2012 Mayor’s Urban Forestry Volunteer Award Winners

2012 Mayor’s Urban Forestry Volunteer Award Winners

 

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. There are three categories for these awards including adult, youth and business.

2012 Mayor’s Urban Forestry Volunteer Award Winners

  • Adult: Andy Masterpole
  • Youth: Jason Koster
  • Business: Herring EcoLogistics

These awards will be presented by Mayor Brede at the Environmental Awareness Month Proclamation, Tuesday, April 3, 10 am in the Rotunda of the Government Center.

Adult: Andy Masterpole

Andy is a Senior Landscape Architect/Urban Designer, at Yaggy Colby Associates and uses his background and skill to assist with environmental projects around the community. Andy has been a strong advocate for tree preservation and street trees in Rochester for the last decade. In 2003, he was actively involved in the collaboration and development of CUDE’s “Sesquicentennial Tree Project”, which created the framework for the RNeighborWoods program. He is an inaugural member of the Citizen Forester I and II classes, a long time proponent of Rochester’s Street Tree Ordinance and RNeighborWoods board member.  Andy loves planting and pruning trees and he and his daughters never miss a RNeighborWoods planting event.

Youth: Jason Koster

Jason loves being involved in nature. He’s taken both the Citizen Forester classes I and II, is a member of the Friedell Garden Club and helped to plant trees and plants for their butterfly garden. For Forester II, he pruned trees for formative growth around Silver Lake Park last fall and hopes to continue that next fall. Jason has planted trees for school, at his house, as well as and grandparents’ house.  Currently Jason is working on his Forestry merit badge for Boy Scouts.

Business: Herring EcoLogistics

Kyle Herring, owner of Herring EcoLogistics has been actively involved in the RNeighborWoods program since 2008. EcoLogistics is an active partner in the boulevard tree planting program and has dedicated over 250 volunteer hours working on plantings and planning meetings. He leads the effort of ensuring the sod is scraped and holes dug for trees prior to large community tree plantings. The equipment and expertise he provides for the tree plantings help the volunteer driven events run smoothly. Kyle donated his design talents in creating the layout for the Friedell Middle School butterfly garden, which has further plans to continue building the labyrinth portion of the outside learning area. Herring EcoLogistics continues to be an advocate and vital partner in the RNeighborWoods program.

Think of how many trees are in Rochester neighborhoods’ boulevards, indirectly and directly because of the time and talents of Jason, Andy and Herring EcoLogistics. In 2011, the RNeighborWoods program helped plant 1,161 boulevard trees in Rochester neighborhoods with the assistance of 778 volunteers. Rochester’s urban forest is greener and leafier thanks to all of the volunteers who help to plant trees in their neighborhood.

Be sure to come out and lend a hand on May 5 at our next big tree planting. The goal that morning? To plant 1,200 trees.

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