Summer 2010 TREE Fund Report: Looking Ahead to Australia
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The TREE Fund is looking forward to fundraisers in two hemispheres in 2011, when the Australian Chapter of ISA hosts the International Conference in Sydney, and the Southern Chapter, the Utility Arborists Association, the MidAtlantic Chapter and STIHL join forces to keep the stateside contingent engaged.
The TREE Fund’s 2011 special events season opens with our Raise Your Hand for Research auction (U.S. edition) February 20 at the North American Tree Conference in Savannah, GA. Co-hosted by the Southern Chapter of ISA and the UAA, the NATC is expected to be the largest stateside gathering of arboriculture professionals in 2011, and the TREE Fund is pleased to have been invited to participate. The program includes a 2-day silent auction on the expo floor, a live auction following the President’s Welcome Reception on Sunday night, and a “Split the Pot” raffle drawing on Monday.
An auction to benefit the TREE Fund is also on the agenda in Australia, at the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Parramatta on July 26. Details will be posted on the TREE Fund and ISA websites as they become available.
Many Tour des Trees cyclists are eagerly anticipating the “2011 Tour des Trees Down Under”, scheduled for the week of July 17-23 in New South Wales (exact dates TBA). The TdTDU is expected to launch from Australia’s mountainous capital of Canberra, cycle through the Kangaroo Valley to the coast, follow the coastline north to Sydney and finish at Parramatta on July 23, Australia’s Arbor Day.
Registration for non-Australian riders opens January 3. Watch the TREE Fund website for details. Non-Australian riders will be required to raise $3500 US to participate in the TdTDU.
Cyclists not able (or inclined) to travel to Australia this summer can look forward to an autumn Tour des Trees on America’s east coast. Preliminary plans include a 1-day Ride for Research in the Virginia Beach, VA area on October 2, a private tour of STIHL’s chainsaw production facility, a stopover in Williamsburg during the MAC-ISA Field Day and Conference Oct. 3 and a sojourn into the Appalachian Mountains before concluding in Washington D.C. on October 8. Registration for the 2011 stateside Tour des Trees opens Jan 3. Watch the Stihl Tour des Trees website for details.