2014 Mayor’s Urban Forestry Volunteer Awards

2014 Mayor’s Urban Forestry Volunteer Awards


Sponsored by the RNeighborWoods program, the Mayor’s Urban Forestry Volunteer Award was created to recognize amazing citizens, for outstanding contributions to Rochester’s urban forest. This year there are four categories for these awards including adult, youth, business, and organization.

2014 Mayor’s Urban Forestry Volunteer Award Winners

  • Adult: Dawn Littleton
  • Youth: Mia Masterpole
  • Business: Panera Bread
  • Organization: Minnesota Conservation Corp

These awards will be presented by Mayor Brede at the Environmental Awareness Month Proclamation, Tuesday, April 1, 10 am in the Rotunda of the Government Center.

Think of how many trees are in Rochester neighborhoods’ boulevards, indirectly and directly because of the time and talents of these award winners. RNeighborWoods was founded in 2004. Since then we’ve planted 5,174 boulevard trees through the teamwork of RNeighborWoods partners and 4,156 hardworking volunteers.

Adult: Dawn Littleton

Dawn first got involved with RNeighborWoods when the Friends of Indian Heights Park leaders needed assistance in protecting Indian Heights Park from invasive species and proposed activities that would be highly erosive within their fragile city park. In addition to dedicating many volunteer hours in her neighborhood park by removing woodland invaders that insist on stealing spring warmth and sunlight needed for woodland flowers like trillium and hepatica. Dawn also participates on the RNeighborWoods committee and has helped for many years at the spring and fall neighborhood plantings that range from 25 – 1,000 trees.   Dawn said, “I bring to RNeighborWoods my respect and volunteer energy for the world of nature, and my appreciation that nature brings Rochester residents peace, community connection, increased real estate values and better mental health. It is hard to look at a tree and not feel good at the same time!”

When asked why she feels that our urban forest is important Dawn said, “native trees in Rochester’s City Limits provide premier healthier habitats with:

  1. Home sites for spring robins, great horned owls, pileated and other woodpeckers, bald eagles, not to mention housing for squirrels, raccoons, and possums.
  2. Food and habitat for beautiful butterflies e.g., Red Admiral, Mourning Cloak, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
  3. Even dead trees provide grubs for woodpeckers, and provide us humans with Morel mushrooms in the spring. All of this… and more comes from our Urban Forest.”

When asked her thoughts on the impact of RNeighborWoods Dawn said, “on a tree planting day, RNeighborWoods enables me to exercise safely by carrying equipment to plant the tree, breathe fresh air because I am outside, and meet wonderful people of all stripes, because city people love saying hi and serving cookies to the volunteers planting trees near their homes. I believe RNeighborWoods brings to Rochester a truly community friendly way to draw the benefits of nature to our friends, neighbors, city visitors, and our amazing city wildlife.”

Youth: Mia Masterpole

Mia is the third member of the Masterpole family to be honored with the Mayor’s Urban Forestry Volunteer Award. She volunteered with her family when she was just six years old at the very first RNeighborWoods boulevard tree planting in 2004, in the Kutzky Park neighborhood where she lives. Now she’s active in the Olmsted County Youth Commission and helps to recruit Rochester youth to be an active part at our tree plantings. Think of all of the trees she’s helped RNeighborWoods to plant!

Here’s what Mia answered to the questions we asked her. “Everyone benefits from trees. They make the environment healthier and the community more beautiful. I have helped recruit some of my peers from school to join the tree plantings. With my experience and my citizen forester training I lead groups and supervise on the tree planting days. RNeighborWoods is an important program that brings neighbors together for the benefit of our environment that I’m glad to be a part of.”

Business: Panera Bread

Panera has been donating bagels and breads for hungry RNeighborWoods tree planters since 2006. Each planting this usually equals a 20 lb. bag of goodies (or more) that is often devoured within the first hour. We are proud to be able to highlight their ongoing commitment to the Rochester urban forest.

Steve Wolfe, owner of Rochester’s Panera stores said, “Panera is glad to contribute to the work of RNeighbors and the work that you do. With the problems we’ve had with Dutch Elm Disease and the Emerald Ash borer, we need to collectively look for ways that we, as a community, can improve Rochester to ensure that our children and grandchildren will have trees as part of their landscape. RNeighbors helps ensure that and Panera is proud to be a sponsor with them.”

Organization: Minnesota Conservation Corp

In 2009 the Minnesota Conservation Corp (MCC) began participating in the RNeighborWoods Community Tree Plantings and earned the nickname of the “National Guard of Rochester Trees”. This organization provides meaningful work for young people (age 18-25) in managing natural resources, responding to disasters, conserving energy and leading volunteers. Training is provided in resource management, safety, job-readiness, and technical skills. Young people develop personal responsibility, a strong work ethic, and greater awareness of environmental stewardship through the program.

In the years since CCM became involved with the city tree plantings, over 100 corps members have contributed upwards of 650 service hours working with city employees and volunteers to help make these plantings a success. With all of the differing things that this organization does, it may seem that a community tree planting might be a dull experience but Dustin Looman, Southern Assistant District Manager says otherwise. “The RNeighborWoods plantings have been great experiences for the young men and women who serve in our program, many of whom are new to the city, to develop that connection and sense of belonging to the city of Rochester.”

We asked Dustin, why do you feel Rochester’s urban forest is important? “Rochester’s urban forest instills in its people a sense of connection to and appreciation for nature in the face of increasing urbanization. It helps people to feel connected to the land and neighborhoods they call home by giving them responsibility and ownership over a growing and living part of their community. The idea that land and resource stewardship is something we can all take part in is an important value to develop in our communities. Rural landowners and government agencies do not have to be the only tenants of the land; we all can contribute to the quality of our natural landscape. Also, with diseases such as Emerald Ash Borer threatening to decimate mature city trees, it feels good to help the community diversify and renew its tree population.

Our corps members provide support for some of the more technical and logistical aspects of the larger scale tree plantings, helping to organize and coach volunteers. We look forward to continuing to serve with the RNeighbors group in the city of Rochester, and we are excited for what the future holds.”

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