gwq summary + road map
TRANSCRIPT
Community Forestry Project
“to be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.” — richard mabey, beechcombings: the narratives of trees
The Greening Western Queens Community Forestry Project (GWQ) is an urban reforestation and community stewardship initiative in the neighborhoods of Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside.
From 2011-2014, the program was a project of City Parks Foundation through the Partnerships for Parks program, in collaboration with NYC Parks, Trees New York, and New York Restoration Project, and was supported by the Greening Western Queens Fund of North Star Fund.
Funding for the project originated from a settlement between a citizen action group called Western Queens Power for the People and Con Edison for damages incurred during a 10-day power outage in the summer of 2006.
Report prepared by :
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The project area as delineated by the settlement agreement between Con Edison and Western Queens Power for the People in 2009.
project area: as delineated by the settlement agreement
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To connect community groups to local resources, Partnerships for Parks collaborated with the Global Kids Environmental Awareness program at William C. Bryant High School.
To build awareness of the program, Partnerships for Parks engaged Western Queens residents in mapping street tree requests for their neighborhoods at local community events.
Partnerships for Parks and Trees NY cared for trees and planted bulbs at the annual Sunnyside Shines Clean Up Event to help build awareness around the importance of trees in the urban environment.
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The four year grant funded program was based on the Partnerships for Parks Catalyst Model of community engagement which Builds community participation and pride; Connects people, ideas, and efforts in order to develop shared goals, and Sustains local leadership and green space stewardship.
New York Restoration Project planted 528 trees on publicly accessible private land throughout the project area.
Trees NY provided tree care training workshops and advanced Citizen Pruning courses which helped citizens engage in caring for the newly planted trees in the project area.
NYC Parks Forestry planted 600 street trees and installed 400 custom designed tree guards throughout the project area.
BUILD: Community Participation & Pride
• Engage local community members in deciding where to plant the new street trees.
• Raise and build awareness about the benefits of trees in the urban environment.
• Prioritize street tree planting based on community input and investment in providing sustained care for the newly planted trees.
• Provide the community with tree care tools, event organizing support, and financial resources to build and strengthen their capacity to care for the new trees.
CONNECT: People, Ideas, and Efforts in order to develop shared goals
• Train and connect a diverse group of community stewards through ongoing tree care workshops and volunteer tree care events.
• Connect community stewards and stakeholders to each other through organized community gatherings in order for them to share best practices, identify common goals, and exchange resources, knowledge and ideas.
SUSTAIN: Local Leadership and Green Space Stewardship
• Develop a framework, with input from community stakeholders, for the formation of a long-term tree stewardship program that will sustain and further neighborhood greening efforts beyond 2014.
• Provide resources, planning tools, and examples of existing urban forestry program models to guide the stewards as they explore forming a sustained tree stewardship entity.
• Facilitate the development of a network of local stewards in Western Queens who collaborate on greening projects.
The Goals for the Community Forestry Project are drawn from the Partnerships for Parks Catalyst Model. Catalyst is an organizing model for building long-term community engagement around green spaces.
The priority of this project was to organize and coordinate an active, well-trained, and well-connected network of community stewards committed to caring for the Western Queens urban environment through their engagement with the new street trees.
The project programming was based on the premise that people need trees, and trees need people.
The ultimate goal for the project was to facilitate the formation of a community stewardship group with shared vision and goals for advancing greening efforts in their neighborhoods for many generations to come.
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2 The Goals of the Project Aligned Well With the Urban Forestry Goals of New York State and New York City.Community tree care stewards were provided with an overview of the USDA Forest Service’s latest research on the urban tree canopy in New York City, so that they could have a frame of reference for how their community forest fits within the larger context of New York City and State urban forestry programs and goals.
Understanding the state and city goals is especially relevant as the community forestry stewards evolve into an advocacy group that will work long-term with the NYC Parks Forestry Department to care for and monitor existing trees and request new plantings in their neighborhoods.
Partnerships for Parks has provided the stewards with links to all of the state and city urban forestry web sites as well as the sites of other citizen-led urban forestry initiatives in the U.S.
Partnerships for Parks has provided stewards with links to the NY State Urban Forestry Council so they can stay align their goals with those of the state as they explore forming a tree advocacy group in Western Queens.
The New York State Forestry Action Plan is one of the resources Partnerships for Parks has provided to the GWQ Community Forest stewards.
STATE:
Partnerships for Parks has connected key GWQ Community Forestry Project stewards with the NYC Parks TreeLC Program for ongoing support of their tree care activities in the years ahead.
CITY:
• Engage & educate communities on the importance of urban forestry & green infrastructure.
• Encourage networking and formation of community tree boards.
• Develop a statewide database of community tree inventories.
• Incorporate green infrastructure into urban communities.
A FEW OF NEW YORK’S URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY PROGRAM GOALS:
As of 2014, 81 citizen pruners, who live and work in Western Queens, have earned official certification from Trees New York. Over 300 citizens participated in 22 free tree care training workshops, and are now certified tree care stewards. Nine active tree stewardship groups have mobilized to care for new and existing trees in the project area. Ten key stewards have become Tree Care Captains in the NYC Parks TreeLC program, which will provide them with ongoing tree care support in the years ahead.
School groups participated in volunteer tree care days. Tree Care Stewards Certified by Trees NY during one of many tree care workshops in the project area.
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Over 2,000 citizens have participated in over 120 volunteer tree stewardship events organized by the Greening Western Queens Community Forestry Project partners, and many more through the ongoing activities led by the nine community tree care and greening groups that have formed as a result of the new trees.
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A tree care, bulb planting, and tree guard building event led by Friends of Astoria Heights Playground.
Stewards from the Queens Botanical Garden Master Composter program helped care for newly planted GWQ street trees with the 38th St. Stewards.
Members of the Woodside Neighborhood Association planting native perennials in tree beds on a busy sidewalk on 39th Avenue.
The Astoria Green Gardeners Association has cleaned up and planted a traffic median near an entrance to the BQE that was neglected since the 70’s.
The Astoria Park Gateway group hosted a perennial planting workshop on Hoyt Avenue N. in Astoria.
The 27th Street Block Association led a DIY tree guard project in 2012.
2 Key community stewards and local stakeholders from across the project area met and planned program priorities at a series of 9 visioning and work planning sessions that were organized and facilitated by Partnerships for Parks. The meetings, along with numerous informal social and networking gatherings, helped everyone connect with one another, build vital relationships, and sustain citizen involvement in the program planning.
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LaGuardia Community College. Long Island City Sunnyside Community Services. Sunnyside Bohemian Hall Cultural Center. Astoria
Stewards placed wishes on a wish tree at the June 2014 Visioning and Work Planning Meeting.
Stewards from across the project area presented their neighborhood projects to one another.
Key stewards established 2014 priorities during two town hall style meetings in Woodside and Astoria.
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2 GWQ community stewards received the TD Bank Urban Forestry Award two years in a row. Partnerships for Parks hosts an annual Volunteer Recognition event at which green space stewards from around the city are recognized for their volunteer work. The event host, TD Bank presents an Urban Forestry award each year, and in 2013 and 2014, Greening Western Queens community stewards were recognized for their urban tree care efforts.
The exemplary work of the GWQ community stewards has also inspired a year-long research study on community resilience and stewardship, which will be published in early 2015, as part of the doctoral dissertation of a New School student in the Public and Urban Policy Program.
Members of the Woodside Neighborhood Association received the TD Bank Urban Forestry award in 2013 at the Partnerships for Parks Annual Stewardship Conference.
Members of the Astoria 5 Network (with the GWQ Community Outreach team) received the 2014 TD Bank Urban Forestry award at the Partnerships for Parks Volunteer Recognition Ceremony.
Astoria 5 stewards with NYC Parks Commissioner, Mitchell Silver and City Parks Foundation Executive Director, Heather Lubov (back row center), and Partnerships for Parks Director, Sabina Saragoussi (far left back row), at the 2014 Partnerships for Parks Volunteer Recognition Ceremony.
Astoria Green Gardeners President with NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP at the 2014 Partnerships for Parks Volunteer Recognition Ceremony.
1,128 New Trees Were Planted in the Project Area from 2012-2014.NYC Parks Forestry planted 600 street trees on sidewalks, and New York Restoration Project planted 528 trees on publicly accessible private land (churches, schools, public housing sites, cemeteries, and parks).
NYC Parks Forestry installed 400 custom made tree guards to protect the young street trees. The tree guards raised the profile of the project significantly in the areas where they were installed.
Citizens across the project area care for the trees. The trees were planted in areas where community members requested them, and agreed to take care of them.
Active stewardship hubs evolved around the newly planted trees each year. The stewardship hubs generated hundreds of greening activities around the project area.
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The street tree plantings are depicted as dots.
Trees on publicly accessible private land are depicted as color blocks.
St. Michaels Cemetery
Astoria Park
Woodside Houses
William C. Bryant High School
Sunnyside Garden Apts.
Steinway & Sons Bioswale
Garden Bay Manor, Barclay Gardens, Alfred Zimberg Elementary
Nine Active Tree Care and Stewardship Hubs formed in response to the new street trees.Each hub conducts multiple tree care and greening activities in their neighborhoods every year. Five tree stewardship groups formed a connected network called Astoria 5.
All 9 of the hubs received sustained, stewardship support from the dedicated team of GWQ Community Forestry Project partners in order to help them build their capacity to lead and implement community greening and tree care activities on their own.
In addition to support in the field, several key GWQ Community Forestry Project stewards participated in the nine-month, Partnerships Academy Fellowship program led by Partnerships for Parks. The Fellowship provides green space stewards with advanced leadership development skills, peer-to-peer project planning support, and one on one mentoring and coaching.
11.Map of the active stewardship groups.
Astoria 5 Network
The Astoria 5 Network is a Coalition of 5 Community Groups Who Connected Through the Community Forestry Project.They are: 27th Street Block Association, Astoria Park Gateway, 38th Street Stewards, Astoria Green Gardeners Association, and Friends of Astoria Heights Playground.
In 2014, the five groups organized 12 street tree stewardship events drawing a total of 315 volunteers.
The network cares for 132 street trees and has planted 2,450 bulbs in their project area. Within the network, there are 8 certified citizen pruners, 2 Partnerships Academy Fellows and 5 grant recipients.
63 GWQ tree guards were installed on the blocks cared for by the network, which was determined by stewardship commitment in 2013 and 2014. Three members of the Astoria 5 Coalition attended Community Board 1 cabinet meeting
to introduce themselves and connect with key civic organizations in their district.
Members of Astoria 5 receiving their 2014 TD Bank Urban Forestry Award at the Partnerships for Parks Volunteer Recognition Event. 12.
The Astoria 5 Coalition presented the Partnerships for Parks GWQ Project outreach team with a certificate of appreciation in 2014.
The 27th Street Block Association requested new street trees through the Greening Western Queens Community Forestry Project in 2011, and is caring for 22 new trees in their neighborhood.
27th Street, near the Con Edison Plant in Astoria, a block that originally had street trees 50 years ago, is the site of the GWQ Community Forestry Project’s first tree in the ground.
The group has produced a community building messaging effort through signs on the newly installed GWQ Community Forestry Project tree guards.
The 27th Street Block Association has connected with local city council member Costa Constantinides, and members of the group have recently joined the Parks & Environment committee for the participatory budgeting process in their district. Planting the first tree, a honey locust, on
27th St. Con Ed plant in the background. Residents of the same 27th Street block in 1950 with Con Ed plant in the background.
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13.First Tree in The Ground Ceremony on 27th Street in November 2011. Tree guard signs with community building messages and the names of the families who have adopted and care for the new trees.
3 neighbors working together on Hoyt Avenue North at the Planting With a Purpose Workshop.
Astoria Park Gateway with council member Costas Constantinedes on Hoyt Avenue. Astoria Park Gateway organized a large volunteer clean up on Hoyt Avenue North.
The Astoria Park Gateway Groupcares for 19 new street trees on Hoyt Avenue North, and envisions a beautiful archway of trees creating a shaded green canopy over the sidewalks that lead to nearby Astoria Park.
The group has organized and hosted several neighborhood priority working group planning meetings, as well as tree care, clean up, and perennial planting activities in collaboration with Partnerships for Parks, Trees NY, and local civic organizations. The group leaders have garnered the support of council member Costa Costantinedes who attended several of their events in 2014.
Key members of the group are currently serving on the Parks and Environment committee of the participatory budget program for their district.
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The 38th Street Stewards care for 16 trees on 38th street in Astoria. The group’s leader requested new trees for his block in 2011 and has monitored and cared for them since they were planted in 2012.
The 38th St. Stewards have worked with the Green Guerilla’s Green Tillers summer internship program, and members of the Queens Botanical Garden Master Composter program to help care for the trees on 38th Street.
As a member of the Astoria 5 network of community stewards, the 38th St. Ggroup leader has supported other groups in the network, helped establish the Astoria 5 goals and mission, and plans to continue monitoring and caring for trees in the project area, and new street trees.
The president of the group has attended local community meetings to introduce the Astoria 5 Network to the community board, and has been invited to join the board of the local B.I.D. in his district.
The President of the 38th St. Stewards worked with the Green Guerillas’ Green Tillers Summer Interns in 2013.
Local volunteers and a Queens Botanical Garden Master Composter students working together to care for new and existing trees in the 38th St. area of operations.
The 38th St. stewards leader joined the Fall 2014 Astoria Park Gateway neighborhood clean up event on Hoyt Avenue North.
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Astoria Green Gardeners Association cares for a city-owned property near an entrance to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. The group has planted trees, shrubs, and perennials on the site with the advice of the GWQ Project Community Forester from NYC Parks in order to beautify the space and help create a sound barrier to block traffic noise in their neighborhood.
The Astoria Green Gardeners Association plans to petition for the space to become an official park that will ideally be cared for by the Parks Department.
With the support of the Partnerships for Parks community outreach coordinator in the Queens Borough office of NYC Parks, the group will continue their care of the green space while working with local officials to gain the parks designation.
The group has connected with local council member Costa Costantinedes through the participatory budgeting process. The Astoria Green Gardeners Association president serves on a Parks and Environment participatory budget planning committee for her district.
The group planting their first tree purchased with grant money from a Love Your Block grant they obtained in the winter of 2014.
Before they could plant the group had a monumental clean up job to do! Astoria Green Gardners organized clean up and planting efforts throughout 2014. 16.
Friends of Astoria Heights Playground The Friends of Astoria Heights Playground (FOAHP) group cares for the 20+ trees that surround the playground, and leads a robust program of events year-round.
The group addresses cleanliness and safety issues at the playground. Their playground was recently designated a Community Parks Initiative Priority Site, which means it is slated for renovation and capital improvements over the next few years. The group will take an active role in the visioning process as the Parks Department develops the new design for the playground.
The Friends of Astoria Heights Park have organized several tree care events and tree guard building sessions at the playground and has a full program of tree care activities scheduled for spring, summer and fall 2015.
FOAH partners with Bronx Science and other high school green clubs.
The group obtained a grant from Partnerships for parks to support a tree guard building workshop in the fall of 2014.
The group plans to expand their tree care programs in 2015. 17.
The Woodside Neighborhood Association cares for over 200 street trees in the GWQ Community Forestry Program. Their area of operations encompasses the entire Woodside zip code 11377, and includes 5 reclaimed local green spaces, various public plazas, and any surface area with graffiti marking.
Their partnership network is both local and citywide. They work with local schools like PS 11, Saint Sebastian Catholic School, local churches and mosques including Mormon missionaries, and city-wide partners like NYC Parks Central Forestry, Partnerships for Parks, NYC Sanitation, Trees New York, New York Restoration Project and the Queens Library.
Woodside Neighborhood Association with weekend volunteers before one of the GWQ perennial planting activities.
2 Key members of the Woodside Neighborhood Association with the Partnerships for Parks Community Outreach Coordinator (center) for the GWQ Project. 18.
Neighborhood volunteers who worked with the Woodside Neighborhood Association to plant perennials in 39 tree beds in one day on 39th Avenue!
Biodiversity Buries Carbon tree care and greening day in Long Island City.
Three new stewardship hubs formed in 2014.Sunnyside Is Blooming is a grass roots organization devoted to the care of new and existing street trees in Sunnyside, Queens. The group held 2 well attended tree care events in 2014 on 43rd Street in Sunnyside.
Biodiversity Buries Carbon is an experiment-oriented stewardship project led by a LaGuardia Community College teacher of adult immigrants. They take care of street trees on their campus in Long Island City.
Re-Create QNS works with local arts organizations in Sunnyside to provide after-school arts and stewardship programs. In order to build awareness of their programs in 2014, they planted two perennial gardens, with the help of the GWQ project team, in front of a building they hope to rent.
Volunteers at a Sunnyside is Blooming tree care event.Volunteers getting ready to plant a perennial garden at a Re-Create Queens Love Your Block grant funded event in Sunnyside.
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Partners
}North Star FundCity Parks FoundationPartnerships for ParksNYC Parks/ForestryTrees New YorkNY Restoration Project
Build It Green!/NYC CompostBohemian Hall Cultural Center
Global Kids ProgramBoys & Girls Club Sunnyside
Sunnyside Shines B.I.D.GreenShores NYC
Astoria Park AllianceSunnyside Community Services
Queens Botanical GardenLocal Schools/Churches
{
}Program Resources
{Citizen Pruner TrainingTree Care Training WorkshopsPartnerships Academy FellowshipMini-GrantsCommunity Group TrainingGWQ 2015 Seed Fund
Tree Care ToolsTree Guard Repair Kit
Hydrant Permits/Hoses/AdaptersTree Care Captain Status/NYC Parks
Digital Map of Existing TreesPlanting Locations Map
Community Forestry Project Snapshot
4 Neighborhoods { Astoria • Woodside • Sunnyside • Long Island City }
TreesPeople
{9 Active Volunteer Groups39 Local Partners
81 Citizen Pruners361 Certified Tree Care Stewards } 1128 New Trees
1Bioswale2800 Perennials5 Gardens400 GWQ Tree Guards
PROGRAM DETAILS: 2011-2014
Before the new trees were planted, 477 blocks were inspected and mapped by local residents and civic organizations. Partnerships for Parks and NYC Parks Forestry worked with a digital tree mapping organization, TreeKIT, to develop an accurate and up-to-date, digital map of the existing tree canopy in the project area.
Partnerships for Parks and NYC Parks Forestry organized 27 mapping sessions with over 54 volunteers.
Local citizens learned how to identify tree species, assess tree health, determine the size and age of the trees and gained an understanding of the difficult conditions in which urban street trees live.
An inventory of every existing tree was documented along with potential locations for new trees to be planted.
NYC Parks and New York Restoration Project used the inventory data to make informed decisions for the GWQ tree planting program.
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Screen grab of digital inventory map. Visit TreeKIT.org/map to zoom in on the block level, tree inventory details. Use your cursor to move up to the Queens section of the map.
As the project lead, Partnerships for Parks connected thousands of citizens with the GWQ Community Forestry project.Partnerships for Parks organized and catalyzed community engagement and built stewardship capacity by:
• organizing citizen 27 citizen mapping sessions • facilitating community 9 visioning and work planning sessions • providing logistics support and tree care tools for 100s of tree care events • connecting local stewards with school programs • hosting informal social and networking events • providing leadership training through their Partnerships Academy Fellowship • helping citizens apply for grants through their Capacity Fund program • and facilitating strategic planning for a sustained tree care program beyond 2014.
Partnerships for Parks also developed a graphic identity for the program with input from local citizens, and provided them with promotional fliers for their neighborhood tree care events from 2012-2014.
Tree care tools, watering cans, trash bags, t-shirts, kneeling pads, mulch,compost, gloves, brooms, hydrant keys and permits were provided for over 120 tree care events.
Partnerships for Parks attended community events and engaged local citizens in requesting and mapping locations for street tree plantings in their neighborhoods.
Partnerships for Parks organized youth engagement programs through school greening programs, summer internship programs, local boys and girls clubs and with local boy and girl scout programs throughout the project area.
The Greening Western Queens Community Forestry Project Event Flier with the GWQ graphic identity.
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Trees New York led 22 free tree care training workshops in the GWQ Community Forestry project area from 2012-2013. Over 300 citizens became certified tree care stewards. Trees New York also certified 81 Citizen Pruners who live and work in the project area.
Through the grant from North Star Fund, Trees New York was able to offer scholarships for anyone who lived or worked in the project area, making the course, which normally costs $100, available for $10.00.
Trees New York worked with local schools and civic groups to help care for the newly planted trees and to prune existing trees in the project area through the Citizen Pruner courses.
In the summer of 2014, Trees New York obtained funding to support a paid summer internship for high school students. The students helped care for trees in the GWQ project area.
Trees New York led 22 tree care workshops in the project area as a way to connect local residents with the newly planted GWQ street trees.
Trees New York staff participated in volunteer tree care events across the project area.
A Trees New York Tree Care Training Workshop in Woodside, organized in collaboration with the Kalusugan Coalition.
The Trees New York Young Urban Foresters Summer Internship program employed young New Yorkers in the summer of 2014.
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NYC Parks Forestry planted 600 street trees and installed 400 custom-designed GWQ tree guards. The Forestry Department provided GIS mapping of all the tree planting locations throughout the project area, and coordinated the planting of 600 new street trees on sidewalks and the production and installation of 400 custom-designed tree guards.
The Dedicated Community Forester worked closely with local citizens to coordinate the street plantings and tree guard installations in their neighborhoods and to encourage best practices for urban street tree stewardship.
NYC Parks Forestry selected street tree species for ecological biodiversity, tree structure, beauty, and growth habits at maturity.
NYC Parks made all of the key GWQ stewards Tree Care Captains in their ongoing TreeLC program which supports community tree stewardship.
NYC Parks provided mulch from a local Park to help stewards mulch their street tree beds.
The NYC Parks Community Forester worked in the field with local tree stewards during their neighborhood volunteer tree care events.
NYC Parks provided an overview of the street tree program in New York City and for the borough of Queens.
NYC Parks installed 400 custom Greening Western Queens tree guards in the project area, provided tree guard repair kits to key stewards and led a tree guard repair workshop in 2014.
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NYRP demonstrated tree care best practices during tree planting events with local citizens throughout the project area.
NYRP planted over 98 trees at the Woodside houses site with 100’s of volunteers in the spring of 2014.
NYRP staff led gardening activities with local schools such as this butterfly garden project in the central courtyard at William C. Bryant High School in Astoria.
The 350 square foot bioswale at the Steinway & Sons Piano factory is planted with over 1000 native perennials.
New York Restoration Project (NYRP)Planted 528 Trees on Publicly Accessible Private Land Throughout the Project Area.New York Restoration Project planted trees at schools, cemeteries, parks, churches, and public housing sites and engaged local citizens in their tree planting events throughout the project area.
Through the Greening Western Queens Fund, NYRP was able to work with the Steinway and Sons Piano Factory in Astoria to install a leading edge storm water mitigation system and bioswale in their parking lot. The system is an exemplary model of green infrastructure in the urban environment and consists of 29 GWQ trees and over 1000 native perennials and grasses.
Citizen stewards in Astoria are interested in working with Steinway and Sons to organize volunteer stewardship events to help care for the trees and bioswale.
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2 NYC Parks Forestry and Partnerships for Parks led a perennial planting program in the spring of 2014. Through the Planting With A Purpose program, citizen stewards planted over 1,800 native perennial plants in 120 tree beds across the project area.
The planting program provided opportunities for stewards from across the project area to work together at the Plants With A Purpose Workshop, to learn new horticultural skills, and to take pride in the care that the newly planted beds represented on their blocks.
Citizen monitors are tracking and recording how the various plant species are performing and thriving, and if they are contributing to greater soil integrity in the tree beds.
The perennials have attracted birds, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators that enhance local ecosystem health in the project area. NYC Parks Forestry is tracking the performance of the tree beds and if they thrive, to potentially use implement this program in other tree beds around New York City.
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Reviewing the planting plans for the tree beds on Hoyt Ave-nue North at the Plants with a Purpose Workshop.
All the tree beds in the perennial program have signs explaining what the program is about and how to get involved in the watering and monitoring efforts.
Stewards laying out the planting areas during the Plants With a Purpose Workshop.
A healthy comfrey plant thriving and enriching the soil on Hoyt Avenue North in Astoria.
Partnerships for Parks co-organized a guided tour with GWQ Project Partner, New York Restoration Project for the community stewards in the fall of 2014, to visit the storm-water mitigation system installed in the 53,000 square foot parking lot of the Steinway & Sons Piano Factory.
The system consists of 29 GWQ Community Forestry Project trees and a 350 square foot bioswale filled with over 1000 native perennial plants.
The project was initiated and installed by New York Restoration Project (NYRP), through the Greening Western Queens Community Forestry Project in Fall 2013.
The system captures, stores, and filters approximately 400,000 gallons of rainwater annually.
Greening Western Queens Community Forestry Project stewards are on the forefront of citizen groups who understand the importance of planting and caring for vital green infrastructure in the urban environment.
Stewards exploring the bioswale that runs the length of the 53,000 square ft. parking lot.
Stewards on the tour learned about the various functions of the bioswale structure and perennial plantings.
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2In October 2014, Partnerships for Parks Organized and Facilitated a Strategic Planning and Visioning Session. Key stewards came together to discuss the possibility of forming a coalition whose mission would be to sustain the ongoing care and advocacy for their community forest.
Draft mission statements were written, examples of group structure were explored, a strategic planning session was modeled so that stewards can use the same process on their own in the future.
At the end of the session everyone voted in order to come to a consensus on their goals and actions for 2015.
One of their goals for 2015 and beyond, is to get more trees planted in their neighborhoods, and another is to work together as a network in order to advocate and care for new and existing trees in the project area.
27.Stewards worked together in groups to establish elements of an action plan for sustained street tree care for the project area in 2015 and beyond.
Teammates discussing the best organizational structure for their tree care advocacy group in the years ahead.
Reviewing a mind map of the GWQ Community Forestry Program assets.
Partnerships for Parks facilitated a visioning activity in June which would inform the October Strategic Planning session. Stewards worked together on planning mandalas to establish priorities and action steps that would inform their 2015 planning sessions.
Envisioning a Sustained, Community-Led Tree Stewardship Initiative in Western Queens
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At the October Strategic Planning and Visioning Session, stewards worked together to discuss what success would look like in 2015.
Stay connected as a network
Form a Coalition
3. Set goals with measurable results
At the Fall 2014 Visioning Session, stewards explored various types of group structure before settling on a coalition.
PREPARING THE ROAD MAP FOR 2015 AND BEYOND
SEED FUND CONSENSUS
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Plant more trees & make sure they get tree guards
Get the active hub leaders together
Appoint an information officer to facilitate network-wide communication
Clarify Our Vision
PROPOSED GROUP STRUCTURE:
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
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2.
3.
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Write Your Suggested Organizational Structure Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Organizational Structure Here
Form a Coalition
At the Fall 2014 Visioning Session, stewards voted to get a consensus on how best to utilize seed fund monies that were set aside for them to use in 2015.
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2 Members of The Woodside Neighborhood Association & The Astoria 5 Network Connected in December 2014.The stewards shared their challenges and project histories with one another and explored the Woodside Neighborhood Association cleaning and greening sites together.
This connection between the Northern and southern zones of the project area was a step forward for the community stewards in their efforts to form a project-wide network of tree care and greening stewards who will work together in the years ahead.
Members of Build It Green/NYC Compost, Friends of Astoria Heights Playground and the Astoria Park Gateway, & visited the Woodside Neighborhood Association project area to learn more about their stewardship program.
The President of the Woodside Neighborhood Association led a tour of the gardens, trees, public plazas and overpasses the group stewards in Woodside.
Visiting the site of a new tree grove recently planted with trees from a New York Restoration Project tree giveaway.
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2Partnerships for Parks hosted a program wrap-up celebration in December 2014. Community stewards and local project stakeholders gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the program with the Greening Western Queens Community Forestry Project Partners: NYC Parks Forestry, New York Restoration Project, Trees New York, Partnerships for Parks, and City Parks Foundation.
Four members of the Western Queens Power for the People (WQPFP) citizen action group joined the celebration, and were presented with a certificate of appreciation by the GWQ Community stewards. Alyssa Bonilla, of WQPFP gave and inspiring speech that encouraged the stewards to continue their work in the years ahead.
GWQ Community Forestry Project steward, Nancy Perez (far right), presented the Western Queens Power for the People group with a certificate of appreciation for their citizen action work and advisory board oversight of the Community Forestry project.
The gathering was held at the Partnerships for Parks headquarters in the Arsenal Buildingon Central Park.
Community stewards and stakeholders along with the GWQ Project Partners, City Parks Foundation Executive Director Heather Lubov, (front row, center), and Partnerships for Parks Director, Sabina Saragoussi (front row, second from right).
2 The citizens of Western Queens have built a resilient community together. They have formed connected stewardship networks and improved the quality of life for their neighbors. Neighborhood and local civic groups now have tree care skills and connections to key tree stewards in the project area.
A vital connection has been made between the Northern & Southern zones of the project area through the Astoria 5 Network and the Woodside Neighborhood Association. The two groups have committed to staying connected in the years ahead.
A seed fund has been set aside to help the network of active hubs expand their stewardship efforts in the years ahead. Ideally the network of hubs will come together and identify an area of opportunity that they would like to activate in 2015.
Partnerships for Parks has provided the community with a 2015 Road Map and Action Plan for sustained stewardship in 2015 and beyond.
Western Queens Power for the People citizen action group with 27th Street Block Association President (far right), are an inspiration for the key community stewards leading the tree care and greening initiatives into 2015 and beyond.
Programs like The P.S.11 Green Club participated in tree-care events from 2012-2014. The Green Club program is led by a key GWQ tree care and greening steward in Woodside who will continue to lead greening initiatives in the years ahead.
Stewards from active hubs across the project forged lasting connections with one another and formed tree care networks that will work togther on greening projects in the future.
Stewards from several active hubs forged connections by visiting one another’s work sites, sharing stories, and commit-ing to work together in 2015 and beyond.
31.
Astoria Park
St. Michael’s Cemetery
Garden Bay ManorBarclay GardensAlfred Zimberg Elementary
Steinway & Sons Bioswale
William C. Bryant High School
Sunnyside Gardens Apartments
Woodside Houses
Sunnyside Gardens Apartments
Stewardship Hub Area of Opportunity
Area of Opportunity
Area of Opportunity
Area of Opportunity
There are 3 Main Areas of Opportunity for More Tree Stewardship.At the time of this writing(December 2014), the nine active tree care hubs are well equipped and committed to continuing and evolving the program as a community-led tree care and greening initiative.
They have the tools and resources and human power to not only continue their stewardship efforts but also to expand them over time.
There are 3 areas that have potential for more stewardship. These three areas are near several existing tree care hubs and if the hub leaders recruit new volunteers to help organize tree care activities, the network of stewards could easily expand and catalyze more tree care activity within the GWQ project area.
The proposed action plan that follows suggests that the key stewardship leaders from the active hubs consider co-organizing several tree care events with local stakeholder organizations in the areas of opportunity, and use the seed fund monies to help establish new tree care hubs in the project area.
Stewardship Hub
Area of Opportunity
32.
Community Forestry Project: Road Map for Sustained Tree Care
Community Road Map + Action Plan for 2015 and Beyond
Elements to work with:
1.
PROPOSED GROUP STRUCTURE:
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
1.
2.
3.
2.
3.
1.
Write Your Suggested Organizational Structure Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Organizational Structure Here
MAPS
WEB BASED TOOLS
PLANNING TOOLS
ORGANIZING TOOLS
EXISTING CONDITIONS MAP
PLANTING MAPS 2011-2014
MAP OF ACTIVE HUBS & AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY MAP
GOOGLE GROUP PAGE
GWQ PROJECT WEB PAGE
E-NEWSLETTER
STEWARDSHIP SURVEY RESULTS
2014 PROJECT REPORT
PROJECT ASSETS MAP
STEWARDSHIP RESOURCES
RESOURCES FOLDER
STRATEGIC PLANNING TEMPLATES
Notes to Consider: Quotes From Community Visioning Sessions & Working Group Meetings
“Stay connected as a network”
“Form a Coalition”
“Appoint an information officer to facilitate network-wide communication”
“Get the active hub leaders together “ “Set goals with measurable results”
“Plant more trees & make sure they get tree guards”
“Beautiful tree beds”
“Raise awareness of the values of an urban forest in Western Queens”
“Increase tree canopy and maintain clean, green spaces “
“Continue requesting replacements for dead trees“
“Plant new trees where there are gaps“
“Care for all of our trees & recruit others to join our efforts”
“Maintain Partnerships and Relationships “
“Reach out to more schools“
“Establish a system for communal tool use and storage “
“Clarify our vision”
2.
2 Get Together! Get some dates on the calendar for delegates from each of the active stewardship hubs to get together for a series of 2 or 3 strategic planning sessions in early 2015. Review all your assets and tools. Identify ways the active stewardship hubs can work together in the years ahead.
“Get the active hub leaders together “
PROPOSED GROUP STRUCTURE:
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
1.
2.
3.
2.
3.
1.
Write Your Suggested Organizational Structure Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Activity Here
Write Your Suggested Organizational Structure Here
3.
Confirm The Group Structure Define Core Values Come to Consensus on Your Mission
Decide How You’ll Accomplish Your Mission Establish Your Goals & Milestones Develop an Action Plan for 2015
“Stay connected as a network”
2Understand Your Assets. Review the materials in the GWQ Google Drive folder prepared by the Partnerships for Parks Community Outeach team. Draw from these for inspiration and to inform your strategic plan.
Refer to the results from a 2013 survey of active tree care
stewards in the GWQ project area.
Use the Community Stewardship planning tools.
Understand the assets and tools you already have on hand.
Read through the 2014 Project Report. 4.
2Establish Guiding Principles. At the strategic planning sessions, establish a set of norms and values for the stewardship network to use as a an operating guide, these are also often called guiding principles.
Group Membership: Process/Criteria For Joining/Who Orients New Members to the Group?
Group Norms & Values: •What are the values that our group believes in?
Group Collaboration: • What is our decision making process? Consensus? • How do we decide who does what? • Do we want a hierarchical or non-hierarchical group structure?
Fundraising: • How do we raise money? • Who manages our budget? • Who writes the grant applications? • Do we have a grant application template and list of potential funders along with their application deadlines?
Planning: • Is there an annual calendar or seasonal schedule in which we want to frame our work? • What is our process for moving plans into actions?
Leadership: • Does our group have designated leaders or officers? • How are leaders identified? • Are there written guidelines for roles and responsibilities?
Improvements and Success: • How do we measure our successes? • How do we determine when improvements or changes are needed?
Internal Procedures: • Do we need priority working groups? • How do we conduct our meetings? • How often do we meet? • Where do we meet? • Does someone take notes and publish them after the meeting?
5.
“Establish a system for communal tool sharing and storage”
These forms are in the GWQ Google Drive Folder
prepared by Partnerships for Parks. You can print
them out and use them at the strategic planning
meetings.
2Develop a Sustainable Blueprint (Strategic Plan) for ongoing tree stewardship in Western Queens using the language generated during the community visioning activities facilitated by Partnerships for Parks from 2013-2014.
Typical Elements of a Strategic Plan:
Vision Statement: The Dream
Mission Statement: The What (The Purpose) and The Why
We are a coalition of community groups who care and advocate for local street trees so that current and future generations can live healthy lives in Western Queens.
Example:
Example:Our mission is to increase the urban tree canopy and care for existing trees in Western Queens in order to improve air quality in our neighborhoods and beautify our blocks.
Core Values: A Common Belief or Thread Held By The Group Members Example:Trees Need People and People Need Trees.
Objectives/Goals/Priorities: What/How Much/By When/Where: Area of Operations
Example:One of our goals is to accomplish a 3-5 % increase of the Western Queens Tree Canopy by 2020.
Strategy: How The Goals Will Be AccomplishedExample:We work closely with our partners at NYC Parks Forestry to ensure that dead trees are removed and replaced, and that newly planted street trees get planted in neighborhoods where community stewards agree to provide sustained care of them in the crucial first 3 years of their lives
6.
“Clarify our vision”
2Define the Goals for 2015 and look beyond 2015 toward a longer term set of goals: 2016-2020.
Useful Goals are usually S.M.A.R.T. : Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Realistic, and Timely
• How many more trees do we need, and by when? Where will they be planted? Who will care for them?
• Who do we need to work with to get more trees planted? How do we contact them?
• Do we need to form a municipal tree board in Queens? Who would sit on the board?
“More Trees!”
• How do we raise awareness? Through schools and other educational programs? Through our community boards?
• What are the values of an urban forest? How do we communicate them to our neighbors?
“Raise awareness of the values of an urban forest in Western Queens”
• What’s the best method for reporting dead trees? How do we let everyone in the project area know the process?
• Do we need to keep a running list of all the replacement requests we make throughout the project area?
“Continue requesting replacements for dead trees“
• Do we need to establish a priority working group to build a school outreach plan for 2015?• What is our message for schools? How do we want them to partner with us?
“Reach out to more schools“
7.
“Set goals with measurable results”
2Step 2: Define the Area of Operations. Review the stewardship hubs and areas of opportunity maps, and establish a set of goals and action steps for how to activate new stewardship groups to care for trees in the community forest.
Astoria Park
St. Michael’s Cemetery
Garden Bay ManorBarclay GardensAlfred Zimberg Elementary
Steinway & Sons Bioswale
William C. Bryant High School
Sunnyside Gardens Apartments
Woodside Houses
Sunnyside Gardens Apartments
Stewardship Hub Area of Opportunity
Area of Opportunity
Area of Opportunity
Area of Opportunity
Map of all the new trees planted in the project area.
Identify ways the active hubs can work together as a network of street tree stewards in Western Queens. Explore ways to connect the northern and Southern zones of the project area.
Review the areas of opportunity map to identify areas that don’t have ample tree stewardship. Locate nearby schools or civic groups to contact about taking care of the GWQ trees.
“Care for all of our trees & recruit others to join our efforts”
Map of active stewardship hubs in the project area.8.
Partners
}North Star FundCity Parks FoundationPartnerships for ParksNYC Parks/ForestryTrees New YorkNY Restoration Project
Build It Green!/NYC CompostBohemian Hall Cultural Center
Global Kids ProgramBoys & Girls Club Sunnyside
Sunnyside Shines B.I.D.GreenShores NYC
Astoria Park AllianceSunnyside Community Services
Queens Botanical GardenLocal Schools/Churches
{
}Program Resources
{Citizen Pruner TrainingTree Care Training WorkshopsPartnerships Academy FellowshipMini-GrantsCommunity Group TrainingGWQ 2015 Seed Fund
Tree Care ToolsTree Guard Repair Kit
Hydrant Permits/Hoses/AdaptersTree Care Captain Status/NYC Parks
Digital Map of Existing TreesPlanting Locations Map
Community Forestry Project Snapshot
4 Neighborhoods { Astoria • Woodside • Sunnyside • Long Island City }
TreesPeople
{9 Active Volunteer Groups39 Local Partners
81 Citizen Pruners361 Certified Tree Care Stewards } 1128 New Trees
1Bioswale2800 Perennials5 Gardens400 GWQ Tree Guards
“Maintain Partnerships and Relationships “
9.
2Step 3: Identify Key Project Partners to contact as the coalition begins to introduce themselves to the Western Queens Community. Build a list of partner organizations who have an existing relationship with the GWQ Community Forestry Project and with whom you wish to form new relationships.
A Google Docs Folder filled with program partner contacts, contact lists,maps,case studies, important website addresses, grant and funding resources, links to friends of urban forest groups in the U.S. , + how to instruction sheets to access mulch, compost, and other tree care and planting materials, along with stewardship group organizing kits and tip sheets has been shared with key community stewards.
Google Doc Resources Folder
2Step 4: Develop a Communication System for keeping everyone in the core group informed, and for how you will reach out to the wider network of GWQ Community Forestry Program stewards and local stakeholders.
“Appoint an information officer to facilitate network-wide communication”
10.
The GWQ Community Forestry Project has an existing Google Group that key stewards have been trained to manage.
A web page about the GWQ Community Forestry project exists on the City Parks Foundation website.
There is an established mailing list and monthly e-newsletter that key stewards have been trained to manage.
Share the 2014 Program Report with new volunteers, as well as potential program partners and funders.
2Outline a quarterly calendar for 2015. Learn and plan together. Anticipate change, plan for possible set backs, set deadlines and stick to them.
Quarterly Calendar Example
Q 1 2015: Jan/Feb/March:
January 2015 : • Schedule Steering Committee planning meeting, & appoint a meeting facilitator.
Possible Topics for the Meeting:
• Discuss the need or desire for a professional advisory panel • Discuss goals and priorities for 2015 • Discuss goals and priorities for the long-term: 2016-2020• Vote on goals and priorities • Form priority working groups
February 2015: Priority Working Groups get together to address specific tasks:• Fine Tune Vision/Mission/Goals/Actions/Time line
March 2015: Schedule a Planning Meeting:• Share calendars for local tree care events for Spring 2015, publish them on
the Google group
• Schedule one signature tree care event for all stewards in the project area to work together.
Q 2 2015: April/May/June:
April 2015 : • Send out a Spring 2015 E-newsletter announcing the signature
event and provide a link to the full calendar of events for all the projects across the whole area of operations
• Fine-tune signature event details
May 2015:
• Host signature tree care event to raise awareness of the 2015 program
• Plan to have lunch together immediately after the event in order to discuss lessons learned from the event, take notes & share them while the experi-ence is fresh
June 2015:
• Establish summer watering plan, renew hydrant permits • Build out summer events calendar, publish on the Google Group
11.
2Build Out a 3-month Work Plan together 4 times per year, decide who is doing what by when, align the work plan with the quarterly calendar. Publish the Work Plan and Calendar in a place where everyone can access it easily.
EXAMPLE: WINTER 2015 ACTION ITEMS + TIMING
ACTION ITEM TIMING1.
Person Responsible/Notes
2.
3.
Schedule January Planning Meeting by January 15
Send out scheduling poll by January 5
Prepare Meeting Agenda by January 15 Share agenda for input from group
4.
Secure & Confirm Meeting Location by January 5
Everyone reply to poll by January 10
James is meeting facilitator this month
JB
JB
JB
5.
Develop Spring Event Ideas by January 15 Bring ideas to the meeting for discussion and voteAll
12.
Action Plan/Work Plan: Who Will Do What by When
Action Steps • Person Responsible • Date Action Step is to be Completed, Resources Required, Anticipated Barriers, Potential Collaborators, Communication: Who Needs to Know About this Plan?
2M
Have Fun! Enjoy Each Other’s Company. Take Walks, Share Your Stories. Stay Connected. Keep Each Other Informed. Learn to Make New Mistakes Together. Plan For Change! Maintain A Steady Momentum of Activity. Review Lessons Learned. Celebrate Milestones & Accomplishments!
People Need Trees & Trees Need People