OAKtoberfest 2015

Over 220 people came together to celebrate Rochester neighborhoods at the fourth annual OAKtoberfest, Friday, October 2, at Canadian Honker Events at Apache.

Bob Nowicki, RNeighbors Past President opened the evening with a Prost (Cheers) to Rochester neighborhoods. A buffet style German meal was served, OAKtoberfest Neighbor Awards and the Mayor’s Urban Forestry Awards were given out (included below), and the Neighborhood Project Grants were recognized. The attached event program highlights each special part of the evening including the raffle items and award winners.

We’re grateful to all who attended the event, helped organize it, or who contributed to the success of OAKtoberfest. Thanks to sponsors and attendees this event raised $5,000 that will go towards supplementing the RNeighbors general budget and allow additional outreach work in neighborhoods.

Check out RNeighbors on Facebook and see photos from this event and more.

2015 OAKtoberfest Neighbor Awards

Joel Dunnette was awarded the Green Initiative Award for the Nature in Your Neighborhood Project, engaging children in nature that is right in their neighborhoods. This award is given to a neighbor who has improved their neighborhood, yard or local community.

Jeff Urban was awarded the Innovative Action Award for his work in organizing and coordinating rehab efforts in the Oak Terrace, Parkside, and Eastside neighborhoods. This award is given to a neighbor or group who has worked with the residents to make structural improvements to a neighborhood.

Cathy Clermont, from the Slatterly Park Neighborhood Association was awarded the Green Thumb Award, for spearheading boulevard tree plantings, coordinating efforts to repaint their Flower Kaleidoscope street mural, seeking out volunteers at the neighborhood’s Art on the Avenue eff ort, as well as working in their community garden. This award is given to a neighbor or group who has improved their neighborhood, yard, or local community park.

2015 Mayor’s Urban Forestry Award Winners

Individual: Lindsey Meek

Lindsey first planted trees with RNeighborWoods in the mud when we planted 1,200 trees in one day on 50th Avenue NW, in the spring of 2012. Although that effort is certainly admirable she is receiving this award because of her ongoing efforts to advocate

for public trees while serving on the Committee on Urban Design and Environment (CUDE) and the City Planning and Zoning Commission. “As an engineer, it is my duty to hold paramount the safety of the public in all designs. The data and evidence is clear that the presence of trees along a street slows down motorists,” said Lindsey. “With speeding a recurrent problem in almost every neighborhood, trees represent and critical piece of safety infrastructure, equal in importance to a stop sign or a pavement marking.”

“Continued public education of the value of street trees and the urban forest is a message that cannot be shared widely enough. More education will lead to passion which will lead to advocacy for additional policies such as an urban forest master plan, which

will include tree replacement requirements for all developments.”

Individual: Nathan Runke

He is a graduate of the Urban Forestry bachelors program at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, Certified Arborist and has been employed by the City of Rochester forestry division since 2006. Nathan has worked with the RNeighborWoods program since the summer of 2006 and has been instrumental in creating procedures to ensure the program is efficient and sustainable. The Neighborhood Tree Grant is a project that he has nurtured and helped form into the successfully streamlined eff ort it is today.

“Now that I have a child the ability to introduce him to natural areas without driving for hours has been amazing. For a guy that grew up surrounded by fields and wooded areas, to sum it up I feel like Rochester’s urban forest is what makes Rochester a livable city”

Family: Angie, Ash, Milan and Amani Gupta. Karen and Edward Cohen.

This extended family of three generations has been helping in our neighborhood tree plantings since the spring of 2012. They proudly wear their tie-dyed planting T-shirts as a group when they go to public places like the Med City Marathon, State Fair or the Renaissance Festival.

Rochester is a great community and part of what makes it great is its tree cover. These trees and forests increase safety, promote walking and biking, reduce the heat island effect, help with storm water management and bring neighbors together,” said Edward Cohen.

“We’re a busy, active family, so it’s important to us to find opportunities where we can all volunteer together while also making a difference,” said Angie Gupta. “After one neighborhood tree plan? ng event Milan confided that it was his favorite volunteer activity ever. The boys also can watch the trees grow as they walk and bike through the neighborhood and feel a since of pride.”

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