Fountain Hills Urban Forest
http://empoweredtmd.org/fh-urban-forest/
Meeting Date: Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Meeting Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Meeting Location: The Hills Pizza & the Butterfly Garden at The Fountain Park
Attendees:
Lisa Ristuccia, Billy Ristuccia, Devon Ristuccia, Joe Geare, Jake Eberspacher, Donald Jacques, Maureen Grottke
Preferred Locations:
Fountain Hills Charter School & Butterfly Garden at the Fountain Park
If additional trees are available, we could find additional locations within the Fountain Park
Qualities of Preferred Trees:
Low water requirements (although not as much of an issue at the Butterfly Garden)
Low litter
Provides shade
Not allergy triggers
No thorns
Not invasive
Nitrogen-fixing
Possible Trees:
Acacia
Orchid Tree
Moringa Tree
Desert Willow
Fruitless Olive
Texas Olive
Chinese Pistache
Velvet Mesquite
Evergreen Elm
Pomegranate
California Peppertree
Ash
Ironwood
Fruit Trees
Other Suggested Additions:
Educational signage
Hummingbird feeders
Bird feeders
Owl boxes
Benches
Things to Consider:
Tree size
Growth rate
Irrigation
Root ball size
Where roots might go & what they might disturb
Spacing
Mix of trees for variety
Butterfly garden at Fountain Park uses effluent water for irrigation, which is cost effective & conservation-based.
Tree Nurseries:
Verde Valley
Moon Valley
Connections to get permission/suggestions/assistance:
Fountain Hills Cultural & Civic Association
Fountain Hills Charter School Principal & Board
Fountain Hills Mayor Ginny Dickey & Town Council
Fountain Hills Town Manager Grady Miller
Fountain Hills Park Facilities – Joe & Kevin
Funds will cover:
Trees, Irrigation, Tools & Equipment
Benefits to community:
Shade for people, plants & animals; healthier air; enhance butterfly garden project; hands-on service learning project; science investigation for students; places for wildlife; volunteer opportunities
Other conversations and meetings:
From Judi Becker via Facebook 6-11-19: ...for small trees, ones good for small areas/courtyards, there's Cascalote, Anacacho orchid tree, Texas olive, Texas ebony, Brazilwood, Texas Mountain Laurel, Desert Willow, Desert Fern Tree... those are just a few... I've picked the ones that aren't thorny. :-) For large trees, Ironwood is beautiful though a slow grower, the Sonoran Palo Verde (Palo Brea) is nice... it has the bark that looks like a leotard clinging to the trunk and branches. Arizona ash is also nice for a large tree. And there's also the mesquites though I think they get a bad reputation. Are the trees to be planted on Town property?
Meeting with Lisa Ristuccia, Joe Geare & Allyn Wright at Denny’s on 6-19-19 at 8:30 am. Initial introductory meeting.
Additional people who would expressed interest and would like to be involved:
Loreley Hall, Judi Becker, Nicholas John, Ryan Malikowski, Vicky Betts Derksen, Jenny Willigrod, Allyn Wright, Nancy Stahl, Tracy Alcorn, Clayton Corey, Claire Fifield, Leslie & Ava DeCampo, Stephany Pueschel, Colleen Fedigan-Walski, Steven Klein, Donna Beers, Suzanne Nann, Kate Suchanek, Jenica Hall, Rose Gonsoulin, Linda Dudley, Pamela Ann, Laine Lambright, Mandi Gallagher, Matt McDonald, Mike Horn, Heidi Golden, Christine Simon, Kim Ferch Minert, Kerry Shannon, Joe Eckloff, Tim Hoogstad, Stephanie Kniffin Wildeman, Jeanne Hurlbut, Alexandra Davis, Lisa Downes-Poll, Paula Miller Eberspacher, Sandra Kaminski Wimmer, Patti Gruessing, Gina Iggy, Traci Polit Farella, Pamela Trompeter Aguilu, David Ward, Diana Davis, Lori Webster, Veronica Dorava, Malcolm Tinkham, Dawn Schlum, James Hietter, Laura Winstin-Seitz, Michele Luzinski, Monika Krysianik, Debra Glass, Christine Pinna, Kathleen Veverka
Looking forward to making this happen for Fountain Hills!
