Tree Utah Newsletters

Branching Out Into the New Year

 January 10, 2012 

In this issue...

• Workshop: 'Crowing about our Communitrees' January 12th, 2013
• Tree Photo Contest
• THANK YOU for your support! 
• 2013 New Year's Tree Resolutions
• January Tree Facts 

Upcoming Workshops 

Join us this Saturday, January 12that Tracy Aviary for a fun, family program all about birds and trees!

Crowing about our Communitreeswill feature activities, games and even real live birds! Join us at 2pm at the Tracy Aviary Visitor Center for this fun program. Visit our website or contactAlex Porpora  for more information.Enter YOUR best photo showcasing trees to be featured in next month's issue of Branching Out!   Submit your photo >> The holidays have passed and we are all settling into an exciting new year.  For TreeUtah the holidays are a very important time when we truly see and appreciate the amazing support we have from individuals and businesses across the state of Utah and beyond.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!!!

We are committed to putting your hard earned money to work for the health and happiness of our communities, our environment, and our all important future generations.
 TreeUtah's 2013 Tree Resolutions
Resolving to make Utah a better place!

1. We will plant more hardy, functional, beautiful, and underutilized trees suitable to Utah, such as European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) and MORE!

2. We will train more volunteers to be knowledgeable tree stewards for their community and trees around the world.  Why plant trees anyway???
3. We will educate more school-aged children and individuals of all ages about the incredible importance of trees in our everyday lives.
4. We will introduce Carrie Cottonwood to many more friends around Utah.
 January Tree Facts
Just because it's winter doesn't mean you should forget about caring for the trees on your property.  Winter presents a number of struggles for trees including the continuation of droughts in the desertous state of Utah.  But don't run out to water them quite yet!

Yes, you can and likely should water your trees in winter.  But there are only certain conditions in which this will work.  You should also protect your trees from heavy snow and damaging salts.  Read our blog here for more details.Donate to TreeUtahStay Connected         824 South 400 West, Suite B121, Salt Lake City, UT801.364.2122

Branching Out
 July 2012  

Summer is most definitely here in Salt Lake. While it is too hot to plant trees, we're still busy!  You can come out and beat the heat with us this Saturday at Alta on an Ecology Tour and Hike. Click here to sign up! We are also working on creating some fun, new workshops for the fall, and we need your feedback.  Take our workshop survey and let us know what you think.  This month, we're also happy to welcome Andrew Schaeffer to the TreeUtah crew as our EcoGarden and Orchard Americorps intern. Visit the garden and say hello to him or contact us about volunteer opportunities.  We look forward to seeing you around! 
Sincerely, 
Alex Porpora  
Education CoordinatorTreeUtahAlta Ecology Tour and Hike 

When:  Saturday, July 14th, 20

12

Time:  8 am to 11 am

Meeting Place: Albion Base parking lot

As part of TreeUtah's continuing workshop series, come experience the high altitude environment of the Wasatch at Alta.  Alta's Environmental Center

director Maura Olivos will take us on an exploration of the complex layers of plant and tree communities. Maura will also talk about what Alta is doing to revegetate and monitor its area, along with energy conservation and other sustainability efforts. Participants will also help plant native trees and shrubs along the way. This fun-filled morning will involve lots of hiking - please wear closed toe shoes, bring an additional layer, and wear sunscreen. Because of the terrain and conditions, only children over the age of 12 will be able to participate. 

To RSVP, please contact Alex Porpora, at (801)364-2122, or at education@treeutah.org

 
     More Upcoming Events!  

Bird Walk with TreeUtah and Friends of Great Salt Lake

When: Wednesday, August 1st

Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm Event begins promptly at 6:30!

Location: Redwood Nature Area, about 3060 S Lester St along the Jordan River Parkway Trail

Join TreeUtah and Friends of Great Salt Lake for a bird walk at the Redwood Nature Area this Thursday, June 21st at 6:30pm. Come and find out more about the Jordan River watershed and its connections to the Great Salt Lake and the birds we find here. Everyone will have the chance to pick up a pair of binoculars and travel the site identifying birds and other wildlife. 

Registration is limited to 30 participants. This event is open to children and families.

Alta Nursery Day

When: Wednesday, August 29th
Time: 9 am to noon/ 1 to 4 pm
Location: Alta Ski Resort, near the Albion Lodge building

Come help TreeUtah and Alta Ski Resort expand their tree and wildflower nursery on Wednesday, August 29th. Alta employees and volunteers will be potting and prepping around 400 plants and seedlings for expanding their designated nursery area. Interested volunteers are invited to meet at 9 am at the Albion Basin parking lot before walking over together to the nursery site. The "nursery day" will go from 9 am to noon, and then 1 to 4 pm. Lunch will not be served, so any volunteers wishing to assist all day they should bring their own lunch. 

Registration is limited to 20 participants. This event is open to ages 16 years and up.

  To register for either event, contact Alex Porpora, Education Coordinator, education@treeutah.org. 

     
Give us a Hand! 
Interested in how to select the right tree? Want to be a tree identifying pro? Hankering to go on a hike?

We'd love to know what types of programming you'd like to see as we begin developing workshops for Fall 2012 and beyond. Please take a few moments to fill out this short survey.  

Your feedback will help us create fun and relevant programs for the community. Thank you for your help!              Welcome, Andrew!  

All of us at TreeUtah are thrilled to welcome Andrew Schaeffer as our new EcoGarden Americorps intern. He will be tending to the garden and orchard this fall, in addition to managing volunteers at the site and coming up with some great workshops. We'll let him introduce himself: 

Hello fellow tree lovers! I am a transplant to Utah from the East

Coast, and am excited to be working with TreeUtah this season as the 

Ecogarden  guy.  I have been working in the field of organic farmingand gardening in one capacity or another for a number of years, and look forward to learning and sharing with such a wonderful group of folks.  There are more than a few ideas for some cool workshops this summer and fall, so stay posted as we get them ironed out.  Stop by

and say "Hello!" to me at the Day- Riverside Library in Rose Par anytime you would like....I will probably be there!

Become a TreeUtah Member today!

Sign up to become a member of TreeUtah. Your support will help us continue our high quality programs including community tree plantings and our youth environmental education programs. Together we can make Utah a greener and healthier place to live. Click here to join today!
 Thank you for helping TreeUtah continue our work for generations to come!   Special Thanks to TreeUtah's Partners

Branching Out
September 13th, 2012  

Dear Jim,

      Fall is just around the corner and we're getting ready for another exciting season of plantings. We've been busy already, with an event at Alta this past weekend where we planted 1,800 native trees at Alta with the Alta Environmental Center. You can read more about the event below or check out this article from the Salt Lake Tribune. 

Don't fret if you've missed out - we've got some other great events right around the corner. We hope that you can join us on September 29th for a Redwood Nature Area Clean Up. You can find out more about the Clean Up in this newsletter or join our Facebook event. 

We're also thrilled to welcome Hannah Whitney to the TreeUtah team. She is our new Volunteer Coordinator and you can find out more about her below. Be sure to stop by and say hello to her at our next event. 

We're looking forward to seeing all of you planting trees soon!

Best, 
 Alex PorporaEducation Coordinator

Volunteer Opportunity!

National Public Lands Day

Redwood Nature Area CleanUp

September 29th, 2012

Everyone loves spending time at the Redwood Nature Area  

National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands. We're excited to be participating in this event and we hope you'll come out to volunteer.  

When: Saturday, September 29th

Time: 9am-12pm

Location: Redwood Nature Area, across the street from the Redwood Recreation Center, 3060 South Lester Street, West Valley City    

We need your help to beautify the Redwood Nature Area and help get our recent plantings ready for fall and winter, in addition to helping with invasive plant removal. Come prepared to get your hands dirty! Breakfast will also be generously provided by REI.   

 To register, or if you have additional questions, contact Alex Porpora, Education Coordinator at:  

education@treeutah.org.

  Trees Go Back To School!  
   

Carrie Cottonwood, TreeUtah's mascot, is ready to go back to school to tell 2nd graders about the benefits of trees in their community.  

If you're a 2nd grade teacher in Salt Lake County, the Discovering Trees with Carrie Cottonwood Assembly program is offered to you and your students for free! More information about the program can be found by visiting our website.  

Participating teachers also have the opportunity to earn professional development credits by participating in a Project Learning Tree workshop at no cost.   

To schedule a visit, contact Alex Porpora, Education Coordinator,  education@treeutah.org.

 Green Schools Tree Planting

Ross Chambless with the 4th Graders at Bonneville Elementary

TreeUtah has partnered with theUtah Society for Environmental Education to honor schools that are participating in the Green Schools program. Schools that show achievement in Sustainable Facilities, Sustainable Practices, Environmental Education, and Community Involvement  are recognized for their efforts thorough this initiative.  
Bonneville Elementary was recently awarded for their efforts with a tree planting at their school. 4th graders got to help plant a tree which will mark their accomplishments for years to come.  

Alta Planting a Huge Success

We're happy to report that our Alta planting was a great success! We had over 50 eager volunteers show up, and some stayed the whole day. The weather was picture perfect for hiking, frolicking, and toiling amongst the wildflowers and granite outcroppings. We even had the Salt Lake Tribune show up to take pictures and write an article. The slopes were rocky in some places which made it hard to reach our overall planting goal, but we still got over 1,800 little Englemann spruces and Doug Firs snuggly in the ground. We're looking forward to more tree planting in Little Cottonwood Canyon later on this month with Snowbird. 

Volunteers working hard to get seedlings into the ground up at Alta

Welcome Hannah!  

In some ways I am just another snow loving tree hugging dirt worshipper looking for my way to make a difference. It all started back in Maine, frolicking between mountains, meadows, rivers, lakes and the ocean. My parents instilled me with an appreciation of the earth and a sense of adventure that led me west. I chose to study Ecology and Environmental Science at Western State College of Colorado, with a minor in Photography to help fulfill my artistic musings. The time has come that I'm intent upon using my degree and the many experiences I've gained along the way!  I am so excited to be working with TreeUtah and our many dedicated volunteers who like me, care so deeply for our earth and the environments that we live in every day. I hope to meet you at an event this fall! Ecogarden Update   A Note from Andrew Schaeffer, TreeUtah's Ecogarden Intern   

I think anybody living in the Salt Lake Valley would sum up the past few months with one word: HOT! I can say first hand my own sweat, along with that of the many volunteers who gave of their time, helped to water and keep the EcoGarden alive this summer. I would like to thank all of the wonderful folks who lent a hand; your work is certainly appreciated.

Despite the unruly heat the EcoGarden came through the summer months relatively unscathed. The arrival of fall will find me planning some workshops, assisting with our busy planting schedule, fruit gleaning, and preparing the garden for winter. The fruit gleanings are also exciting, as otherwise neglected fruit finds its way to organizations and individuals in the area. And, it's fun!

If any of you are interested in volunteering at one of our events, we would love to have you. It is a wonderful way to serve your community, and meet great folks. Please consult our website regularly for a list of opportunities, and what TreeUtah is up to in general. We look forward to seeing you.

 Recently harvested peaches from a fruit tree gleaning event.  

Become a TreeUtah Member today!

Sign up to become a member of TreeUtah. Your support will help us continue our high quality programs including community tree plantings and our youth environmental education programs. Together we can make Utah a greener and healthier place to live. Click here to join today!
 Thank you for helping TreeUtah continue our work for generations to come!   Special Thanks to TreeUtah's Partners