ReLeaf goers were grateful for the tree shade during the Watertown Downtown Arboretum tour. Photo by Karen Emmerich
Watertown Planning and Community Development Director Mike Lumbis led the tour of the Watertown Downtown Arboretum. Here, he’s alongside the dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), planted bare root, in memory of longtime Council champion Brian Skinner. Photo by Karen Emmerich
Accessioned into the Watertown Downtown Arboretum: this 125 year-old ginkgo outside the Jefferson County Historical Society building. Photo by Karen Emmerich
ReLeafers check out a sugar maple subspecies, black maple (Acer saccharum ssp. nigrum) purchased with NYSUFC grant funds. Black maples have performed better over decades in Watertown than straight sugar maples (A. saccharum) Photo by Karen Emmerich
From left to right: Council President Steve Harris; American Forests VP for Urban Forestry Ian Leahy; NYSDEC Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator Gloria Van Duyne; Watertown City Planner and Urban Forestry Coordinator Mike DeMarco. Photo by Christina McLaughlin
Retired DEC Region 6 Forester Glen Roberts, DEC Region 6 Forester Mike Giocondo, and Watertown City Planner Mike DeMarco led a tour showcasing a trail design/maintenance partnership between Jefferson Community College (JCC) and the City of Watertown. The trail (partial gravel, partial paved) snakes through a wooded area on JCC property and daylights on City property, flanked by both the Black River and the City’s wastewater treatment facility, and later opens up into the Bicentennial Park, a small City-owned park located at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds. The group discussed some of the challenges and opportunities when planting trees within this landscape; they include managing compacted soils and lands once home to industrial operations, necessary lawn maintenance operations, and open/exposed spaces.
Onondaga Earth Corps (OEC) Advanced Young Adult Crew Members James and Nesha check out trees in Thompson Park. Photo Courtesy OEC
Friday night picnic at Thompson Park, which was designed by John Charles Olmsted, son on Frederick Law Olmsted.
Longtime Council Board Member Lori Brockelbank in the Watertown Downtown Arboretum. Photo by Jeff Speich
New York Tree Trust Development Director and Council VP James Kaechele and NYSDEC UCF Program Coordinator Gloria Van Duyne find ways to stay cool.
Longtime Council Board Member Mike DeMarco, who is, along with Mike Lumbis — always out in front when it comes to all things urban forestry. Thank you Mike for all your efforts in hosting ReLeaf 2022. Photo by Karen Emmerich
Back in the shady Watertown Downtown Arboretum with the extremely knowledgeable Mike Lumbis– an ideal place to be on a hot summer afternoon. Photo by Jeff Speich
Council Board Member Jean Zimmerman wrote about the conference on her blog. She took this picture of Kat Korba, who is working on creating an edible ecology corridor in Syracuse.
The OEC & Friends table starts to fill up at the Friday night picnic. Photo by Christina McLaughlin
ReLeafers on the tour of the aforementioned JCC/City of Watertown joint trail, where it outlets on City property near the Black River. On the tour, folks saw trees planted during two Tree Watertown events, one in the fall of 2012, and one in the fall of 2021. In the fall of 2012, Tree Watertown engaged the Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways and their family members and troop leaders, in celebration of the Girl Scouts 100th Year Anniversary, in planting 100 tree seedlings. For Tree Watertown’s 2021 annual fall planting, 50 bare-root trees were planted throughout the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds by 60+ volunteers made up of students from Watertown City School District and Immaculate Heart Central. Photo by Gloria Van Duyne