Tree Musketeers was awarded the California Urban Forestry Award for Outstanding Urban Forestry Project of the Year for their “Trees to the Sea” project. The award, given by the California Urban Forests Council, is presented to an organization or community which completed an urban forestry project that:
• Addressed two or more environmental or public safety issues
• Involved the community and/or other organizations or agencies and
• Significantly enhanced the urban forest and livability of the community.
Gail Church, Executive Director of Tree Musketeers, describes the project in this way:
“Trees to the Sea is a tale of children daring to dream of an action they could take to solve local environmental problems, the 21 year journey through bureaucratic red tape, and the ultimate triumph that brought green trees to a blighted no man’s land. The setting is that of a small Midwestern town seemingly inadvertently dropped in a highly urbanized metropolitan area. Innovation is woven throughout the story. Young people envisioned a tree-lined highway and secured help from partners to make the vision real. While this is business as usual at Tree Musketeers, the character of youth in changing this small community facing large urban problems through Trees to the Sea is remarkable.”
“The role of trees is also somewhat unusual in that the Trees to the Sea mitigate airport noise pollution, minimize polluted runoff reaching the ocean, reduce air pollution and their beauty plays an integral part in the downtown revitalization plan, in addition to all of the other benefits trees bring to a community. The cast of characters merits attention since it was a broad public/private partnership including two cities, regional agencies, the federal government, large and small businesses, 2,250 youth and adult volunteers, and nonprofits with diverse missions.”
“The plot highlights the mutually beneficial partnership between Tree Musketeers and the City of El Segundo which sets a standard to be emulated wherein cities not only capitalize on working relationships with local nonprofits, but also community youth. The reader quickly learns that Trees to the Sea is a project that neither the city nor nonprofit could have accomplished alone.”
Congratulations, Tree Musketeers!