Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "sacramento tree foundation"

University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus Makes City Greener

2011-02-23T20:07:35Z

More than 100 employees from University of Phoenix’s Sacramento Campus joined together to help maintain and beautify the Northern California Parkway, a landmark scenic area that helps differentiate Sacramento as the “City of Trees.” In support of the Sacramento Tree Foundation (STF), volunteers planted 43 trees, demonstrating the significant impact volunteers can make in just one day when working together.

“University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus has a fantastic group of employees, and fosters a culture that encourages ongoing community involvement and volunteerism,” said University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus Director Scott Lewis. “We are proud to support the efforts of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, and believe that working to maintain the beautiful natural landscape of Sacramento benefits the entire community.”

University of Phoenix volunteers worked with STF to plant new trees and perform maintenance work on trees planted in previous years including, staking, un-staking, mulching, weeding and irrigation work. Further beautification activities included trash pickup, brush clearing and pruning back rose bushes.

“Our mission to plant, protect, and teach about trees relies on the dedication and contributions of thousands of volunteers who work alongside our staff every year,” said STF President William Ishmael. “We are so encouraged by the generous outpouring of hard work from University of Phoenix Sacramento Campus. The Sacramento region would suffer greatly without the benefits that trees provide, and we need informed and active citizens, like those who joined us from University of Phoenix, to create a legacy of healthy, livable communities for many generations to come. ”

STF is leading the effort to plant 5 million trees by 2025 in the greater Sacramento region. The organization has been protecting, planting, and promoting education about trees since 1982.

Disclosure: Justin Dyke is a public relations professional in Sacramento working on behalf of University of Phoenix.

Locals attend tree health workshop at McKinley Park

2011-02-07T07:55:41Z

Local residents gathered at the Clunie Community Center in McKinley Park Saturday for a workshop on tree health by California arborist Susan Sims.

The workshop was hosted by the Guardian Stewardship, a private nonprofit dedicated to supporting teaching about preservation, with the help of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, a local nonprofit. The four-hour presentation consisted of a video, a guest speaker and a outside tour of the trees in the park.

“We are creating a new legacy,” said Ray Tretheway, executive director of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, during his opening comments to the presentation. Tretheway also gave a brief history of the 31.9-acre McKinley Park.

In attendance of Sims presentation titled “McKinley Park, Tree Health and Preservation,” was an estimated 25 to 30 people.

“We are not going tell you how to prune here,” Sims said. “We are not tree trimmers,” but rather tree health specialists.

The focus of Sims’ presentation was basic tree biology, which concerned such things as selection, soil, irrigation, planting and pest control, among other pertinent issues about trees and tree health, all of which fall under what she calls PHC, or Plant Health Care.

Sims, who runs Sims Tree Health Specialists, Inc., established in 1972, offers presentations and consultation in tree and plant health. She also runs a small learning center, Sims Tree Learning Center, which offers workshops, a small museum and botanic garden for displaced plant life.

All attendees were Sacramento locals with varying reasons for participating in the workshop.

Garden designer Jeannie Hanson, who writes the blog Geno’s Garden, came because she is “always looking to know more.”

“It's very interesting, but I was hoping to do more looking at the big trees,” she said.

Anne Fenkner, regional director for the Sacramento Tree Foundations' Greenprint Program, which aims to plant 5 million trees by 2025, began with the foundation to “help people learn about and protect trees.”

She said McKinley Park was chosen for the workshop because it is a place of significance for Sacramento. There is so much at the park for the public and that there is a large volume of people who come to it on a regular basis.

The more people learn about trees in workshops such as this one, Fenkner said, the more they can help the foundation "create livable cities.”

Happy hour with a heart

2010-12-02T01:29:20Z

As the 2010 holiday season goes into full swing, the Sierra 2 Center offers the Curtis Park and Sacramento community at large a truly unique way to combine its indulgence in merriment with its interest in sharing with those in need.

On Friday, December 3rd, the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts & Community presents Best Friend Friday, an ongoing social gathering at which attendees get to meet new people, enjoy terrific food and drinks, and learn something they didn’t know about their own community. This Friday attendees will get the chance to meet Harvest Sacramento, an amalgamation of area residents, non-profits, community groups and businesses who work together to gather uneaten fruit and vegetables from backyards and small orchards and donate them to people in need.

Best Friend Friday is the brainchild of Terri Shettle, Executive Director of the Sierra 2 Center and Neighborhood Association. The Sierra Center for the Arts & Community was formed in the 1970’s when hundreds of Curtis Park neighbors came together to rescue the old Sierra School from demolition. Since then, the restored Sierra 2 Center has served as a focal point for artists, teachers, students, parents, children, and seniors, who gather frequently in its dance studios, gardens, performance spaces, meeting halls and classrooms. Except on Friday nights.

“I noticed not long ago that our Center had a lot of availability on Friday nights,” said Shettle. “During the rest of the week, we’re hopping. Our Center is filled with classes, business seminars, community meetings, and lots of other activities. But on Friday nights, most of our tenants aren’t around. Especially in the Garden Room. And I thought, ‘What a shame!’ The Garden Room is such a lovely, sunny space, with views of the trees on the property and a charming courtyard attached to it. It’s a perfect place to have people get together in, when they’re done with their busy day and week!”

But rather than just do a potluck or a wine bar, Shettle decided to think just a little bit bigger. “Like attracts like,” she explains. “The Sierra 2 is a nonprofit, and being in the field, I know there are a lot of other nonprofits who would welcome a place to come and share ideas on what the community needs, and on how their organization is addressing it.”

And Shettle knows her own community. “People in Curtis Park and Sacramento in general are very giving, very concerned. They like to hear about novel ideas to make a difference in the world. And they’re very social. So why not provide them with the story, give them the opportunity to hear about these great ideas and to mingle with like-minded people? Rather than pop in a documentary or read a brochure, they can drive over to an easily accessible Center, come in and have a glass of wine and some good food, and learn about ways that others are working to improve an aspect of their own community. It’s a perfect blend of the social and altruistic.”

It’s also more than reasonably priced. For $5, attendees get a glass of wine and a hot plate of food catered by catered by Sierra 2 Center tenant, La Famiglia Catering. Raffle tickets are sold separately, and games are played during which attendees, Sierra 2 staff and nonprofit regulars get to learn about the organization in a fun way, interact with each other, and win interesting prizes. Sierra 2 Center picks up the tab for the food and drinks, and the guest non-profit takes home the raffle ticket money. And everyone eats, drinks, and talks. It’s fun, relaxing,inspiring networking.

“It’s like the definition of synergy,” quips Shettle. “The nonprofit we host at Best Friend Friday has a built-in group of friends and supporters. They come and mingle with others who are interested in knowing what’s going on and in having a good time. They make new best friends. The two groups overlap, they network, they combine, and they become stronger after the interaction.”

On December 3rd Best Friend Friday will host Harvest America, a local nonprofit that provides a unique opportunity for people to engage in direct and tangible service to their community.

Harvest Sacramento germinated from a seed planted by two area residents, Mary McGrath and Robin Aurelius, who were pained by the sight of rotting oranges piled in the streets of East Sacramento every spring. A grassroots campaign in 2009 to harvest oranges in the McKinley Park area engaged over thirty volunteers and donated about 3000 pounds of fresh citrus to the Sacramento Food Bank.

From this success it was apparent that with more organization and effective outreach, substantial contributions of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the entire year could greatly enhance the offerings of local food assistance agencies.

Harvest Sacramento is a project of Soil Born Farms, who operates two urban farms on over forty acres in Sacramento and Rancho Cordova. Soil Born Farms is a nationally recognized center for the promotion of urban agriculture, sustainable food systems and healthy food education. Along with the continued support of its original and new volunteers, Soil Born Farms has taken a lead role in tending Harvest Sacramento, as it lays all of the administrative groundwork necessary to make a difference in the lives of needy Sacramentans.

When Harvest America joins with the Sierra 2 Center for this installment of Best Friend Friday, they will be bringing their own holiday cheer and a special guest along with them. This Friday, Harvest Sacramento will be providing hors d'oeuvres made from produce donated by Soil Born Farms and persimmons gleaned from a local orchard. And all of it will be expertly prepared by Eileen Murray.

Well-known local vegetarian chef and instructor, Murray presents monthly dinners at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op under the title “Eileen’s Kitchen.” As a nationally-recognized camp cook, baker, entrepreneur and instructor, Murray has been cultivating the art of cooking organic whole food for over thirty years. She is an accomplished macrobiotic cook who trained at the Kushi Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Vega Center in Oroville, California.

Suzanne Flint of Curtis Park is excited that Eileen will be on hand, and that Best Friend Friday is hosting Harvest Sacramento. She’s one of the volunteers for the organization, and she’s been inviting everyone she knows to come to the Sierra 2 Center on December 3rd. “Harvest Sacramento” she says, “is a simple and lovely way to give back to our community.”

Begun in September, Best Friend Friday so far has hosted the Sacramento Tree Foundation and KCRA’s “Coats For Kids.” Harvest Sacramento is next, and Shettle has been in conversation with many other nonprofits. “Best Friend Friday is a social networking model,” she says. “But instead of Facebook and Twitter, where my two fiends meet your two friends via the Internet, we do it in person.”

For more information on Best Friend Friday, contact the Sierra 2 Center at (916)452-3005, www.Sierra2.org, or Facebook/sierra2center.

Residents celebrate Tretheway's community service

2010-10-19T05:45:48Z

Supporters of outgoing Sacramento Councilman Ray Tretheway gathered in North Natomas on Monday night to celebrate Tretheway’s nine consecutive years on the City Council.

Tretheway, who was first elected in 2001, lost the District 1 re-election race in June to his opponent Angelique Ashby. He will leave his City Council seat in late November, but will keep his position as executive director of the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

More than 100 people turned out for Monday night’s event held at the North Natomas Library. District 1 includes North and South Natomas and downtown’s Alkali Flat.

“We are knitted as a community,” Tretheway told his supporters and constituents Monday night. “There’s no doubt about it. There’s something special in Natomas ... It has been an honor to serve you and to stand side-by-side with you in so many different endeavors.”

Tretheway sat with former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo, a Natomas resident herself, as several of his constituents praised him for his community work.

Nick Avdis, a District 1 resident who is active in the Valley View Acres Community Association, said Tretheway urged him to get involved with his community. Avdis said Tretheway is a neighbor. “You stand with us because you are one of us,” he said.

Jerry Way, the city’s transportation director, described Tretheway as “a man of great integrity.”

Fargo said she’s worked with Tretheway on local issues since 1980. Their shared work included planting trees, cleaning up graffiti and building parks, she said.

“He’ll be missed, but he’s not going too far away,” Fargo told the crowd. “He’s still going to be living out here and working on things, and planting trees. And he’ll still be your friend.”

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Some local groups could feel county budget pain

2010-06-17T03:22:58Z

While Sacramento County’s budget problems are likely to result in harsh cuts to public safety and social services departments, some of the smaller budget cuts are raising concerns among certain organizations.

Sacramento County’s elected leaders are expected to decide this week whether to cut funding from several groups, including the Sacramento Tree Foundation and the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Board of Supervisors plans to approve the county’s budget Thursday or Friday. Hundreds of employees could lose their jobs as the supervisors address a $181 million budget gap.

The Sacramento Tree Foundation, which promotes and administers tree plantings, may receive no funding from the county this year. Last year, the foundation received $10,000.

Colleen Cadwallader, the foundation’s development director, told the supervisors Wednesday that trees are crucial to local communities. In the past 30 years, views on the importance of trees have changed, she said.

“No longer viewed as a mere amenity, we now know that trees help to create walkable communities, save energy, absorb air pollutants, reduce stormwater runoff, sequester carbon and increase the overall quality of our lives,” Cadwallader said.

At the same time, the county may cut funds from the "events support" arm of the Sacramento Sports Commission. Members of the commission promote the region as a site for sports events.

The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau also faces possible cuts. County administrators have proposed that the bureau receive $122,385 in county funds, down by half from the $244,769 it received last year.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Volunteers revamp Zapata Park, video of ceremony

2010-05-21T03:28:53Z

More than 250 volunteers from Home Depot and KaBOOM!, a nonprofit organization that builds "playspaces" across the nation, showed up at Zapata Park today to assemble a new playground designed by children and refurbish the park.

The playground, located in Alkali Flat on 905 E St., was the 1,764th playground constructed by the two companies and was built for children ages 2-12. Workers also filled the playground with brand-new sawdust, painted hopscotch squares, repainted a picnic area and repainted the lines of the basketball court. The Sacramento Tree Foundation also came out and planted some trees.

Kenny Altenburg, a project manager at KaBOOM! said that the project has been in the works for more than two months.

"To me it's like the most important thing we can have," he said about having an organization like KaBOOM! in the community. "The kinds of bonds you can form with that, the kind of work that you can get done and the impact that you can have on these kids lives, I think it's unmeasurable."

Larry Snyder, a Home Depot store manager in Folsom, said his employer donated $65,000 to the playground and that a project like this is done at least three time a year.

"There will be a nice, safe place for kids to come out and play," Snyder said. "We also built some planter boxes and some benches just to make the area a little more enjoyable for the kids."

Altenburg said he loves to see kids play on the playgrounds he helped build.

"It never gets old to me," he said. "These kids had a dilapidated playground here that was half the size two months ago, and what we did over the past couple of months is work on getting that structure out, expanding the site (to where it's) twice as big and putting a new state-of-the-art playground that they actually helped design themselves."

Altenburg also said he likes the fact that more than 100 employees from Home Depot came on their day off, but having the community show up was even more important.

"For the residents to come out, that's what means the most," he said. "When they come out and help build something like this, they really take ownership in it, and it really builds up the community bonds that are there waiting to be built."

Sacramento City Councilman Ray Tretheway paid a couple of visits to the newly refurbished park, but he was not present at the "board-cutting" ceremony. The playground will be sealed off for the next three days for the cement in the foundation to dry, but the children who helped design the park will be ready when it opens. The two swings at the park are still available.

Watch video of the board-cutting ceremony on TwitVid for more information on who helped with the project.

Read Agnus-Dei Farrant's coverage of the event.

New Playground at Zapata Park Built in One Day

2010-05-21T02:58:43Z

Residents of Washington Square and Sherwood Court now have a new playground in their own Zapata Park. Two hundred and fifty volunteers gathered at the park located at E and Ninth streets Thursday afternoon to construct a new playground. The construction was completed within five hours.

A welcome sign for Kaboom and Home Depot.

The new play space is thanks to the sponsorship and fundraising of The Home Depot Foundation, Kaboom and Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC).

A view of construction at 11:30 a.m. of construction.

Construction began at 8:30 a.m. and wrapped up at 1:30 p.m. Volunteers in orange Home Depot shirts worked to music playing over large speakers, occasionally doing a small dance.

Volunteers around the mulch pile.

"Kaboom is a national nonprofit, and what we do is make children and communities healthier by creating great places to play," Kenny Altenburg, Kaboom project manager said. "There's only two or three representatives from Kaboom here today. We just help facilitate. All the work, the recruitment, putting all this effort is done by the residents, Home Depot and CHOC."

Volunteers repainting the basketball court.

The Home Depot Foundation partnered with Kaboom to build more than 30 playground and play spaces this year. One of the markets chosen was Sacramento. The Zapata Park project kicked off only two months ago.

Concrete mixed by hand.

"When we were reaching out to this area, we had several applicants come in and they blew us away," Altenburg said. "These kids at Washington Square and Sherwood Court really needed a safe place to play. They had a dilapidated playground about half the size of the one here. We knew they were up for all the two months of planning and outreaching, it's a lot of work they had to put into it."

Constructing the playground.

The new playground is complete with spiral slide, rock-climbing wall and down slide. Volunteers added picnic tables, a mural frame, refurbished existing picnic tables and benches and repainted the basketball court and backboard. Ten trees were planted in conjunction with the Sacramento Tree Foundation. Extra landscaping was added, including a trellis wall and plant box.

Painting hopscotch.

One hundred and fifty cubic yards of mulch was moved into the playground by hand. Almost 15,000 pounds of concrete were mixed by hand for the posts' foundations.

"The Home Depot brought out about 150 workers today," Altenburg said. "They took the day off and chose to come out here and help build a playground. In addition to that, the community recruited local residents, other smaller organizations and folks that just wanted to be a part of this. They recruited, over the past two months, 100 people to help today."

The playground complete and fenced for the concrete to set.

The Home Depot Foundation donated a $65,000 grant. CHOC also fund-raised $7,500.

Kaboom builds almost 200 playgrounds a year across North America. Zapata Park was the 1,764th play space built in Kaboom's 15-year existence.

The repainted basketball court.

"The help of Kenny and Home Depot made this happen," said Brenda Watson of Washington Square. "I had a great time out here working with the crew. And we talked about a new park long before this started."

Kaboom hosted a design day at the beginning of the project for residents and children to design their dream playground.

The completed playground.

"All the kids and parents, we came out to design the park and pick the colors," Watson said. "This is what we were hoping for, this is more modern and much more fun for the kids. It's enough to keep everybody busy."

The playground is currently surrounded by gates to allow the concrete to set. The playground will be open for play Monday.

Agnus-Dei Farrant is an intern for The Sacramento Press.

Councilman Ray Tretheway's goals for 2010

2010-02-06T20:51:02Z

Councilman Ray Tretheway’s key goals for 2010 are in response to problems caused by the poor economy. He said he plans to concentrate on public safety, jobs and foreclosure.

Tretheway’s priorities are listed here as part of a series of stories on council members’ top three goals for 2010. Links to the stories are at the end of this article.

The Sacramento Press made repeated requests to interview Councilman Rob Fong, but he was unavailable.

Tretheway represents District 1, which includes North and South Natomas and Alkali Flat. He is running for re-election in June against Efren Guttierrez, a real estate broker, and Angelique Ashby, a partner in a consulting firm that contracts with government agencies and businesses.

When he is not working on city matters, Tretheway is the executive director of Sacramento Tree Foundation.

Tretheway said his top priority for the year is public safety. He puts public safety into three categories: police and fire, levees and youth education.

The councilman said he would like to see a federal jobs bill signed into law. If it passes, then perhaps local police and fire services will receive federal funding to maintain existing jobs and add new positions, he said.

“To that end, hopefully the Obama administration jobs bill will pass.”

At the local level, Tretheway said there will be a groundbreaking next month for a fire station in Natomas that would serve residents on the west side of Interstate 5.

He said he also plans to focus on levee improvements, calling the barriers a public safety issue.

Tretheway noted that his other public safety push will be youth education and services. He cited progress in that area, including two teen clubhouses in Natomas that will open next month; a teen center in the Gardenland/Northgate area that opened last year; and a park affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club that opened in downtown last week.

Tretheway mentioned development in Natomas when he talked about his goal of creating jobs. If the levees were strengthened, then the Federal Emergency Management Agency potentially could release its building moratorium in Natomas, he said.

If FEMA removed its restrictions, there could be “more opportunities for building homes and offices and commercial (buildings)” in Natomas, he said.

Tretheway also said that many jobs will be created as work gets under way on the Township 9 and Railyards development projects.

The councilman said his third goal for the year will be to help residents fight foreclosures. He said he would continue to educate people about the issue at community meetings. “I think that’s going to be something that’s looming over us on the downside,” he said. “But the opportunities are really pretty positive. People have an opportunity to listen ... and find out the avenues for how they can keep their homes.”

Councilman Steve Cohn’s goals are listed here. Read about Councilwoman Lauren Hammond’s priorities here. Councilman Kevin McCarty’s plans are explained here. Learn about Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy’s objectives here. Councilman Robbie Waters’ goals are outlined here. Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell lists her priorities here.

Mayor Kevin Johnson presents his goal for a green initiative here. Johnson announces a goal relating to the building moratorium in Natomas.

Photos by Anthony Bento.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

A non-arborist's adventure through "The City of Trees"

2009-10-18T19:14:27Z

Even though autumn had its official start three weeks ago, I had my first foray into fall on Saturday's tree tour through my own neighborhood Arden Park, hosted by the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

The tree tours were started over five years ago by longtime Sacramento Tree Foundation member Fran Clarke. It was Clarke's goal to make the community aware of the many spectacular trees found in Sacramento.

Eighteen resident citizens, from 2 years age to retired, gathered at La Sierra Park for an informational walk-about with Sacramento Tree Foundation stewardship coordinator Luanne Leineke.

"The trees are not only beautiful, they play important roles in our community," Leineke said. "They help clean up pollution. The leaves attract particles of pollution so people don't breathe them in. They also provide shade which helps lower the ambient air temperature which is especially important in a hot location like Sacramento."

Before the mile-and-a-half walk began, each participant was handed a detailed brochure and map entitled "The Magnificent Trees of Arden Park." The handout illustrated the location of 51 mostly deciduous, "leaf-losing" trees spread out over a many-mile radius.

"This particular tour is best done on a bike," Leineke said as the tour started. But there were plenty of trees to see on an abbreviated walking tour.

Starting out in La Sierra Park, we admired the blue atlas cedar with its dominant pyramidal shape, viewed two sickly looking Black locusts and learned to differentiate between a variety of oaks, including the Southern Live oak, the valley oak and the pin oak.

"Oaks have very lobed leaves," Leineke informed us. "But the pin oak's leaves are very lobed and it has crunchy, vertical bark."

This educational adventure continued into the neighborhoods as we ventured down Los Molinos Way, up El Sur Way and over on Castec Drive. Lieneke has an extensive knowledge of hardwood trees and worked hard to inform our group about proper care for a tree, average tree maintenance costs (approximately $9 a month per tree), pruning techniques and basic plant biology. We made special note of the planting differences of east-west streets that strive for shade and the more open north-south streets.

Leineke emphasized planning ahead when choosing a shade tree for your yard. She stressed that consideration must be given to the eventual size of the tree and the importance of a healthy root system.

"Wet soil is not healthy for most trees," Leineke warned. "With wet soil, there is not enough oxygen in the soil for the tree to stay healthy."

During our walk, we stopped to appreciate many trees, including ginkgo, elm, tulip tree (yellow poplar), tupelo — which was starting to get some of its intense red fall color — Southern magnolia, liquidamber and the redwood. Perhaps the most stunning tree on the tour was the wide-branching blue oak that caused many participants to exclaim, "Just beautiful!"

We also learned about the "shade history" of the Arden Park neighborhood. Historically, many streets were lined with the graceful Modesto ash; however, because of its susceptibility to mistletoe and anthracnose (a hardwood tree disease), many of these trees have been removed and replaced with more stable shade providers such as the London plane.

"How do you tell a London plane from a sycamore?" questioned one participant.

"By its balls," answered Lieneke, jokingly referring to the soft brown seed balls that hang from the branches in two-pair clusters. Lieneke indicated that sycamore's seed balls form in clusters of three to five.

Four additional tree tours will be held throughout the fall season and will highlight a variety of community settings. All tours are free and open to the public. The tours begin at 10 a.m. and conclude by noon. Further information can be found on the Sacramento Tree Foundation's website.

The Tree Tours schedule:

Oct. 24: American River College, meet at the administration building, 4700 College Oak Dr.

Oct 30: River Park Community tour, meet at the shopping center, 5493 Carlson Dr.

Nov. 7: Capitol Park tour, meet on the east steps of the Capitol

Nov. 14: Sacramento State campus, meet near the bus stop at the J Street entrance

Tree Foundation to receive funding for jobs

2009-10-16T03:56:50Z

A non-profit group that promotes an “urban forest” through programs to plant and maintain trees is likely to receive a $750,000 federal stimulus grant to hire additional staffers. The Sacramento Tree Foundation has been selected to receive the American Recovery and Reinvestment grant and is ironing out the details for how it plans to use the money.

The federal stimulus dollars will be distributed through the U.S. Forest Service and will be administered through California ReLeaf, a Davis-based environmental group.

“We’re privileged as well as excited to receive the grant from the Forest Service,” said City Councilman Ray Tretheway, who is the foundation’s executive director. “It hits at an acute time where non-profits are normally struggling.”

The money has already been secured, said Martha Ozonoff, executive director of California ReLeaf. The funding will be obtained through reimbursements and the billing process will likely begin in December, according to Ozonoff and Tretheway. The grant program will last through early 2010, Ozonoff said.

The foundation is pinning down the specifics of how it plans to use the money. The funding is for jobs, but the total number of positions and the job descriptions have not yet been settled. The foundation wants to use the money to hire four staffers, Tretheway said. Resources such as equipment and vehicles to carry out the work would also be part of the proposal for the $750,000 in funding, he said.

However, Ozonoff said she wants to work with the foundation to see if more than four jobs can be created.

Tretheway envisions that four staffers would be regional coordinators for the foundation’s Greenprint initiative, which he explains is a framework for building “the best urban forest” in the region. One of the main framework objectives is to double the tree canopy in the region by 2025, Tretheway said. The undertaking will require planting 5 million trees in the following six counties: Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Community participates in Sacramento’s first Jewish heritage festival

2009-05-04T08:01:05Z

Israeli music, the sound of pounding drums, and the smell of Mediterranean food lingered in the air as crowds mingled among white tents at the west steps of the Capitol yesterday afternoon.

More than 3,000 people participated in Sacramento’s first Jewish Heritage festival yesterday despite the unpredictable weather, according to the Sacramento Jewish Federation.

The festival, presented by the federation, began with a “Salute to Israel @ 61 Walk-a-thon,” consisting of a “walk for unity” around the Capitol. The walk was followed by an opening ceremony emceed by Bill Slaton, member of the SMUD Board of Directors, and Sacramento’s KCRA Channel 3 Anchor Edie Lambert.

Both the celebration of Israel’s 61st anniversary and the diversity of Jewish heritage locally and throughout the world were emphasized in the opening ceremony and throughout the event.

“This is a sign that Israel is not alone even in hard times,” said the federation’s executive director, Mihal Kohane, to the crowd in her opening statement.

“Our goal today was to bring you Israel in every possible way,” she added.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Assemblyman Marty Block (D-San Diego) both made statements during the opening ceremony.

“On behalf of the city of Sacramento, it’s an honor to be at this first annual event,” Johnson said.

Performances by renowned international singer Noa Dori and the West Coast Jewish dance ensemble Keshet Chaim attracted a large audience following the ceremony on the main stage.

Various attraction tents and booths were arranged around the main stage and the west front of the Capitol in “complexes.” A section of tents was dedicated to displays of Jewish life in Latin America, Russia, India, China and around the world at the Jewish Life Around the World complex.

Other complexes included the Jewish American Heritage complex, displaying photo exhibits of Jewish-American heritage from the Gold Rush to the present and the Salute to Israel @ 61 & Tel Aviv Centennial complex, displaying photo exhibits of Tel Aviv and hosting booths for the Israel Consulate General, the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

The Green Revolution complex included booths from Green Sacramento, the Sacramento Bike Kitchen and the Sacramento Tree Foundation, along with ‘green’ workshops explaining processes like composting.

The festival drew supporters from both the Jewish and non-Jewish community.

“I’ve always been intrigued by the state of Israel and Jewish traditions, so I’m glad to see they had a festival this year,” said Oak Park resident Darby Flynn.

Others came from neighboring communities such as Lake Tahoe and Elk Grove.

“I’m here to support Israel, I’m here to support our synagogue, and I’m here to have a lot of fun and buy things from Israel,” said Mary Sorellis of Elk Grove.

Crowds gathered around the artist’s street market, where vendors sold colorful handmade glass, landscape photographs of Israel, hand-bound books, jewelry and handmade soaps.

A long line accumulated by the international food court, where people gathered to taste both American food and Mediterranean foods like falafel, borekas and hummus.

A separate area hosted children’s activities, where renowned storyteller and juggler Izzy Tooinsky entertained children and parents. Meanwhile, a 21-and-over area hosted a beer and wine garden selling He’brew beer and wines from the Israel Wine Company.

The festival ended with an eco-friendly fashion show modeling clothing from Sacramento’s Atelier and Freestyle Clothing Exchange, and from Los Angeles, Santa Cruz and Oakland designers. The theme revolved around sustainable clothing made from recycled cloths, hemp and organic cottons.

Various festivalgoers expressed excitement at the turnout of people to the Sacramento event.

“Three thousand people are out here today, and that’s a phenomenal feat, especially with the rain…it’s so exciting to see the community come together,” said midtown Sacramento resident Rebecca Johnson.