Bill Naito Community Trees Award Recipients

Information
Bill Naito Award
The Bill Naito Award was created to honor the stories of individuals, organizations or projects that have continued Bill's work and reflect his dedication. Together, these stories weave a picture of our community's dedication to Portland's urban forest heritage.
YearRecipientOrganization/Project
2023Connecting Canopies CoalitionFor promoting environmental justice and a more diverse green movement and workforce through their youth career development program, quarterly regional forums, and regular engagement activities for the region’s BIPOC community. For details, see Connecting Canopies Receives 2023 Bill Nation Community Trees Award.
2022Ginger EdwardsGinger founded the Arbor Lodge Tree Team, a group of volunteers working to plant, preserve, and promote trees in the neighborhood and beyond. Ginger has guided, motivated, and ever-so-gently cajoled the group of volunteer “tree geeks” to be increasingly cohesive, educated, and focused on the two branches of our tree mission: policy/advocacy/education and putting trees in the ground.
2022No Ivy LeagueNo Ivy League has worked tirelessly to empower youth, educate the public, and remove English ivy from Portland's parks. No Ivy League's mission is to restore the native habitat of Forest Park and other natural areas with efforts in removing invasive plants, youth development programs, environmental education, and community participation - promoting research, providing technical assistance, and seeking relevant societal changes.
2021Kyna RubinKyna is a writer and naturalist and a years-long volunteer for trees. She is a founder of Trees for Life Oregon, a volunteer organization that advocates for large, long-lived trees and space for them in every part of the city. She founded the Irvington Tree Team and has been the Friends of Trees Irvington Neighborhood Coordinator. As Trees for Life Oregon’s primary writer and editor, she translates for the public sometimes complex subjects such as trees and equity, tree preservation, the history and origin of Portland’s tree code, and tree code amendments. Her work convenes developers, planners, and tree lovers to discuss the nitty-gritty of how zoning and development impact the urban canopy.
2021Wisdom of the EldersWisdom of the Elders' Wisdom Workforce Development Internship Program provides a paid internship experience for Native American community members to learn job skills critical for work in the environmental sector. The program includes hands-on experiences with partner organizations, including Portland Parks & Recreation, to learn habitat restoration, tree planting and care, and more. Interns learn and apply Traditional Ecological Knowledge to their work. This holistic and specialized training program is the start of a meaningful environmental career pathway for participants.
2020Linda RobinsonLinda has been an advocate for Portland parks for many years, and a vocal advocate for trees for all. As a community partner, Linda has been working with PP&R Urban Forestry on a number of projects planting new trees in parks. She tirelessly met with them and always attended public events to show the support of EPPC. A long-term resident of East Portland, she knows the area and is vested in its growth of green infrastructure.
2020Tree Emergency Response TeamThe Tree Emergency Response Team brings awareness to trees that may be at risk of being removed during development. Their approach to accomplish this great task is a unique one – through art. Artists paint trees at sites that have been selected for their vulnerability to potential development. By engaging the public, property owner, or even a developer to the beauty and community surrounding these trees, their hope is that the trees can be incorporated into a design instead of being removed.
2019Tom RalleyTom has been a dedicated volunteer to Lent school for the past 16 years, expanding into caring for trees following the planting of 77 trees for Arbor Day in 2007, as well as the three Learning Landscapes plantings that have occurred there since. Tom has not only cared for the trees himself but has shared his knowledge and time with our Youth Conservation Tree Crew to learn tree establishment care. Tom has been a wonderful steward of the urban forest in his efforts to not only care for trees, but to recognize the need to teach younger generations to continue the care for years to come.
2019The Canopy Stories FilmmakersThis documentary series highlighted many of the great historical trees in Portland, as well as the challenges to growing an equitable urban forest in our city. This was NW Documentary's first anthology film project, featuring the work of ten local filmmakers who each took inspiration from a tree to tell a story, all on volunteer time. This group of filmmakers provided an accessible vehicle to share their inspiring stories with Portlanders and provided a call to action for everyone to do more towards raising awareness of why our city's trees are vital to our collective wellbeing and the importance of protecting them. 
2018Carol LeeFor bringing trees to the Jade District by effectively communicating with commercial, industrial and multi-family property owners about the value of trees towards improving air quality, public health and safety concerns in this low canopy neighborhood, home to many diverse communities of Portlanders.  
2018St Johns Tree TeamFor dedicating, and re-dedicating themselves to the mission of caring for and expanding the canopy of this North Portland neighborhood through community workshops, tree plantings and inspiring use of digital media in an effort to raise awareness and call neighbors to action.  
2017Catherine ClarkFor exemplifying the spirit of Neighborhood Tree Stewardship by educating, inspiring, and leading neighbors to take action; and transforming the Roseway canopy, in the process.
2017Tree Inventory Volunteers For your dedicated service to the city — measuring, mapping, and identifying 218,602 street trees; and following up with myriad acts of stewardship in support of our urban forest.
2016Jim LabbeFor contributions to the conservation and management of Portland's urban forest as a student, watershed council coordinator, consultant, citizen advocate, and as Urban Conservationist with the Audubon Society.
2016Albina Neighborhood Tree TeamFor their inspired, equity-based approach to working with neighbors and trees in low income neighborhoods, which may serve as a model of restoration for other neighborhoods in Portland. 
2015John LottHundreds of hours of volunteer service with the Portland Fruit Tree Project and Green Thumb Community Orchard.
2015Leigh Rappaport Helped lead 2,200 volunteers to plant 4,000 trees on the I-205 multi-use path with the Leadership Corps of the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center's Rosemary Anderson High School.
2014Phil HamiltonFor 21,000 hours organizing and working at the restoration of the Tryon Creek State Natural Area.
2014Damon Schrosk and Martin Nicholson Completed the World Record Tree Hug at Hoyt Arboretum with the help of many, many volunteers.
2013Mark FranklinManaging 800 acres of Portland Public Schools' grounds.
2013Anne Downing David Douglas High School ENL Students contributed to their communities by planting more than 1,000 trees. 
2012Phyllis Reynolds40 years of advocacy for urban trees.
2012Concordia Tree TeamStreet tree inventory and tree plan for Concordia neighborhood.
2012David OdomIn memoriam, for his dedication to protecting and educating about trees.
2010Save Our ElmsPreservation of Portland's elm trees from Dutch Elm Disease.
2010Bruce NelsonVolunteer instructor for PP&R and Friends of Trees, helped create an arboretum at Rigler Elementary School.
2009Chad HonlVestal Elementary School play area improvements.
2008Friends of Columbia Children's ArboretumRestoration and development of the arboretum.
2008Jefferson High School Ecology ClassPlanted 28 native trees on the school campus.
2007Ed KernsLents Springwater Habitat Restoration Group.
2007Eastmoreland Neighborhood Tree CommitteeHelped neighbors maintain and improve Eastmoreland's tree canopy since 1996.
2006Tuesday Crew VolunteersHoyt Arboretum.
2005Jim GersbachAinsworth Linear Arboretum.
2004Sean Batty and the Parkway Improvement CommitteeRoseway Neighborhood Association NE 72 Avenue parkway improvement project.
2003Starr HogeboomPeace Garden and Natural Area at Rigler Elementary School.
2002Dr. Joseph PoracskyPortland State University, Geography Dept. Urban Forest Canopy Cover Report.
2001Jane GlazerPortland's Heritage Tree Program, founder.
2000James AllisonFriends of Trees, developed natural area planting program.
1999Doug KlotzWorked to protect trees using the City's landscape ordinance.
1998Friends of TreesWorks with community to plant, tend, and educate about trees.
1998Terry GriffithsAdvocate for trees in Woodstock neighborhood.
1998Sandy DiedrichPP&R No Ivy League program, founder.
1997Richard SeidmanFriends of Trees, founder.
1997Portland General ElectricSeed the Future Campaign.