The City of Lake Oswego is excited to announce a variety of community forestry events – including a Tree-Themed Poetry Contest for Lake Oswego students! While many of these events take place during Oregon Arbor Week, the first full week in April, Lake Oswego celebrates trees throughout the year thanks to the City’s Urban and Community Forestry Program. The Urban and Community Forestry Program promotes education, dialogue, and voluntary stewardship to protect the health and viability of the urban forest.
This year, celebrate trees with a Heritage Tree Dedication beneath the crown of a giant sequoia, Barnyard Tales and a Heritage Tree Walk at Luscher Farm, the Stafford Grove Tree Planting and Poetry Reading with former Oregon Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen, and a beautiful blossoming tree craft activity at the Library. Click here for event details!
Looking for a challenge? People are encouraged to take the Free-A-Tree Challenge – to clear one tree of ivy each day as they take a walk or enjoy their own natural areas. Share your photos! Send a picture of your friends and family freeing a tree of ivy and email it to bhirshberger@ci.oswego.or.us and it will get posted to the City’s Facebook page. How many trees can you free in honor of Arbor Week?
Want to join a work party? Lake Oswego is lucky to have amazing stewardship groups who organize work parties throughout the year. If you are interested in joining the effort or learning more, contact Babs Hamachek, Stewardship Coordinator, at Babsbhamachek@ci.oswego.or.us. In the line-up: Southwood Park, Iron Mountain Park, Glenmorrie Neighborhood Annual Ivy Pull, and Springbrook Park. More options are coming too!
Another exciting opportunity to celebrate Oregon Arbor Week and National Arbor Day plus National Poetry Month is the City’s new Poetry Contest. This poetry contest is for 1st through 12th grade Lake Oswego students. Poems will be judged on creativity, grammar and literary merit. Winning poems will be published in the Lake Oswego Review and on the City’s website. In addition, printed copies will be available at the Lake Oswego Library Poetry Post. Submit your entry to TreePoemContest@gmail.com on or before National Arbor Day, Friday, April 24. Please see the enclosed postcard for complete details.
Poetry contest details, event information, volunteer opportunities, and instructions on how to Free-A-Tree are included in the April Urban & Community Forestry Newsletter available online at www.ci.oswego.or.us/publicaffairs/hello-lo.