Public Programs Archive

Jeff Barnard, chair of the Juneau Urban Forestry Partnership and a biologist with the U.S. Forest Service, is the featured speaker at this month's first Coffee & Collections program on Saturday, April 16th, from 10:30 to 12 noon.

This program happens in conjunction with an event happening in May, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first Arbor Day observance in Alaska, which took place on what is now the Museum grounds but was then the Juneau Memorial Library. Jeff will discuss some of the groups and individuals who led the effort to build the library, explain why it was the site of the first Alaska Arbor Day, and describe the events surrounding that ceremony.

Established in 1998, the Juneau Urban Forestry Partnership is a nonprofit group formed to promote the value of trees in our community. They work towards this aim through education, by making information available about tree management and care, and by hands-on projects such as tree planting around town. As part of May's Arbor Day celebration, the JUFP plans to install a new Hawthorne tree outside the Museum, replacing the old tree whose health has been in decline.