City Trees

I had a huge desire to go to MFI; I'm glad I got to bring questions, goals, and a desire for personal development to MFI after its focus year. Fresh for everyone! I had to work out funding, take a leap of faith, put myself where perhaps I was not comfortable, and develop the attitude of expectation that what I sought would be there for me. And it was! It all worked out better than anticipated. MFI is unique. So many times we are given training in things like tree structure, development, disease, rigging, and wood manipulation. But rarely are we given training in community leadership, program development, and personal development within the framework of our daily tasks and with our peers in the field of urban for- estry. MFI is a holistic approach to all of those things. The week was kept animated in part by our own per- sonal project that we brought. Some people had the same project, others had unique individual projects, while others were clearly on their way to constructing a game plan for accomplishment in their municipality. Others couldn't even begin to verbalize the projects they had currently sitting on their desks at home: "I have too much! Where do I begin?!" But we all found footing, with the programs presented, the people we met, or the instructors we interacted with. For me, I think the biggest gift was that I now have 75 colleagues in a similar field to bounce things off of. It would have taken me 100 years to meet and develop a relationship with that many folks, if I had been left to do that on my own. Strength in numbers! This year's venue on Jekyll Island was super great. When things got too heavy, a walk on the beach or a jump into the ocean gave relief. The Georgia weather at this time of year was beautiful. The beach, ocean, driftwood, sea turtles, live oaks, Spanish moss, and palm trees colored our pages of remembrance of this year's MFI. Consider how this year's MFI graduates will color the pages of who they impact when they get home; how will all of these people make a differ- ence within the community they lead? Big impact! Thanks for the adventure! I would encourage everyone who works with people, trees, community projects, forestry funding, environmental grant writing, and impacting their community for the better, to look into MFI. This might be an adventure for you, too! —Leslie Gover, City Arborist, Happy Valley, Oregon For me, I think the biggest gift was that I now have 75 colleagues in a similar field to bounce things off of. It would have taken me 100 years to meet and develop a relationship with that many folks, if I had been left to do that on my own. Strength in numbers! 16 CityTREES

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