Grants for Street Trees Projects

The deadline is June 15th, so if you want $1,000 and more knowledge about how to care for newer and older trees on our streets, get going with your application!

The workshops cover how to water the trees properly, building partnerships in the neighborhood, and project planning. Maybe they will address how to keep people from using the trees and their roots as doggie toilets and waste bins. I even saw some kids using the baby tree outside for a pole dance. Too bad "Respect for Mother Nature 101" isn't mandatory for maintaining citizenship.

Even though the ticker on the website is still just under 82 thousand trees, it seems that the City is serious about its Million Trees Campaign. If you can't/don't want to apply for the grant, here are some tips from the Campaign.

I'm just going to re-print the information I received. There are several Sunset Park residents interested in working with the program, so don't think you have to go it alone. Here's the info:

A Chance to Make a Difference for Street Trees:

Apply to Partnerships Academy: Street Trees! Deadline June 15, 2008

If you've ever dreamed up a project to take care of the neglected street trees in your community, if you've ever sat around thinking of creative, long-term, community-based solutions to educate and get others to dig in and help–it's a great time to turn those ideas into reality. Join a group of like-minded people in our new program, Partnerships Academy: Street Trees! Applications are due June 15, 2008.

As part of this free one-year program, you can:

· Receive a grant of up to $1,000 to carry out your stewardship project

· Attend six monthly skill-building workshops with a community of fellow tree stewards

· Get one-on-one support throughout the year

We're looking for street tree project ideas that can serve as models around the city, and that also engage the community. We encourage creativity. Imagine:

· Starting a team of neighborhood youth, seniors, and neighbors to adopt street trees

· Hosting a street festival and making artistic tree signage reflective of the culture and history of the neighborhood

· Starting a coalition of dog owners and tree stewards to raise awareness about dog waste in tree beds

· Combining public health and tree care in a weekly tree stewardship and exercise group

Sessions will be led by Partnerships for Parks and feature experienced tree stewards and MillionTreesNYC partners. Topics will address challenges such as watering, strategies to build relationships in the community, and project planning. For details, see www.PartnershipsForParks.org or call (212) 676-1929.