The San Diego Regional Urban Forests Council is proud to announce our 2017 Annual Awards Winners! We gathered on Tuesday December 5th to celebrate another great year of working for trees in San Diego at our annual awards ceremony and holiday mixer. Thank you to the Balboa Park Conservancy for hosting!
Award winners were nominated by members and chosen by the SDRUFC Executive Committee for their excellent work advancing urban forestry in the San Diego region in 2017. Thank you to Georg Kast from Palomar College for making our beautiful plaques out of reused urban wood!
Best Innovative Urban Forestry Project
William Beckman – Forest Health and Preservation Committee of the Rancho Santa Fe Association
As Chair of the Forest Health and Preservation Committee of the Rancho Santa Fe Association, William Beckman has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and perseverance in bringing the importance of their community’s forest to the attention of the Association and community at large. Most significantly, Bill’s efforts have resulted in a major systematic study of the forest, its characteristics and value, that includes recommendations for forest management based on best practices. This Rancho Santa Fe Forest Health Study has been a collaborative effort of the Committee, Dudek, Tree San Diego, with support from the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation. What makes this study and overall effort stand apart is it tackles the whole forest, not just the trees under municipal control. Therefore it takes on the challenge of how to work with homeowners to motivate and educate them to take informed, proactive steps to create a resilient forest for future generations of the Rancho Santa Fe community.
Best Arbor Day Event
SDG&E and Sycamore Canyon Elementary School in Santee
On May 4th 2017 over 25 SDG&E employees and contractors assembled with the entire student body of the Sycamore Canyon Elementary School in Santee Ca. A 24 inch boxed eastern redbud was planted in front of the school by Students, SDG&E Leadership, Local Officials and Cal Fire. 22 other trees were planted on the lower playground at the Sycamore Canyon Elementary School by the 5th grade class and arborist mentors. There were zero trees in this area prior to the project and these trees will serve as a barrier for residences, shade zones next to a track and field area and fruit trees to jump start a heritage tree garden for future graduating student classes. The school provided irrigation for the trees taking ownership of the future health and success of the new vegetation infrastructure. This was a fabulous example of community, utility and a school coming together to improve a campus for children and the surrounding neighborhood.
Best Urban Forestry Educational Project
A Growing Passion – “Urban Forests: Trees and Plants in the City” – Nan Sterman
“Urban Forests: Trees and Plants in The City” is a 30-minute video with information and insights about what it takes to manage urban trees, engage communities, and advocate for urban forestry. Creator and director Nan Sterman, producer Marianne Gerdes, videographer Michael Gerdes, and their team worked tirelessly to develop themes, identify experts and community leaders, film at field sites, and edit a final impressive and inspiring episode. This video is one of six episodes in “A Growing Passion” series on KPBS, was first aired on May 18. KPBS has many loyal regular and occasional viewers of this gardening series, and many of us have shown and shared the video with community leaders and local professionals. The video helps us understand what each of us can do to support trees in our neighborhoods and our communities and is an invaluable resource.
Trees and Water Award
JoEllen Jacoby, City of San Diego, and Andrea Mora, San Diego County Water Authority Communications Department
Awarded for excellence in collaboration across agencies and partner groups to create simple, seasonal, and targeted public messaging related to trees and water. Joey Jacoby and Andrea Mora were essential leaders in a campaign of the special Trees and Water Task Force in the summer and fall of 2017 to release this social media campaign to educate San Diego County residents. Their expertise in communications and water messaging have been invaluable and resulted in a successful campaign shared by many. Contact us if you would like to share their messaging through your organization!
Best Regional Council Representative:
Vince Mikulanis
Vince has worked energetically on almost all fronts of SDRUFC’s campaigns. He spearheaded our website redesign and reinvigorated our growing social media presence (check out our Facebook page!). He sought community partnerships in our successful Arbor Day planting with San Elijo Campground last spring AND with a residential tree planting effort through the Zion Ave Beautification Project. He represents SDRUFC at the statewide level as well on the California Urban Forest Advisory Council (CUFAC). Vince is a model Regional Council Representative and we cannot thank him enough for working with us, but most of all, for working for trees!