Award<\/strong> for advancing sustainable  forestry efforts on public forest land. Schmitt has been providing a hands-on  education experience for 1,200 young people each year since 1989 that highlights  the importance of planting trees at Fort Robinson State Park in northwest  Nebraska. He serves as chairman of the Fort Robinson Tree Plant, a project of  the Boy Scouts of America\u2019s Long Peaks Council. Each year, scouts gather to  plant 15,000 trees at the park, learn about proper planting techniques and learn  lessons in soil and water conservation and forestry. The project also worked  with the staff at Fort Robinson State Park to create a natural trail and clean  debris at the Spring Creek area. Scouts from Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming,  Kansas, South Dakota and Minnesota have participated in the Tree Plant project,  planting more than 400,000 trees on this important piece of public land.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Casey Trees of Washington, D.C., and  Green City Partnerships Program of the Seattle area will receive the Award for  Excellence in Volunteer Management <\/strong>for their outstanding efforts to  engage volunteers in tree-planting initiatives. Thousands of young trees are thriving  throughout the District of Columbia thanks in large part to the hard work of  volunteers from Casey Trees. Casey Trees, a nonprofit organization dedicated to  restoring the tree canopy in Washington, D.C., set a goal to increase the city\u2019s  tree canopy to 40 percent coverage by 2035. Since 2001, Casey Trees has trained  700 Citizen Foresters to become volunteer leaders and educators. These foresters  are required to learn how to plant, care for and identify  trees, and tell others how trees benefit a community. They, in turn, teach other  volunteers in the community the basics of tree planting and care. Last year,  more than 1,600 adults and 600 young children participated in 54 tree-planting  events. The Cascade Land Conservancy\u2019s Green City  Partnerships Program is raising a volunteer army in the Seattle area numbering  in the thousands to help plant trees in public parks and natural areas.  Conservation organizations from Seattle, Tacoma, Kirkland, Redmond, and Kent,  Wash., make up the Green City Partnerships Program. Created to reverse a trend  of decreasing tree canopy, the Green City Partnerships Program last year alone  provided opportunities for more than 10,000 volunteers to participate first-hand  in urban forestry restoration events. These volunteers donated a combined 87,000  hours of manpower in 2009. Since the program\u2019s inception in 2004, the program  has engaged nearly 20,000 people in the area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Steve Koehn of Annapolis, Md., will  receive the Champion of Trees Award<\/strong> for advancing public forestry  policy. Koehn played a vital leadership role in the passage of the Maryland  Sustainable Forestry Act of 2009. This historic act recognizes that an important  way to clean Maryland\u2019s vast Chesapeake Bay ecosystem is through healthy  forests. This law could change the way many states view watershed restoration.  It also encourages Maryland landowners to protect their forested areas and  practice sound sustainable forestry and stewardship. Koehn has been a longtime  champion of trees, with 26 years of experience in forest resource management. He  has served as Maryland\u2019s Department of Natural Resources Forest Service Director  for nine years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Robert Sympson of Lynbrook, N.Y.,  will receive the Lawrence Enersen Award,<\/strong> which honors those who have  had a positive impact on the environment through a lifelong commitment to tree  planting and conservation at a community level. Since Sympson retired as a  teacher in 1991, he has dedicated his life to environmental projects in the  villages of East Rockaway and Lynbrook, N.Y. He helped create a tree board in  East Rockaway, and as a result the village has been a Tree City USA community  for 12 years. He also helped launch a shade tree planting partnership in the  village, where homeowners put up matching funds and youth groups plant trees on  the private property. Sympson also helped Lynbrook develop a community garden,  and worked with the community\u2019s school district to plan a community walking  trail and arboretum at Lynbrook South Middle School. He also played a key role  in the establishment of the New York State Urban and Community Forestry Council  and the Nassau County Forest Management Plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mary Kay, Inc., of Dallas will  receive the Rachel Carson Award <\/strong>for its dedication to teach young  children the importance of nature. A year ago, Mary Kay found a way to  strengthen its support of victims of domestic violence and its commitment to  environmental sustainability. As a result, Mary Kay helped children of domestic  violence make meaningful connections to the natural world by building Nature  Explore Outdoor Classrooms at shelters for victims across the U.S. So far, the  company has built Nature Explore Outdoor Classrooms in Chicago, Atlanta and  Hackensack, N.J., and two more will be built in 2010 in Dallas and Los Angeles.  These Classrooms are providing an opportunity for children to make a deep  connection to the natural world in a peaceful environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Tree Commission Academy of  Columbus, Ohio, will receive the Education Award<\/strong> for creating a  conservation program that will have a long-lasting positive impact on  communities. The commission is empowering people throughout the state to  strengthen the forest in individual communities. Started under the leadership of  the Ohio Urban Forestry Program staff, the Tree Commission Academy is training  citizen volunteers who serve on local tree commissions to manage and care for  their trees more effectively. Classes cover topics such as urban forestry,  arboriculture, municipal government and human relations. Each student completes  50 hours of class time to graduate from the academy. Since it opened, nearly 200  students representing more than 70 Ohio communities have participated in the  academy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Perkins County Conservation District  of Bison, S.D., will receive the Excellence in Partnership Award <\/strong>for  collaborative work to advance forestry efforts. The Northwest Area Cottonwood  Re-Establishment Program, led by the Perkins County Conservation District, seeks  to restore native cottonwood trees to private and public lands in the Grand,  Moreau and Cheyenne watersheds in northwest South Dakota. This project is a  partnership between six conservation districts, several state agencies, the U.S.  Forest Service, South Dakota State University and numerous private landowners.  As a result of their collaboration, more than 9,000 cottonwood trees on 65 acres  of both public and private lands have been planted. These trees will grow to  filter pollutants from adjacent agricultural lands, provide habitat and food for  wildlife, reduce soil erosion and restore the beauty of the natural area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Sheila Flint and the Strathcona  County Recreation Department of Sherwood Park, Alberta, will receive the  Celebration Award, <\/strong>which honors Arbor Day celebrations that best  represent the spirit of the tree-planters\u2019 holiday. More than 1,000 first-grade  students participated in Strathcona\u2019s Arbor Day celebration in 2009 thanks to  the work of Flint, the urban forester and horticulturalist for the county.  Students enjoyed a day filled with planting trees, inspired learning and fun  events as they discovered the benefits of trees. The day-long celebration also  includes a nature walk, a storytelling session geared to connect students with  nature, \u201cNature-cise\u201d activities that teach students how to play and be active  outdoors, making tree cookies and a tree-planting demonstration. Each student  receives a free seedling and learns how to plant and care for their new  tree.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Laurence Wiseman of Potomac, Md.,  will receive the Legacy Award <\/strong>for his lifetime work on conservation  issues as president of the American Forest Foundation. Through Wiseman\u2019s  leadership, the American Forest Foundation set the bar for excellence in forest  conservation, wildlife and watershed protection and environmental education. The  Foundation\u2019s Project Learning Tree is a highly respected and widely used  environmental education program throughout the country. More than 25,000  educators attend workshops every year to discover new ways to help young people  think critically about environmental issues. The Foundation also began the  American Tree Farm System, which is the largest internationally recognized  certification system for small forests. Today, Wiseman continues to support  conservation issues as chairman of the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s National Urban and  Community Forestry Advisory Council.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Progressive Group of Insurance  Companies and T-Mobile USA will receive the 2010 Promise to the Earth Award, <\/strong>which recognizes sustained commitment and leadership by a corporation  that partners with the Arbor Day Foundation on special projects. Progressive has teamed up with the Arbor Day  Foundation since 2007 to plant trees in our nation\u2019s forests. To raise awareness  of its paperless program, Progressive offered to plant a tree for every customer  who opted to receive policy information electronically. Progressive contributed  $1 to the Foundation to plant a tree in the customer\u2019s honor. The results were  tremendous, with 1.5 million customers making the switch resulting in 1.5  million trees being planted in forests that were in urgent need of replanting.  While Progressive\u2019s tree planting campaign has wrapped up, it continues to offer  discounts where available to customers who choose to go paperless. In addition,  Progressive celebrated its 70th anniversary by planting 70 trees in each of the  six cities that serve as home to one of the company\u2019s call centers. Progressive  employees took part in the tree-planting events, which were held in city  parks. In 2009, T-Mobile raised its commitment to  the Earth to a new level by planting more than 1 million trees through a  partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. Through the company\u2019s \u201cT-Mobile  Plant-A-Tree Project, T-Mobile has encouraged customers to switch to electronic  statements. For each customer who made the switch, T-Mobile made a donation to  the Foundation to plant a tree. During the last year, T-Mobile funded more than  1 million trees, which were distributed to residents in areas that were  devastated by Hurricane Katrina and planted in Tiger Bay and John M. Bethea  State Forests in Florida, Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan and the San  Bernardino National Forest in California.<\/li>\n<p>Past winners of Arbor Day Awards include  Wangari Maathai, who also won a Nobel Peace Prize; Chicago Mayor Richard Daley;  Stewart Udall, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior; veteran journalist Bill  Kurtis; Enterprise Rent-A-Car; and the Walt Disney Company.<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Green Right Now Reports The Arbor Day Foundation will be honoring 17 individuals, organizations and corporations for their tree planting, nature education and conservation efforts. The winners will receive their awards at Arbor Day&#8217;s annual banquet May 1 at the Lied Lodge &amp; Conference Center at the Arbor Day Farm outside Lincoln, Nebraska. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-537161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537161\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}