Kalispell Parks and Recreation earns top regional award
The Kalispell Parks and Recreation office on Monday was awarded the Gold Leaf Award — a top honor of a region that stretches from Canada to Mexico — for its 2016 Arbor Day event, which brought Kalispell students, teachers, businesses and organizations together for an educational event.
Rick Plantenberg, director of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, presented the chapter’s Gold Leaf Award to Kalispell Parks Superintendent Fred Bicha for the local department’s “Kalispell Roots Growing Montana Strong” Arbor Day event in April. Kalispell is one of two cities to receive the award from the Rocky Mountain Chapter, which covers New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Kalispell’s Gold Leaf Award recognizes Arbor Day events that draws community support toward education on tree preservation.
“You guys should be very proud,” Plantenberg said. “No one else in this country is doing Arbor Day celebrations like Kalispell.”
The Kalispell Arbor Day event last April attracted more people to Lawrence Park than any other year in the holiday’s history. The the event drew 330 people last spring, including third graders from the entire area school district, along with teachers and chaperones, while 16 companies sponsored educational booths, presentations and activities. Each student planted a tree donated by the Montana Department of Natural Resource Conservation, while 80 volunteers oversaw the event. Twelve businesses bolstered the event by raising $2,700 to fund the trees, T-shirts and activities.
“My goal for Arbor Day is to get the whole city of Kalispell involved,” Bicha said. “It’s really cool to reach all different levels.”
BICHA RECEIVED the award once before, while working as a city forester in Billings. For the last three years in Kalispell, Bicha has developed a new model for the Arbor Day event, which used to travel to one school in the district each year. That model reached only about 60 kids each Arbor Day, Bicha said, while now the event reaches every third-grader in the district.
“It’s really cool and it’s a great working relationship with the high school,” Bicha said. High school creative design students contribute by creating the T-shirt logo, while honor students guide younger students through each presentation and workshop.
Plantenberg drove to Kalispell on Monday from Townsend, where he serves on the city tree board. He said because of its size and resources, Kalispell is typically the underdog in competition for the award.
“It’s very prestigious because you’re competing against some very large cities, especially in Colorado,” he said.
Bicha said next year’s Arbor Day celebration will be bigger and better. Kalispell could receive another award before then, considering its recent selection to the final three cities in the running for Tree City of Montana. If awarded, the Kalispell Parks and Recreation department would receive $10,000 for urban forestry projects and host the Gov. Steve Bullock on the upcoming Arbor Day.
“We’re really hoping for that,” Bicha said.
For next year’s event, “We’re going to probably look at a different park this year, to spread it out and keep it creative,” Bicha added.
Bicha said the department and the city Street Tree Committee are also working on a new urban forestry plan for Kalispell’s city arboriculture, a document that will guide the Urban Forestry Program over the 10 years. The final document will examine the city’s resources and look to align tree care practice standards with those around the tree industry and nation. The Parks and Recreation office is currently taking public comment through a survey, which is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/WWHK232. For more information, call the parks department at 406-758-7718.
Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.