Logo courtesy of Artezen Design, (309) 664-1674
Trees inspire us to stand tall and proud, to
sink our roots deeply into the earth,
to think long term, and to feel the wind and the sun.
Ilan Shamir, Advice from a Tree. 2000.
Contacts: Joe Grabill,
454-2883, turtlecn@verizon.net,
Jack Kaufmann, 454-7203,
jack.kaufmann@gmail.com
Who Are We?
Children
& Elders Forest is an organization started in 2005
in Bloomington/Normal and listed with the Illinois Secretary of
State. We encourage teams of children and elders to plant indigenous
trees in groves, to celebrate and deepen bonds among the generations,
and to improve the quality of life. Our tree plantings help increase
health and tourism, and save on storm water run-off costs.
Click here for additional information
on health, savings, and other ways trees add to the quality of life.
Community organizations are acting as co-sponsors. AmerenIP has made a significant contribution. Mike O’Grady, ISU grounds, and Garry Little, Normal Parks and Recreation, and others are acting as consultants.
A team, consisting of at least one elder and one child, sponsors one tree. We put labels with the tree name and the names and birth years of team members on tags attached to each tree. The cost per tree is $150, which pays for the basic cost of a healthy tree about 1-2 inches in diameter.
What Have We Done?
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We began planting
three new groves, Windrow,
Eagle, and Winter Hill, in November 2006.
Teams
registered for and planted 14 trees out of 36 available in
Windrow Grove on Nov. 4. If you want to see photos click on
the Windrow Grove Slideshow.
Teams planted 45 out of 110 available in Eagle Grove on
Nov. 11. If you want to see photos click on the
Eagle Grove Slideshow. And teams planted 55 out of 123
available in Winter Hill Grove on Nov. 18. If you want to
see photos click on the
Winter Hill Grove Slideshow.
Teams have selected about 40% of the available trees for each of
these groves.
Our total plantings for November 2006 are 114 trees, as
compared with 95 trees in November 2005.
Windrow
Grove (36 trees) is at the Interstate Center, and
cosponsored by the Interstate Center and Green View Design
Group.
Eagle Grove (110 trees) is immediately north of Turtle
Grove in Maxwell Park, and cosponsored by Normal Parks and
Recreation.
Winter Hill Grove (123 trees) is in Ewing III Park, and
cosponsored by Bloomington Parks and Recreation. The co-sponsors
donate planting, watering, and mulching costs, and replant trees
that die. We supply the tags.
Remember that the $30,000 already invested in 220 trees will being $150,000 in benefits: higher real estate values, lower air-conditioning costs, lower storm run-off costs, lower health costs because of cleaner air.
To read about the groups and individuals that have assisted us with the three new groves, click here.
What is the Johnny Appleseed Award?
Children & Elders Forest in September 2007 announced its first award program, named for the folklore hero Johnny Appleseed. The Johnny Appleseed Award went to people in fifteen teams who have planted and/or registered for three or more trees in Children & Elders Forest during the 2005-2007 planting seasons.
How Can You Register For A Tree?
Click on icons for the groves to see designs and locations of
the groves, and names and available numbers of the tree species.
Each grove has a registration form for a tree for you to fill out
and send in with your check for $150 and your story by October 19, 2007
for Winter Hill and Windrow Groves, and October 15, 2007 for
Eagle Grove.
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| Eagle Grove | Windrow Grove | Winter Hill Grove |