Beach receives prestigious award for streetscape program
The Town of Fort Myers Beach recently received the Lady Bird Johnson award from the National Arbor Day Foundation for its streetscape project.
The town’s streetscape program involves using trees that are native to the area to enhance beauty and increase the environmental benefits that trees provide to urban areas, according to James R. Karels, director of the Florida Division of Forestry.
Mayor Larry Kiker, Town Manager Scott Janke and their staffs were congratulated and called example-setters to nearby communities for their project by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Charles H. Bronson.
The Estero Island Garden Club assisted with the preparation of the educational booklet which was prepared to “foster a spirit of participation among beach residents”.
Project director Lois A. Poff, administrative assistant for the town’s Community Development Department, said the award was a result of her office’s work with its annual Arbor Day tree sale and their streetscape booklet called, “Shades of Fort Myers Beach.”
“In the booklet, we have a streetscape mission and objective to reimburse residents for 50 percent of pre-approved tree purchases and installation if they agree to work with at least two of their neighbors and if they incorporate the trees listed in the booklet,” said Poff. “We submitted the booklet to educate the residents on all native trees and how to plant and prune them.”
Poff said the prestigious award was a surprise to her office.
“The booklet was primarily submitted as an educational project,” she said. “But the National Arbor Day Foundation decided to give us the Lady Bird Johnson award for the streetscape program for roadside beautification.”
Produced by the Town of Fort Myers Beach, Shades was designed by the Visual Arts Center of Fort Myers and included project consultants Sylvia Lachapelle, Theresa Schober and John Sibley; project advisor Michael Weston; photographers Audrey Inglis, Mary Johnson and Denys Beecher; and editors Marianne Worden and John Worden.
Florida Arbor Day is recognized in January, while National Arbor Day is celebrated in April.