What's growin' on at Our City Forest this month?

(Blog version of our Newsletter)

 

**We are Recruiting for Service Team Members** 

Seeking more service-oriented people to be part of our team! The last possible start date is October 30th for 11-month positions, so apply ASAP. Additionally, we are currently recruiting for people who want to serve 6-month terms beginning in January. 

If you are interested or know of anyone, please click on the banner at the top of the website or visit our careers page.

 

**Upcoming Plantings** 

10/17: Meridian Avenue near Fruitdale -  We need volunteers!
This median planting is phase 1 of 30 trees sponsored by District 6 Councilmember, Pierluigi Oliverio. Special Thanks to Pierluigi for his support in keeping his district green! The median has been bare with trees and shrubs that have died. We will be replanting it with the help of Our City Forest volunteers and service members this Saturday. Keep an eye out for the new trees that will beautify this area of Willow Glen.

10/24: Pinehurst Neighborhood Planting
Special thanks to our Tree Amigo, Sarah Viaggi, for coordinating this neighborhood planting of over 10 trees!

10/31: Saratoga PG&E Planting -  We'll be planting 30 trees and 40 drought tolerant plants in Saratoga. We want to thank PG&E and the city of Saratoga for making this project happen. Registration required! 90 Volunteers and 8 Tree Amigo needed.

Sign up to Volunteer!

 

**Upcoming Events** 

10/22:  Our City Forest Community Meeting

• Meet Our City Forest's new Service Team members from 6pm - 8pm at the Rose Garden Library. This meeting is open to the public. We will have a few speakers and information regarding our current programs and upcoming events (ie. Lawn Busters, Holiday Rent-A-Tree and the Fall Plant Sale). Emailrenae@ourcityforest.org for more details or to RSVP.

11/7: The Fall Plant Sale Bonanza & Free Educational Workshops

• Save the Date and join us for a day of fun from 9am - 3pm. Our Community Nursery has a great selection of drought-tolerant & CA native trees, shrubs and grasses. 30% off of shade trees and fruit trees.

• Learn about the benefits of converting your lawn into a water-wise garden. Ask an Arborist: tree care advice. Music, refreshments, arts & crafts and early sign ups for our Holiday Rent-A-Tree Program.

12/1-12/31: Holiday Rent-A-Tree

• A sustainable way to celebrate the holidays! Rent a tree for the month of December and return it shortly after the first of the new year. These trees will be planted into the community instead of our landfills. Sign up online begins 11/1.

New this month: Who you gonna call?... Lawn Busters!
We are wrapping up our "Muni Pilot Program" and we will be expanding our lawn conversion services to other neighborhoods in San Jose. This program is catered to serve home owners that are also low-income, veterans, people with disabilities and/or senior citizens. Watch our program video and learn more at our Lawn Busters page

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On October 3, Our City Forest planted 69 California Native trees at the new Martial Cottle Park in South San Jose. The planting was followed by the 1st annual Harvest Festival, where Treena had a blast meeting community members and participating in the fun events.  We had our Outreach table and plants from the Community Nursery set-up near the entrance, where 5000 visitors came throughout the day. Special thanks to our volunteers and Our City Forest's new Service Members - what a great community event! 

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Ways to pitch in and help out.
View our Volunteer Calendar to see what events are coming up. Sign up with our volunteer coordinators when you know which event you'd like to help out at.

Calling all Cardboard!
We need large pieces of cardboard to use in our LAWNBUSTERS projects. Please drop off any old cardboard to our office or nursery during open hours. Email with inquiries.

We are in need of working cars, trucks and other in-kind donations. Check out our Nursery's Wish List and help us grow!

Interested in helping with our Holiday Rent-A-Tree Program?  We need volunteers with trucks to help deliver trees and helpers during the first few weeks of December to come out at the Nursery. Email renae@ourcityforest.org to find out more information.
 

Help out with OCF on a regular basis!

Nursery Workdays
Thursdays-Saturdays 9am-12pm
Come help us propagate, transplant, water, mulch, and maintain a healthy environment for all of our growing young trees and learn more about adopting sustainable stewardship practices from our team. Individuals and groups welcome. Sign up.

Martial Cottle Workdays
Tuesdays 9am-12pm
Help us care for our newly planted trees and shrubs with our dedicated Tree Amigo, Charlie Key. We have a 2-acre plot at the new Martial Cottle Park and we need help maintaining it. Groups are welcome!  Sign up.

Hedding Street Watering
Day and time is flexible.
We need two volunteers on a once-per-week basis to water the trees along Hedding Street. 2-3 hour commitment. 2 volunteers or Tree Amigos needed. Sign up.

Monterey Highway Watering
Every other Friday 9am - 12pm
We need one volunteer every other week to help us water the trees along Monterey Highway. 1 volunteer or Tree Amigo needed. Sign up.

TJ Martin/Fontana Park Watering
Every Saturday from 9am - 12pm
We need volunteers to water the trees at TJ Martin and Fontana Park on a weekly basis. 4-6 volunteers needed. Sign up.