2009 National Arbor Day Awards

Arbor Day Celebration Award

Celebration Award

The City of Minneapolis, MN

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is being honored for its “125 Trees for 125 Years” Arbor Day celebration. The board had more than 900 students celebrate its 125th anniversary with a large tree-planting event near Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. Students planted eight different species of trees to replace the lake’s tree canopy that was decimated by Dutch Elm Disease and flooding. As part of the project, each classroom that took part in the celebration will water and care for the tree during the school year. Several local groups partnered with the Parks and Recreation Board for the event.

The City of Olympia, WA

The City of Olympia, WA, observed Arbor Day in a grand way, bringing together more than 850 volunteers to plant more than 1,000 trees along the streets in neighborhoods throughout the city. The City of Olympia teamed up with arborists, the city’s urban forester, the city council and many neighborhood associations to teach citizens the proper way to plant and care for trees. During the celebration, city officials recognized the 10th anniversary of their NeighborWoods street tree program, which has planted more than 5,000 trees, and marked Olympia’s 15th year as a Tree City USA community.

This year’s winners are:

• Frederick Law Olmsted Award

  • Robert Thibodeaux of Church Point, LA

• Lawrence Enersen Award

  • Michael Hardy of Philadelphia, PA

• Lady Bird Johnson Award

  • The Streetscape Program of Fort Myers Beach, FL

• Rachel Carson Award

  • World Forum Foundation

• Good Steward Award

  • Blue Valley Ranch of Kremmling, CO

• Project Award

  • The Village of Wilmette, IL
  • Reforest the Bluegrass of Lexington, KY
  • Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association of Fayetteville, AK
  • The Hardwood Forestry Fund of Reston, VA
  • Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, Inc.

• Education Award

  • Tahoma High School's Outdoor Academy of Kent, WA
  • The Kirkwood Junior TreeKeepers of Kirkwood, MO

• Media Award

  • Louisiana Public Broadcasting's documentary Return to the Forest Where We Live
  • The International Society of Arboriculture's interactive “Planting and Early Care” series
  • The Wild Trees, written by Richard Preston

• Celebration Award

  • The City of Minneapolis, MN
  • City of Olympia, WA

• Promise to the Earth Award

  • Allstate Insurance Company
  • Citi Cards

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.