Up With Trees Summer 2021 Newsletter

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID Tulsa, OK. PERMIT NO. 512

1102 SOUTH BOSTON AVENUE, TULSA, OK 74119 Address Service Requested

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER FOR UP WITH TREES - SUMMER 2021

CITY OF JENKS PARTNERSHIP <<First Name, Last Name>> <<Street>> <<City>>, <<State>> <<ZIP Code>>

TREE PLANTING SPRUCES UP GROWING LANDSCAPE Since 2018, Up With Trees has partnered with the City of Jenks to plant trees across public spaces.

In this planting season alone, the Jenks community saw 304 trees planted along major roadways and local parks.

The collaboration has resulted in 540 trees thus far.

DO N’T BE “ LE AF - T” O U T! Hey #treehuggers! We have some exciting things in the works at Up With Trees. Be sure to follow us on social media for all

As visitors travel to the Oklahoma Aquarium, they are welcomed by beautiful greenery and shaded parking spaces.

updates, volunteer opportunities, events and more!

Facebook @up.with.trees

Instagram @upwithtrees

LinkedIn @up with trees

Home to many local businesses, Main Street is now lined with vibrant street trees, which encourage

Twitter @upwithtrees

consumers to spend more time in the area and support these growing businesses.

As Jenks continues to grow, so will its urban forest with the addition of Princeton elm, loblolly pine, willow oak, redbud, nuttall oak, bald cypress, and more.

Up With Trees looks forward to a growing relationship with the City of Jenks and, with it, a flourishing impact on our community.

For more information on how to become a community partner, visit our website: UPWITHTREES.org.

Shop Our Merch!

UPWITHTREES.org/shop

Check out UPWITHTREES.org for all the details and upcoming events in 2021.

IN THIS ISSUE HUMAN NATURE: BRANCHING OUT

2020 COMMUNITY REPORT

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer Opportunities

WELCOME

FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STEVE GRANTHAM As we all look back over the last year, we are confronted with many emotions – the grief for lost loved ones, the anxiety of economic uncertainty, the thankfulness for medical advancements, and the hope for a return to some semblance of normal. 2020 was an extremely tough year for many of us.

And yet, we have made it to this point together.

It is our working together, supporting one another, and forging stronger partnerships that have helped each of us endure.

Thank you for supporting your community. Thank you for loving your family.

Thanks for taking care of yourself. As we look forward to a brighter future, I hope this newsletter gives you encouragement.

Up With Trees and MANY other organizations continue to work to improve the communities we serve and the people who live in them. Thank you for supporting us so we can do our part!

Welcoming New Members to our 2021 Board!

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

Adam Brown

Grant Gerondale

“I feel lucky to be a part of an organization that gives back to the community in multiple ways. We are able to provide environmental benefits to our communities, education to our fellow citizens, and physical beautification to our surroundings.”

“I am super excited to be a part of Up With Trees as they strive to make Tulsa an even greater city.

Beyond the highway beautification work, this team shares their expertise in managing much of Tulsa’s urban forest while at the same time giving all of us better air to breathe. They simply make Tulsa better!”

Chris McKenzie After moving back to Tulsa in the early 2000’s, I really began to notice the difference Up With Trees made to our city. I was proud to be a Tulsan and jumped at the opportunity to participate on the board. I want to thank the countless donors, members, volunteers, and staff that have made Tulsa a place that I want to raise my family.”

Whether you are a family looking for a weekend activity, a student interested in completing service hours, or an organizational leader looking for a team-building project, there are plenty of opportunities to improve Tulsa’s urban forest this season.

Get your hands dirty with us as we apply fresh mulch to our tree sites, keep weeds at bay, and assess the health of our trees. Looking to stay cool? Come to the shop and attend a sign painting training to keep our historic wooden signs looking fresh.

Visit https://app.vomo.org/org/upwithtrees for all of our opportunities!

Tree Selector Tool

Founder (1921-2012)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Tom Wallace

Nathan Pickard Vice President

2nd Vice President

Anne Brockman

Zac Kulsrud

Kathy Vancuren

Officer

Secretary

Grant Gerondale

Chris McKenzie

Laura Bryant

Jeremy Hardacre

Tim Nall

Chris Carter

Chris Hodges

Roger Reeves

Jeff Case

Joe Howell

Susan Scott

Andrew Shead has been a Tulsa citizen for many years, and our recent tree planting season was his first. He came to a volunteer planting in October and hasn’t stopped since!

As one of our new Citizen Foresters, he quickly became an integral part of our team and we couldn’t do what we do without dedicated volunteers like him.

Stewart Swayze

Shead recommends everyone read Alex Shigo’s “Modern Arboriculture” (available via inter-library loan).

Treasurer

Adam Brown

“Do what works, stop doing what doesn’t -- the trick is knowing when to stop.” - Andrew Shead

Shead contributed a significant number of hours to our planting initiatives and participated in the beautification of I-244 & OK-11 and various plantings in the City of Jenks.

Sid Patterson

President

VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHT: ANDREW SHEAD

Farrell Seay Vanessa Thompson Ron Walker Jeff Weagley Christen Webb

Did you know our new website features a Tree Selector tool?! This interactive selector makes finding the perfect tree for your home or business a breeze! A huge thank you to the Dan E. & Neva L. Brannin Foundation for funding this feature. Check it out today at UPWITHTREES.org/treeselector.

We look forward to our continued work with Shead and the passion he brings to our urban forest. Thank you, Andrew!

plant. learn. give.

REVENUE

2020 COMMUNITY REPORT

$1,486,367

210

TREE SITES

VOLUNTEERS

$87,660 CONTRIBUTIONS

3,100

$59,303 EVENTS

SEEDLINGS DELIVERED

6,800

VOLUNTEER HOURS DEDICATED

200

VOLUNTEER HOURS DEDICATED TO TULSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS WORK

5

CAMPUSES PLANTED

27

$106,250 GRANTS & AWARDS $554,939

CAMPUSES MAINTAINED

MISC.

TOTAL REVENUE: $2,294,519

100

STUDENTS EDUCATED VIRTUALLY

EXPENSES $1,477,945

55

PROGRAMS

TREES PLANTED AT TULSA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CAMPUSES

$242,650 ADMIN $161,789

2,058

FUNDRAISING TOTAL EXPENSES: $1,882,384

TOTAL TREES PLANTED IN 2020

WRAPPING IT UP

SEEDLING SEASON 2021 OVERVIEW Funded by One Tree Planted, OK Forestry provided Up With Trees with 3,000 seedlings for distribution. With a diverse selection made up of eight species, including three types of oak, two varieties of plum, and Osage Orange, Tulsa is one step closer to achieving 30% canopy coverage.

Up With Trees participated in several community events to distribute seedlings throughout the county, while providing education on proper placement for optimal tree health.

Events included the Tulsa Garden Center’s SpringFest, Tulsa Farmers’ Market, and the Enviro Expo at Guthrie Green.

We look forward to our next seedling distribution in April 2022!

A fundraiser benefiting Up With Trees

Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 Chandler Park Tickets Available Now! For more information on Sponsorship Opportunities and Individual Tickets, please visit humannatureok.org!

Bring your family and friends to join us for Human Nature on October 2nd, 2021 at Chandler Park! This outdoor, midday event is the first of its kind, replacing the Green Leaf Gala as Up With Trees’ annual fundraiser.

Enjoy local food and drinks while watching live performances and engaging in interactive activities for all ages! With a mixture of art, education, and music, you will leave this event with a day of new memories and a newfound appreciation for how Humans and Nature intermingle.

CURRENT PROJECTS LEARNING IN THE SOCIALLY-DISTANCED AGE TREE DETECTIVE KITS & MINI STORMWATER DIORAMAS With kids and educators out of schools this past year, Up With Trees developed in-home learning tools to continue educating young minds about trees! Thanks to generous funding from the Joe & Jean Holliman Family Foundation and Dan E. & Neva L. Brannin Foundation, we produced and distributed two sets of interactive learning kits.

One kit focuses on trees and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and the other kit demonstrates the relationship between trees and stormwater. The STEM Education kits, titled: “Tree Detective Kits”, included multiple cross-curricular activities,

nature collage activity Supplies: - pencil or crayons - bag for collection - additional paper - glue Directions: Grab a grown up and head to an outdoor space! It can be a wooded area, nearby park, or even your own backyard.

Collect anything interesting you find: leaves, sticks, acorns, etc. Bring them back to your paper. Now, either glue or draw your findings!

Share and tag your creation with us on social media!

a tree poetry contest, and more! The dioramas highlighted the surface water purifying capabilities of trees in a fun and easy-to-understand way. With the kits swiftly being distributed across Tulsa County, we are excited to further these education efforts in our next order and distribution of these kits.

ZOMI EVANGELICAL BAPTIST CHURCH

PARTNERSHIP WITH KEEP OKLAHOMA BEAUTIFUL AND THE WILLIAMS K. WARREN FOUNDATION Zomi Evangelical Baptist about the benefits of trees Church has been serving and how to ensure their the Burmese community long-term health through of Tulsa for more than 10 proper maintenance years. In the fall of 2020, practices. they reached out to Up With Trees with the hopes These trees will be of bringing shade and maintained by the greenery to their facility congregation in the and the larger community. years to come as they grow providing shade, Funded by Keep improving air and water Oklahoma Beautiful and quality, and attracting with some trees donated wildlife. by the William K. Warren Foundation, this project was brought to life this spring with the planting of 20 large trees, including a variety of oak, pine, elm, maple, and redbud.

BEFORE

AFTER

Leading to the planting, Up With Trees was invited to speak with the community

I-244 FINAL TREE PLANTING PHASE I OF TULSA’S GATEWAY TO THE WORLD IS COMPLETE!

Another freeway becomes a greenway! The first phase of this mass revitalization effort is completed along major local highways: I-244 and OK-1, in partnership with the City of Tulsa and the H.A. & Mary K. Chapman Foundation. On March 23rd, we planted the final tree of Tulsa’s Gateway to the World: Phase One. With the gracious help of volunteers, these major connecting highways between downtown Tulsa and the Tulsa International Airport are lined with 1,563 newly planted trees and 33,152 square feet of cleanup.

There is still time to join our efforts for Phase Two of this project! With your sponsorship, I-244 will have an additional 736 new trees. For more information on how to make a direct impact on Tulsa’s future, contact Diana Knocke at (918) 610-8733 or diana@upwithtrees.org.