Tree & Landscape Committee - Regular Meeting

testing. Hi, we're on the microphone. We got the lights tonight. Got lots of trees, lots of weather. Um, a little bit of hail. We'll get started in just a moment.

Little uh trivia question to get us started before we officially start. What is our raise your hand if you know our state tree, the Illinois state tree? Sure.

Yeah. What's your guess? I'm gonna say close. Not a red oak, but a swamp white oak. Close. Mhm. The final exam. Yes, it will be.

Cool. Awesome. Let's go ahead and get started. Thank you all so much for coming out tonight. I know it's late on a Thursday night. We've got some inclement weather, but really appreciate all of you coming out to talk about one of our least um advocated for forms of infrastructure, which are trees. Um before we get started, I want to introduce you to our team. Uh this is our public works department who is uh just a small part of our entire village, which as we know it does take an entire village to manage an urban forest. Um, from left to right we have Brian Reless, Ra Raul Cahe, Ped Pedro Cahe, Joe Coons, and Bobby Hernandez. Um, my name is Thomas Brandon, and I've had the privilege of growing up in Indian Head Park, um, over on 6,500 Wolf Road with this man in the black jacket as my father. So, really been amazing to grow up in this community and see the changes that have taken place over the past 31 years now. Um, from there I went um to study at Illinois State University where I explored environmental sociology and really began to understand how systems um are all interconnected and how our decisions are kind of a result of these institutions. Um, one of the most impactful parts of my childhood which I think sent me on this very long tree journey was the development of timber trails. And raise your hand if you remember uh timber trails. Yeah, most of us. which goes to show just how once people come to Indian Head Park, we largely like to stay here. And we'll talk about why our community is so beautiful just a little bit. Um, but after Illinois State had the privilege of going to serve in the Peace Corps for two years. I was in Panama on the Pacific coast um in a small indigenous Latino village called Remedios. And there I really began to understand how um interpersonal dynamics and decisions are made abroad in other communities

that are similar to size to us. Uh the community where I served was 4,000 people. So very close in terms of impact. Um but it was beautiful to be a part of these conversations about how uh we're preserving the natural environment and how we see us humans as a part of that environment not separate from which I think in America it's uh little different how we kind of see trees as this other thing and we don't accept that we together coincide live in this same space. Uh upon returning from Peace Corps was able to uh work at the village of Indian Head Park where I helped conduct our inaugural tree inventory. um was a formidable person in constructing our management plan which is we we'll dive in there in a little bit but was a really cool experiment to see how we can begin to to manage our natural assets in a more formal way in order to maximize value. So taking that western approach to some of our trees and really having amazing conversations with our public works team and and our staff. Um after that was able to go to Bard College where I studied environmental policy and sustainability. So, a little bit more formal. And I'm currently at the Morton Arboritum managing uh the largest grant in Arburedum history, which is the tree equity grant for disadvantaged communities. It's a $7.9 million federal grant, which as you can all imagine has been a bit tumultuous over the past year, just trying to uh provide these firsttime tree awardees uh funding for historically disenfranchised or disin disinvested communities. Um, we have 39 unique communities across the state all the way as far north as Rockford and as far south as East St. Louis. So, really cool to be able to see forestry projects, how they vary in scope, size, and shape, and how we're really um investing in our communities and our state and how that's going to pay dividends for for years to come. Um, so tonight I would like it to be more of a conversation style. If you have any questions at any point, feel free to raise your hand. I promise I won't bite. I'll try to answer your question as best I can. Um but for our

agenda, we're going to talk about um our community. We're going to explore what is an urban forest as opposed to a traditional forest. Uh we'll then go into the benefits of trees, why tree canopy matters, some current challenges and invasive species, um in which we'll put on our coloring hats and begin reimagining our private spaces, and how we can perhaps re rew. Um from there, we'll dive into our very own management plan. and then we'll discuss our action plan and getting involved and what next steps can look like. So, really looking forward to this presentation. What is a tree? Figured we'd start basic. And uh by definition, a tree is a woody perennial plant, typically with a single stem, although not always. Uh reaching at least 13 feet tall, branching into a crown that provides shade, habitat, and ecological function. So, great. We're on the same page. Perfect. This is our very lovely Blackhawk park. However, our trees are so much more. They provide environmental benefits. They are economic assets and they are cultural pillars of our community. Um, does anyone perhaps want to quickly share if they have a favorite tree in the village where maybe as they walk around they might see one on a dog walk perhaps at the bottom of a hill? I'm not sure if anyone has one. Um yeah, Joe.

Absolutely.

Yeah, we have several in our community, all of which are uh water sucking up giant sponges. So really beautiful to have that diversity. But um absolutely. And here at the village, we have our very own tree preservation ordinance, which is vital into maintaining our trees and ensuring that we protect them. Uh our ordinance provides guidance. It ensures species compliance which is really important so that we're not just planting any tree in any space. We're really being cognizant as to what type of tree we're planting and where we're planting it. So right tree, right place is something that we take close to home. We also recognize the value of trees and that formal ability to acknowledge that trees are a vital infrastructure in our community um ensures them not only from a a physical perspective but from a financial perspective as well. And then they help form our identity. Um, going back to Timber Trails, I remember going to their swim club, playing golf on that course, just so many of those trees. It was beautiful. Um, walking to Highlands every day and just looking across the street and seeing this amazing old oak ecosystem. It was really just something beautiful. And, um, a big reason as to why I chose to come back to live in this part of the world is the the trees. It's really, really impactful. Um, so now we're going to talk a little bit about our tree inventory and management plan and how they guide our decisions. So this is a dynamic document. Um, we have many different sections and it will soon be publicly accessible, but it helps identify where we are in terms of timeline. It determines where we're headed and it clearly outlines our values, goals, and next steps. So just again uh we recognize that having these formal um milestones or checkpoints in place really help ensure that we are making progress towards our goals. Our first goal um which may be a question on your sheets is to increase

our urban tree canopy from 41% to 45% by 2036. And 41% might surprise some of you and we'll go through and compare that percentage to some of our peer communities as well as countywide data. Um but 41 is pretty impressive and we we strive to better that by 4%. Um some parts of that goal are establishing an annual tree planting program which we do have one uh match grant with the arburitum. Joe and I we've planted 25 trees this past fall and we hope to plant 25 trees again this spring. Um and Arbor Day is just around the corner so stay tuned. Uh we also aim to implement proper planting and establishment practices. Uh focus on transit corridors in major residential areas. As we all know, there's some pending or um yeah, construction projects that will be underway. So we're looking at how we can maintain what we do have and ensure that we can replace what is removed with something that's of equal or greater value. Um, also looking at integrating planting with storm water management projects, which um, is fascinating when you look at the science, fascinating to some, maybe not so much to all, but look forward to talking about that a bit later. Our second goal is to enhance tree health and longevity. Uh we can do this by maintaining and updating our tree inventory, by establishing a four to sevenyear pruning cycle, by training public works staff on basic tree care principles, and by eradicating volcano mulching. So this might be a a shocker to some, but volcano mulching, this is yeah, the image on the right we see all the time. And the reason that happens is because contractors don't want to pay to take away that soil. They take all that soil up. They dig a hole in the ground. They put the tree back in. They pile the soil up by the trunk which suffocates it. And then they put mulch on top of the soil. What trees need is donut mulching. So on the left you'll see the

mulching mulch ring extended out to the drip line, really preserving those critical roots and providing an environment that retains moisture. So when we do inevitably have another drought, the last time that tree was watered um or that it rained, that moisture will retain there a little bit longer as opposed to volcano mulching. Often times that water won't won't get to those. Yeah. Question. Can you get into the types of mulch pretty much any type of mulch?

Yeah, great question. Um we can explore that question at a later workshop. Although I would say most of the types of mulch you can purchase in our area as so long as they're local are adequate. Yeah. Um great question. Thank you. Our third management plan goal. So we really hope to improve species diversity and resilience. So following the 200105 rule when talking about genus um family species looking at ensuring that we do have a diverse canopy. And that is because it's it's a matter of time. if or when not if another disease or pest comes in that our canopy is resilient. Um keeping our approved species list up to date as well. We have a couple new invasive species that we'll talk about later which um we have planted historically but uh seeing that these trees have gained new traits or characteristics and have adopted to really spread their seed um quite quickly, we've since removed them from our approved species lists. Uh we also with our regional plan of im improving oak ecosystems aim to increase oak representation by 30% of new municipal plantings and then provide educational materials and workshops. Yeah, question.

Why an oak?

So, oaks, great question. Uh, we'll talk about that in a few slides and I'll I'll address it now though. Oaks are keystone species. So, the benefits that they provide from their acorns to their branches to their leaf litter all positively impact the natural environment. But great question. And then our fourth management plan goal uh addressing climate change and resilience. So, ensuring that um as climate zones continue to shift north that we are adjusting our tree species lists accordingly. We're seeing more severe weather events on both ends, both colder and hotter, for longer and shorter periods of time. So, ensuring that the tree species we have selected are the most likely to live long happy lives. Um, also developing extreme weather response protocols. And this is something that Joe, I have been and Amy, Joe, and Danielle have been in conversations with. It's about um the potential of adding emergency pruning inhouse. when these hail stom events or accidents do happen, it is incredibly expensive to hire a contractor to come out and solve the issue. So, we're exploring uh what is possible and what is within reason to take on some of those with within the village. And then last but not least, uh addressing invasive species. Trees have many benefits and there's several on this slide, but what are some of the benefits that you all think that trees have? And you can use the slide for help if you need it. But um something I really appreciate is clean water. How the root systems naturally filter our rain water and keep our rivers clean. Anyone else have any

Absolutely. Yeah. Homes to lots of things. They can if when they reach their full maturity and inevitably die, we use their wood to make our homes as well. Yeah. Mhm. Absolutely. Woodpeckers, owls serves as habitat to a lot of our local friends. Bats as well. The shade. Yeah. Keeps a raintorm.

You're still a step ahead. Did you see this presentation? Yeah, absolutely. No. And a really unique uh benefit that oak trees have is their leaves. Almost all tree leaves do this, but when they intercept the water droplets that are falling, they limit the impact that it happens on our soil. So, keeping that soil from being compact as opposed to if it's going to rain in a field, those raindrops or hail are just going to continually fall down, keep that soil compact, really uh inhibit any other native species from flourishing. So, another cool benefit. Awesome. Um, and urban forests are critical to society. Uh, there was one stat that really surprised me and that is over 80% of Americans live in urban environments, which is substantial. Um, and an urban forest is simply the collection of all woody and associated vegetation in and around human settlement. Um, it's this natural transition from rural to urban landscapes. But as we've built cities um post-industrial revolution and going all the way back to the industrial revolution, it was um a a very quick let's build as many cities as we can. Let's clean cut our lands. And then we came to realize, well, wait, we actually want trees in our cities. They make us feel good. They make us there's a lot of benefits we didn't realize before we made the decision to develop. And so now we are almost from the flip side seeing how we can re-engineer our cities to be as um environmentally conscious as possible which is really cool to see. All right, some county data. So here's a a question. What is the percent can tree canopy cover of the Chicago region? Um who thinks it's 15%. Let's see. Raise your hand. Nobody. About 20%. Okay. 25%. 35%. I wish it were 35%. 28. So, pretty high. And if you think back to the village, we're at 41. So,

13% higher than our county average, which is really impressive. Um, and now we're going to talk about why our tree canopy matters. Beautiful picture from Arbor Day last year. Um, so our tree canopy is again 41% and we have 638 public trees. Uh, as of about an hour before this meeting, we received notice that it will be our 36th year as a Tree City USA community, which is really impressive. Just goes to demonstrate our continual commitment to uh environmental stewardship around trees. And some ecosystem services that we were able to glean from something called ITree, which is a software program that was developed to really demonstrate the economic value of trees. Um, gave us some really cool numbers. Uh, starting with ecosystem benefits. Uh annually our urban forest amounts to $268,000 in ecosystem benefits. Um 60 $616,000 in stored carbon value. So sequestering um all of that lovely carbon out of the atmosphere. And then 4.2 million gallons of rainfall are intercepted, which is really impressive. Uh 40 38.5 tons of air pollutants are removed each year. Um, think of particulate matter, all of those things that can get into your lungs, uh, coming off the highway, coming off different roads. Trees are an amazing natural buffer to to intercepting those particles. Uh, over 10,000 tons of carbon currently stored, so serving as those long-term carbon storage systems, uh, 265 tons of carbon sequestered annually, and then $47,000 of annual energy savings to residents. So both heating and cooling when we intentionally p plant um some conifers in certain zones around our homes that keeps the wind from hitting in the winter which keeps our homes warm. And then conversely in the summer uh pretty soon our trees are going to begin to flower and we'll see lots of beautiful leaves growing which will keep our homes

shaded in um what might be a hot summer. Now some land cover data. Um this is really cool. So again comparing us Indian Head Park to the county we can see this dark green here that's our canopy so significantly larger and vegetation in total we are clearly over uh 50% of all land is some sort of vegetation which is really cool to see in terms of um buildings roads and other uh very small and um below average from accounting perspective And this might be kind of small to read, but I'll just read from top to bottom the names of the cities. So, comparing our um our tree canopy to neighboring communities, and you can see we are the largest dark green bar, which is a good sign. We have the highest canopy. Uh at the top, we have Bloomingdale at 27%. We then have Elmherst at 28%, Glendale Heights at 21, US at 41%, Lombard at 29, Villa Park at 31, and Wooddale at 25. So again, really, really impressive to um yeah, just how how well forested our neighborhood is. Our canopy keeps us cool. So thinking of the urban heat island effect, which is without trees, things get really hot. And when things get really hot, that makes it harder for trees to come back. Um here we have our boundary, and we can really see some of the coolest parts of Idiot Head Park and some of the hottest. Um, we see some of our newer subdivisions that have uh younger trees and not nearly as many mature trees nor oak ecosystems being Ashbrook and Acacia um are a little bit hot or significantly hotter than Oldtown and 45 acres. And as we can see, if we look at the graph on the left, all of that dark green or tree canopy is on the left side of our village. So, um, just goes to show how temperatures really do correlate with tree canopy cover.

And then back to our canopy keeping us dry, which we talked about a little bit earlier, but just intercepting that rainfall. So, we see uh in the graphic on the left, we can all relate when it rains and you're below a tree in the summertime. Um it's always nice to be there because you're pretty dry and as rain falls, those leaves intercept those water droplets. The branches, the trunk, and the roots are able to absorb whatever does reach the surface. um which is also an important reason why we continue watering our young trees because sometimes that water doesn't reach those critical root systems. So really ensuring that we're providing adequate water. Our canopy also impacts property value. Um there's lots of different peer-reviewed studies and this is being recorded but also happy to share this presentation with anyone. Um there are some studies that show so much as one mature a single mature tree um in front of a single family home can increase the property value anywhere from 3 to 15%. Which is really incredible with just a single tree can improve your property value by that much. Um I was exploring different ways to demonstrate that data and I found it a little bit challenging uh but would love to further that conversation maybe in our Q&A if we have time. And then restoring oak ecosystems. So, back to our question about why are oaks so important? Um, being a keystone species, there are so many different animals that rely on them. Uh, the Morton Arbreedom has a beautiful map of oak ecosystems on the left that's accessible on their website and we are able to see what pre-settlement oaks looked like. So, that light gray area of the map, those are all of the oaks that were here um when yeah, pre-settlement. Uh, in the green, we can see those were all of the oak ecosystems that we had in 1939. So we again were able to go take a census of all of those areas, see where our oaks were and and map them accordingly. In 2010, we were able to do the same thing. So that area uh still a

little bit smaller and um you can see us we still have a little bit of an a patch of oak ecosystem in Oldtown and we're trying to make that less fragmented. So another mission that the Morton Arar Breedom has is to restore these oak ecosystems by uh limiting the amount of fragmented habitat and slowly connecting it across our state. We see it as critical wildlife corridors and also just critical to our history as who we who we were as a state. All right. So what yeah we have a variety of oaks that are native to our state. uh red oaks, pin oaks, swamp white oaks, bur oaks, which are some of my favorite. Um yeah, so

a good size, I would encourage anything over an inch and a half. Um for all of our subawwardies at the arburitum, we require between 1 and 2 and 12 in. Going below that can be a little risky just depending on something as simple as a a which happened to us last year was a uh rabbit came and chewed our red oak sapling. So just bit the canopy right off. Have to replant this year and then anything too large um they can be a little more sensitive when they're planted. So that's kind of the sweet spot is that one and a half to two inch diameter.

Yeah, it depends. As you can find, there are some really good nurseries nearby. One of my favorites is Springrove Nursery, which is about an hour south. Uh they have some really affordable natives plants. A lot of our partners or my subordes use them. Um yeah, they have a very very affordable I think we used them for our last

spring. Yeah. So you can find something great anywhere between $150 and $200. So pretty affordable. Yeah. Yeah. Um All right. So now we're going to talk about some invasives. And for those that can't um read in the back, and my family can attest on the left that the meme says uh pointing out every invasive plant, me holding a tuba and then in my friend's face that says my friends wanting to enjoy a peaceful hike. And whenever I walk my dog, I point out the calorie pear trees, honeysuckle, what needs to come down. So, um, yeah, let's talk about invasives. Cool. So, first and foremost, what makes a plant invasive? And when I say that word, what comes to mind if anyone wants to share?

Yes, absolutely. Um, spreads uncontrollably. spreads uncontrollably. What else? Invasive can't kill him. Um, can I use

Yeah. Um,

um, other

absolutely um other native plants preventing them from growing. So what we have is um causes there are three big keys that what define a plant invasive. The first being introduced outside its native range whether it's intentional or accidental. Uh many invasive species and pests actually travel by shipping container. So, our railway systems, our planes, those are ways that our critters are able to travel kind of uh beyond our will. The the second being they spread aggressively beyond where they were planted. And the third being causes measurable harm to the environment, economy, or human health. So, one of those three. And in order for a plant to be invasive, all three of those must be true. Not one, but all three. Um, and why do they succeed? So we have rapid growth, prolific seed production, no natural predators, uh wide environmental tolerance, so either thriving in sun or shade, wet or dry, and then actively altering the habitat or inhibiting our native um friends from coming back. First we're going to talk about is buckthornne, which uh what I hear all the time is, "But it's great screening. We have to keep it. It's it it's keeping my house safe," which I understand. I recognize that. However, let's look at the understory. Um, on the left, we can see a buckthorn thicket and just how it's really crowded out anything from growing in that native understory. We can all think or rem walk in buckthorn uh amongst buckthornne in either beis woods or um somewhere in our community where as you're walking, although the buckthornne may look beautiful, you notice that the soil below it is so bare and it's cracked and it's dry and it's dark, it's just not what it should be. um ways to identify buckthornne. So typically it's 10 to 25 feet high and grows in a thicket. Uh they have thorn topped branchletits which there is one

other tree species that has a cultivar that has thorns that is native to Illinois. This is a bonus question. Does anyone know what that may be? Uh they're they're a salt tolerant street tree and they have very little leaves. Very small.

Is it a locust? It is a honey locust. Starburst. Yeah.

Incredible. Uh amazing Danielle. And yeah, so um we've since been able to figure find different cultivars that don't have those thorns, but typically when we see those thorns in our environment, that means they're not native. And buckthornne is our primary culprit. Um they are dense, multi- steemmed, have oval leaves with finely tooththed margins, and are that dark glossy green. And why is it problematic? Again, we can see below this thicket, it's there's nothing there. It's impossible. No light gets through. Um they out compete native shrubs. They reduce those spring wildflower cover. And then there's an active ingredient or a chemical in berries that acts as a laxative in birds which accelerates seed dispersal. So think about that. Invasive invasive seeds going in, invasive seeds flying out. Yeah. And it doesn't um they also just don't really provide any legitimate ecosystem services. So we're going to talk a little bit about best practices. Um so for buckthorn removal we have the cut stump method which is something we hope to deploy over the next calendar year with volunteers. Um if anyone's willing to volunteer we can discuss that after today's workshop. Um and the cut stump method primarily consists of cutting the buckthornne removing it from the property not mulching it because those seeds will remain. So removing it from the property um buying a herbicide that will and applying that to the cut surface. the little um dober we can see on the bottom right that's really good just for applying to the cut area as opposed to spraying getting all those airborne chemicals. Um there's a more efficient and uh less environmentally costly way to do that and that's with dabbing it. And then we have hand removal which I like although it is challenging depending on the size of the thicket. Um, as you can see here, this gentleman has a weed wrench, which is uh able to pull up uh it's a honeysuckle bush in this image, but able to pull up those thickets and their root systems,

really just removing them from the ecosystem entirely. Next, we're going to talk about honeysuckle um which we can see some images here. It is often mistaken for an ornamental bush or shrub, but it is invasive. Uh the way we identify this is they have a simple uh they're leaf and I'm sorry. Yeah. Yeah.

You can so long as Yeah. If it's down to the stump, it's just the root system and whatnot. So

So other things you can do are apply a dark plastic bag over the stump. um which works. And then continuing to monitor it for respouts come spring. So um buckthornne really doesn't like to be removed. That's why it's so good at being an invasive. It finds really unique ways to respout and and come back up. So uh monitoring and then replacing which we'll talk about shortly. And you all be making some beautiful colored images of what replacement looks like shortly. But uh yeah, it's the most effective way. Um, yeah. So, honeysuckle, a really good way to ID honeysuckle in our area is by breaking the stem if it's hollow on the inside and has a vase-like structure. You I'm 99% certain that it is honeysuckle. Um, there are native honeysuckle vines that are not to be confused with the bush or the shrub. Um, and their flowers are tubular white to pink, which they're starting to flower now. Uh, we have some at our house in the graange that are starting to show their true colors, which is beautiful and depressing. And they're typically between five and 15 feet and are yeah again multi- stem. And again for the same reasons as buckthornne it is problematic because it outco competes our natives. Uh their canopy intercepts up to 95% of available night light beneath its crown which is a lot. Um and a single mature plant can produce up to 10,000 berries per season. So think about spreading. Yeah 10,000 is a lot. uh degrades habitat quality, creates a deep shade and leaf litter that inhibits native seed germination, and they love riparian habitat and wetland ecosystems. Um, so walking along Flag Creek perhaps uh on the corner of Wolf and Juliet, you may see some or a lot of honeysuckle and that's because that's its ideal habitat. Removal and best practices. So, same as buckthornne, uh the cut stump method or

hand removal. So pretty straightforward there. Yeah, which speaks volumes to the importance of replacement. If we're able to get something in there, be it ground cover or be it um some sort of arborvite or you or something that can really jump in and take hold and establish itself before the other invasive comes in. That's really the best route. Uh leaving it as a blank canvas, so to speak, is probably the Yeah, it's just as bad of an environment as if you didn't remove it. Question in the back. What's the bottle?

It's just a type of uh pesticide. So, it's just you're able to dab it. So, it's kind of like those markers that you could dab. Um and that way you're just only applying it to the

Exactly. Yeah. All right. So, replace invasives with natives. If we don't replace them, they will return. Uh and replacing invasives is critical to ensuring they don't come back. And on your tables, you'll have some packets of some really cool natives. We're about to start our activity. Um, but we have native shrubs, trees, and ground cover, which are three alternatives we can use to replace invasives. On the left, we have the beautiful gray dogwood. Top right, nice bright yellow spice bush in the fall, and then a uh great ground covered Pennsylvania SGE in the bottom right. What's in your yard? So here we have an image of a house that might look familiar to some of some of you. And based on this image, what percent of the overall canopy would you think is invasive? And I know because I grew up in this house, so I know what percentage. If you had to guess, who thinks 10%. Thinks 15, 20. Okay, 25. It's 20. And circled in red are where there are some really thick honeysuckle thicket. Some buckthornne as well. Um that's wolf on the lefth hand side. A ton of honeysuckle there. And then closer to right here at the bottom of our screen, that long oval, a lot of buckthorn that's been there for a long time. And so today, what we're going to do is redesign those spaces. So, uh working together at your tables, I'm going to ask that you use one of the packets of native alternatives and spend the next 10 minutes redesigning your yard. Um, you can either work on your own property. There's a template there uh that's already just a very basic property. So, if you'd like to just reimagine your own native space, it doesn't have to be your native uh your property per se, but I encourage you to work together and kind of explore what redesigning uh could look like.

And I'll walk around and help us. Thanks.

back. Thank you all for participating and indulging me. It's so cool to see everyone uh learning and uh brainstorming what their properties could look like. Really, really cool. Um and our last topic for this evening is just current projects. So really touching on existing project at the village and looking at next steps. Um so we were recently awarded uh two grants. Uh the first is the urban community forestry grant with the Morton Arboritum. Um here we're going to we've already planted 25 and we'll be planting an additional 25 trees this spring um which is beautiful. And then we also have our um open space land acquisition and development grant for Kelly's Park which will increase the quality of life for surrounding families. So really cool just to see two grants that our community was awarded and on the horizon we did apply for the open lands 2026 uh climate resiliency and pollinator conservation grant. Fingers crossed uh we'll be awarded this grant. We had a really strong application. Uh we reimagined the flooded portion of Blackhawk Park to become an interactive rain garden and pollinator corridor. And should we be awarded that grant, we'd love to have all of you or whoever is willing to volunteer come out and um plant some of our pollinator strips, which would be a really cool interactive experience. So fingers crossed we won't know for a few months, but um to be continued. And how can you contribute? Um, so last slide for this evening, but if you'd love to scan this QR code, um, it's going to take you to a quick anonymous survey that will just ask you about today's workshop. Um, no final exam. There won't be any questions, so don't worry. But more so informative, looking to get feedback from you all to seeing what you'd like to see or hear more of in the future. Um, and what the biggest takeaways were from today. Uh, you can also keep an eye on the Village Voice newsletter. We'd love to keep that updated with all of our urban forestry

and other sustainability projects. And then again, keep an eye out for those volunteer opportunities. I will be planting lots of trees and hopefully other native things in the spring. So, I'll leave us at that. Um, thank you all so much. Appreciate it.

And I guess we can do a last Q&A if folks feel inquisitive. Yeah. Speaking of

We'd have to most No. Great point. Thanks for asking. Yeah. Yeah, we I would love to explore kind of responsibility, jurisdiction, and what's able to take place there. But thanks so much for bringing that up. Yeah,

Joe, any questions? Look deep in thought. Look deep in thought. I just figured. Buckthornne. Yeah, I I'll send a final copy to Amy Joe has it and happy to share with anyone. And feel free to take your designs home. Those are for you. Take all of those worksheets home. If there's a specific native sheet you'd love to keep, hang on to that. I will ask for the crayons back unless you really want crayons, then take them. That great. I'll hang around for a little bit if you have questions. Thanks so much.