2024 Canopy Awards

The 2024 Canopy Awards

Thank for attending the 2024 Canopy Awards! See you next year!

The Canopy Awards are Casey Trees’ flagship fundraising event and annual celebration of trees – a time when we recognize the vital role trees play in our communities and the world. It is also Casey Trees’ unique way of honoring the people and partners working to restore, enhance, and protect DC’s tree canopy. Held each year around Arbor Day, Casey Trees comes together with donors, volunteers, sponsors, and partners – to toast the accomplishments of our distinguished honorees and celebrate our shared tree canopy.

To see highlights from last year’s Canopy Awards, click here.

For 2024, our Canopy Award’s theme is “Rooted Connections” – like the tree whose roots grow deep into the earth, we too have Rooted Connections. These are the meaningful relationships we build with each other, even across disparate worlds. We now celebrate our community and create a stronger root system together.

Honoree Categories

Award for Partnership – Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories

Bartlett Tree Experts has been the world’s leading scientific tree and shrub care company since its founding in 1907 by Francis A. Bartlett. The R.A. Bartlett Research Laboratories and Experimental Grounds were formally established in 1926 and can be found today on a 350 acre property in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Bartlett Tree Research Labs support the company with industry-leading research, numerous demonstration and test plots, a level IV class Arboretum, and a diagnostic laboratory that processes thousands of samples each year. The labs are staffed with scientists in fields such as plant pathology, entomology, and horticulture who advise arborists on the latest advances in arboriculture and urban forestry. Casey Trees has been partnering with Bartlett Tree Research Labs for many years, both at Casey Trees Farm and in the field. This partnership has strengthened Casey Trees’ capacity to test different interventions that maximize tree health, improve tree planting and care practices, and inform local and regional responses to pests and diseases – all to ensure our tree canopy continues to thrive and grow. Accepting the award on behalf of Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories is Kelby Fite, Vice President and Director of Research, and Chris Riley, Research Scientist and Technical Support Specialist.

Award for Volunteer Service – Pat Spillman, Team Leader

Pat Spillman has been one of Casey Tree’s most dedicated and humble Team Leaders since 2018. As someone who truly believes in the importance of volunteers getting outside and planting trees, he makes sure to connect his team to the greater mission, and is a wonderful role model for our volunteers. Team Leaders have some key responsibilities: ensuring planting quality and safety, educating volunteer teams, and encouraging everyone to have fun planting trees! Pat consistently goes above and beyond at our Community Tree Plantings to fulfill these responsibilities. Additionally, Pat has been a mentor to new Team Leaders, welcoming them into the community, and teaching them how to best manage a team in order to effectively get trees in the ground. Pat is reliable, enthusiastic, and always willing to help others while keeping a positive attitude at even our most challenging sites. So far in his time at Casey Trees, Pat has attended over 70 tree planting events, inspiring volunteers and planting hundreds of trees all across DC.

Award for Education – Megan Fisk, Science Teacher, Marie Reed Elementary

Megan Fisk is a Science Teacher at Marie Reed Elementary School, teaching PreK through 5th grade students. She uses hands-on and exploratory methods to teach a variety of concepts and scientific practices, such as biology, environmental science, chemistry, computer programming, robotics, and more. Ms. Fisk has been working with Casey Trees and the Nature Near Schools program for over seven years. The program aims to teach younger generations about the value of trees and green space to help ensure that our city’s lush tree-filled legacy continues. Ms. Fisk has been devoted to these goals at Marie Reed Elementary School, giving all her students the opportunity to explore nature, have enriching outdoor experiences, and learn more about their own local environment.

Award for Sustainability – Bloom

Bloom, DC Water’s EPA certified Class A Exceptional Quality biosolids product, works as a soil conditioner to restore urban soil. Bloom is produced at DC Water’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, where the wastewater is processed through intensive and technologically advanced systems. This process creates a carbon and nutrient-rich product that provides larger crop yields, better drought resistance, and is great for home garden, lawn, and tree care. The use of biosolids has proven to be a more sustainable alternative to petroleum-based fertilizers. Applying biosolids to soil helps capture carbon, prevents it from being released to the atmosphere, and recycles important nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen back into the soil instead of releasing them into waterways. Accepting the Award on behalf of Bloom are Chris Peot, President of Blue Drop, and April Thompson, Senior Director of Bloom for Blue Drop.

Award for Leadership – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has served as DC’s only representative to Congress for over 30 years, since 1991. She is the Ranking Member for the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transits, and serves on both the Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. A third-generation Washingtonian, Congresswoman Norton has continuously advocated for both the DC community and our trees. This year’s award recognizes the Congresswoman’s efforts in advocating for federal support of DC’s tree canopy, ensuring DC is awarded opportunities for federal funding, and continuously championing the voices and concerns of DC residents. In 2019, Congresswoman Norton testified to the Committee on Agriculture to include DC in government funding to support cooperative forestry research programs in efforts to prevent flooding, reintroduce native tree species to DC, and provide educational resources about trees to DC residents. More recently, Congresswoman Norton advocated for DC’s inclusion in Inflation Reduction Act funding, of which DC received over $9 million for tree planting, tree care, and education.

Sponsors

For those looking to deepen their engagement, consider becoming a sponsor of the Canopy Awards. In addition to contributing to the District’s tree canopy, sponsors receive an array of promotional opportunities. To see the full list of benefits, and secure your spot today, click the button below. Sponsorships will be accepted until April 1, 2024.

SPONSORSHIP PDF