2007 National Arbor Day Awards
Award for Education Innovation
Education Award
Earl & Wanda Barrs, Buckley County, Georgia
Earl and Wanda Barrs of Buckley County, Ga., the City of Kent (Wash.) Youth Tree Education Program, and Tree Amigos 4H Club of Anniston, Ala., will be presented with an Education Award. Education Awards recognize model programs throughout the United States and the world.
For 30 years, Earl and Wanda Barrs have hosted forestry education field trips to their tree farm, Gully Branch. More than 5,000 pre-kindergarten to high school-aged students have visited the farm to learn about the importance of stewardship. Wanda Barrs was named the Educator of the Year by National Project Learning Tree, and she also serves as chair of the Georgia State Board of Education.
City of Kent Youth Tree Education Program, Kent, Washington
The City of Kent’s Youth Tree Education Program started in 2000, and this year nearly 400 students helped plant trees in area parks for Arbor Day. Each year, city staff members visit local schools and teach students the proper way to plant trees, and are then given a native tree or shrub to plant at school and monitor the growth of the plant. At the end of the year, students then plant their tree at home or a local park for National Make a Difference Day.
Tree Amigos 4H Club, Anniston, Alabama
The Tree Amigos 4H Club is a horticultural therapy program started by David West of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service. This program joined Calhoun County master gardeners with offenders housed at Coosa Valley Youth Services. A greenhouse and nursery were built, and plants propagated there by the students are sold two or three times of the year to the community. Students can also earn credit towards a high school diploma by participating in the program.
This year's winners are:
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Lifetime Stewardship Award
- Sebastian Chuwa, Moshi, Tanzania
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Frederick Law Olmsted Award
- Ray Tretheway, Sacramento, California
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Caroline French Morton Award
- Ruth A. Wilson, Bowling Green, Ohio
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Lawrence Enersen Award
- Majora Carter, Bronx, New York
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Good Steward Award
- James Huff, Taylorsville, Mississippi
- Bob & Margaret Kintigh, Springfield, Oregon
- Steve Woodard, Cottage Grove, Oregon
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Project Award
- Mississippi Audubon, Moss Point, Mississippi
- NFL Environmental Program, Warwick, Rhode Island
- Planting for Growth, Weed, California
- Sycamore Land Trust, Bloomington, Indiana
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Education Award
- Earl & Wanda Barrs, Buckley County, Georgia
- City of Kent Youth Tree Education Program, Kent, Washington
- Tree Amigos 4H Club, Anniston, Alabama
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Media Award
- Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- The Tree Farmer by Chuck Leavell & Nicholas Cravotta, Macon, Georgia
- TREE: A New Vision of the American Forest by James Balog, Boulder, Colorado
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Celebration Award
- TREEmendous Arbor Day, Arapahoe, Nebraska
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Promise to the Earth Award
- Enterprise Rent-a-Car
- Home Depot Foundation
Award winners are recognized for their leadership in the cause of tree planting, conservation,and environmental stewardship.
Leaders in tree planting, conservation, and environmental stewardship from around the country and world are honored each year at our annual Arbor Day Awards celebration held in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The awards ceremony is part of the annual Arbor Day weekend celebration held at Lied Lodge & Conference Center.