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245 THOUSAND SQUARE MILES OF COMMUNITY FORESTS:CREATING,
PROMOTING, AND SUSTAINING A VIABLE PARTNERSHIP IN TWO LARGE RURAL
STATES
PRESENTED FOR:2015 PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY FORESTRY
CONFERENCEDENVER, COLORADO
PRESENTED BY:Mike Garvey, Registered Consulting Arborist
Billings, MontanaMark Ellison, Community Forester, City of
Cheyenne, WyomingRed Lodge, Montana, The Hi Bug District, 1908.
Photo courtesy: Carbon County Historical Society
Howdy Pardners- Welcome to Partners in Community
ForestryLIVINGSTON, MONTANA
ITS ALL THE SAME DISTANCE!1,152 km 720 milesLIBBY, MT to
CHEYENNE, WYCHICAGO to TALLAHASSEEBOSTON to COLUMBIA, S.CSEATTLE to
SAN FRANSISCODENVER to SAINT LOUIS
DRIVE TIMELIBBY to CHEYENNE1,579 km - 987 miles =14 HOURS 23
MINUTES
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Land of Wide Open Spaces
WyomingPopulation: 584,153Largest city: 62,448People/sq. mi:
5.8Total Cattle: 1,300,000 MontanaPopulation: 1, 024,000Largest
city: 109,059People/sq. mi: 6.8Total Cattle: 2,500,000
We Value our Trees
Early settlers brought trees with themYou dont grow trees by
luck out west
Cheyenne, Wyoming 1930
MT/WY ARBORISTS OFTEN UNDERSERVED
ISA Chapter runs from Canadian border to Mexican border
Majority of chapter resides along the Front Range of CO
MT/WY are mostly rural intimidated by The City
Rural states often have very different needs/issues
URBAN FORESTRY OR COMMUNITY FORESTRY?VARIANT VENUES SIMILAR
SITUATIONSProvidence, Rhode IslandNeihart, Montana
Fish Creek, MontanaCentral Park, NYCCOMMUNITY FORESTRY IS WHERE
YOU FIND IT
THE GENESIS OF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES TREE SCHOOL
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN TWO STATES: WYOMING - MONTANA
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC AGENCIES & PRIVATE BUSINESSES
PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION BASED ON CONTEMPORY SCIENCE &
RESEARCH
UTILIZE LOCAL EXPERT EXPERIENCE
Built on Past Successes
Are there successful workshops you could partner with?
Tap into their resources reputation, marketing, grant funding,
sponsorships, expertise, logistical support
Build your workshop by lessening your responsibilities/work load
split the responsibilities, alternate between jurisdictions, avoid
burnout, encourage local involvement/support
PARTNERSHIPSIt all started with a private/public partnership
How can we help each other?
What do I have to gain?
We all grow together
Broad reach
Its About the People
Build camaraderie between jurisdictions
Friendly rivalry
Build traditions
Lasting relationships
Local Expertise Goes a Long Way
You dont need to bring in national speakers to pack em in
Get to know your local and regional experts more hands
approach
Local experts have a strong connection to nearby communities and
can better relate to local issues
Survey the needs of your constituents most want to hear about
local and regional subjects
Backup national speakers with local/regional examples
2015 TREE SCHOOL:LIVINGSTON, MONTANA
INNOVATIVE CLASSROOM TOPIC AND VENUE THE AFTERLIFE OF GREEN ASH
TREES
PAINTING OUTSIDE THE BARKA partnership of talent:Led by a
Municipal Forester who is an artist!INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP
:CONNECTING TREES AND PEOPLES PERCEPTION OF TREES
INTRODUCING MONTANAS NATIONAL CONSERVATION FOUNDATION ENVIROTHON
TEAM:MONTANA CHAMPS & 20TH PLACE IN NATIONAL
COMPETITION!NCF-ENVIROTHON 2015 THEME:URBAN -COMMUNITY FORESTS
PARTNERSHIPS WITH CONSERVATION DISTRICTS-US FOREST
SERVICES-SCHOOLSA NATURAL RESOURCE ENCOUNTER FOR THE NEXT
GENERATION
AN ONGOING LEARNING EXPERIENCEPARTNERSHIP COLLABORATION:THE
CHALLENGE IS GETTING EVERYONE IN THE SAME DIRECTION
VOLUNTEERS TREE BOARDS-UTILITY PROVIDERS-SCHOOLS-CIVIC
GROUPSPhoto courtesy: John Hill
LOOKING UP:THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE NRTS PARTNERSHIP125-175
ATTENDEESALWAYS A PROFITACCESSABLE EDUCATIONNEW FRIENDSHIPS NEW
OPPORTUNITIESGREAT SCENARIO FOR TIME WITH LEADING EXPERTSSHOWCASE
THE BEAUTIFUL STATES OF WYOMING & MONTANA
The Success is in the Numbers
Red Lodge, 2011: 130 attendeesDillon, 2013: 160
attendeesLivingston, 2015: 200 attendeesCody, 2010: 90
attendeesSheridan, 2012: 120 attendeesCody, 2014: 140 attendees
THE DOWNSIDE OF SUCCESS:WERE GOING TO NEED A BIGGER BOAT
LIMITED FUNDING SOURCESNO CONSENSUS FOR NFP STATUSACCOUNTING
ISSUESPRO TEM COMMITTEESDIFFICULTY OF GOING BIG IN A SMALL
COMMUNITYLOSING THE PERSONAL TOUCH
PCF 2013 CONFERENCE,PITTSBURGHRIVER RESTORATION TREE & BIKE
TOUREXPANDING THE PARTNERSHIP PALETTE: INVITE THE LOCK
MAKERS!!!Manhattan, NYCMissoula, Montana
