100 Letters Go A Long Way
Keep Western New York Beautiful would like to express a heart felt thank you to BRO viewers. In the aftermath of our October snow storm, which devastated our urban forest, Keep Western New York Beautiful put together an application to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Urban and Community Forestry Program for their 2006 Tree Planting Cost Share Grant to go towards neighborhood reforestation efforts.
The support received was tremendous from the community at large with over 100 letters received by the DEC. It was recently announced that the application was awarded for $19,968 that will go towards planting trees this upcoming spring and fall through block clubs, schools and community organizations. While the need from the storm greatly overshadows the grant award received it does begin the process of reforesting our city and beginning the healing process. So again – thank you Buffalo.
Justin,
Thanks for all of your good work. The city needs more motivated people like you.
I am truly inspired by the individuals and the groups of our great city who continually make a difference. Bravo!!!! Everyone can do something!!
Wasn't this grant in conjunction with ReTree WNY?
Buffalo needs more of this, people getting the job done themselves. We sat around and complained long enough it's time the city took its future back into it's own hands.
Great work, as usual Justin. Thank you.
PS The people in that photograph look vaguely familar!
$20K for writing letters? That's amazing, and it's certainly a good start at replanting some of the lost trees. It's so nice to hear about people who stop complaining and get things done!
Keep planting those trees
and dont forget to tell everyone in Buffalo to plant a tree! Bring back our urban and metropolitan forest.
Great work Justin. $20k will plant about 80 trees ($250/tree.) It's a start in the right direction.
Will the plantings be concentrated in a certain neighborhood or will they be planted citywide?
My neighbor just had the city owned tree in front of his house on Ashland cut down last week. I heard he didn't like it blocking the light or the view. It was planted in 1977 and was about 40ft tall and survived the storm very well. The neighbors told him it was a city tree and he couldn't cut it down but he did it anyway. The stump is still there so a new tree can't be planted. After all the trees we lost this year it's hard to believe this jerk would do this.
Some of us are very upset about this and wonder if there is anything we can do.