Staff Report

Do you have a home, farm or business on the Rock River? Do you like oak trees? You don’t necessarily have to be a tree hugger, but if you’d like some FREE trees, the Rock River Trail Initiative is bringing them to a town near you.
The trees will be bur oak, swamp oak, white oak, and red oak.

Each sapling is two to four feet long, rooted. The trees will be delivered to the 11 counties of the Rock River Trail. Tentatively, the trees will be distributed in Rock Island, Henry, and  Whiteside counties April 13; Lee, Ogle, Winnebago, Rock, and Dane counties April 14; and Jefferson, Dodge and Fond du Lac counties April 15. Depending on the temperature, the delivery may be more prompt.

With the only caveat being the trees must be planted within sight of the Rock River, each of the 11 counties will get 910 trees. The 455 trees are slated for the public sector: city, county, state, and national parks, preserves or conservation areas. The other 455 trees are slated for commercial businesses and residences along the Rock River.
For Ogle County, contact Byron Forest Preserve Executive Director Todd Tucker, 7993 N. River Road, Byron, IL 61010-9533, Distribution TBA. Phone  (815) 234-8535.

For Winnebago County, contact Rockford Park District Manager Horticulturalist for Parks Dan Erwin. Distribution of the trees will be on Saturday, April 16, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. as supply lasts at RPD Trolley Station, 302 N. Madison. Phone (815)-987-1661.

For Rock County, contact County Conservationist Thomas Sweeney, USDA – Service Center, 440 N US Highway 14, Janesville, WI  53546, located in the USDA Service Center on Highway 14, east of Janesville. Distribution TBA. Phone (608) 754-6617, Ext. 115.

This is also an invitation for the citizens, tourism-oriented businesses, elected officials and naturalists of your area to the “2nd Annual Meet the Neighbors, Re-Discovering the Rock River: an exploration, inventory, assessment and declaration of the Rock River Trail,” April 28 at the Clock Tower Resort and Conference Center in Rockford, Ill. Yes, the Rock River Trail is being built, and many will be surprised how much of it already exists! Please join your river neighbors for a discussion of marketing and improving our environment!

The main goal of the Rock River Trail Initiative, whose parent organization is the 501 (c)(3) Friends of the Rock, is to found a National Scenic, Recreational and Historic Trail along the 285 miles of the Rock River, from its source above the Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin to its mouth at the Quad Cities in Illinois.

Eco-tourism and the resulting economic development and jobs will reinforce the goals of protecting and improving the water quality and general environment along the Rock River.

The trees were facilitated through the Quad Cities WaterKeeper Art Norris (quadcitieswaterkeeperuppermississippi.org ^[1]), whose association with Chad Pregracke, president of Living Lands and Waters’ One Million Trees program, brought about the donation of 10,000 trees to the Rock River Trail Initiative, to be distributed to all 11 counties along the Rock River.

At the Feb. 3 Rock RiverTrail national and state legislative briefing in Rockford, Ill., Pregracke liked what he heard about the Rock River Trail Initiative so much, he increased his initial offering of 5,000 trees to 10,000. Visit www.livinglandsandwaters.org/milliontrees/default.htm. ^[2]

Many thanks to Tim Dimke, Dan Erwin, Randy Olson, Don Miller, Tom Hartley, Jim Ryan, Chad Pregracke and all their staffs. Special thanks to Warren Green, branch rental manager of Penske Truck Rentals in Rockford, Ill., who has donated an 8,000-pound capacity truck for the pick-up and delivery of the oak trees. For more information, go to www.GoPenske.com ^[3].

Special thanks to the City of Rockford and Mayor Lawrence “Larry” J. Morrissey for the donation of $500 for fuel costs, and to Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen and the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District for $1,300 to advertise with the Illinois and Wisconsin Press associations.

For a complete list of distribution points and updates in every county on the Rock River, go to www.rockrivertrail.com ^[4], and click on the “Free oak trees” posting.

Ahhh, go ahead! hug a tree! You’ll like it!

For the April 13-19, 2011 issue