You're Invited to The 43 Trees Project Art Exhibit

Portraits of the Fallen

The Ravage and Remnants of Super Storm Sandy
An Interactive Art Exhibit by John Craig and Deborah Sperry

October 2013 - January 2014
Edison Municipal Gallery, 3rd Floor
Edison Municipal Building
100 Municipal Boulevard 
Edison, New Jersey 08817

Opening Reception:
October 23, 2013
6:30 - 8:00 P.M.

www.43trees.com

Heat Waves, Fire, and Slow Regeneration

As we struggle to get through the first heat wave of the summer of 2013 in the East, it should be considered mild compared to what is happening in the West.

Temperatures of 110 degrees and better in Arizona and Nevada, 120+ degrees  in Death Valley are causing warped roads, power outages, and dangerous conditions.  These high temperatures do not seem to be just a spike that is happening because it's July and it's summer.  Instead it seems to be a more prolonged issue; according to TheAtlanticCities.com:

"In June, high-temperature records across the U.S. were broken 873 times and tied 423 times. New records are now on the books in North Pole, Alaska (near Fairbanks), where the mercury reached 80.1 degrees on June 1, 114.1 degrees in Zion National Park in Utah on June 29, and on June 30 in the aptly named California town ofBaker, an incredible 120 degrees. That actually turned out to be cool compared to Palm Springs, about 100 miles south, where it was 122 that same day, besting a record of 120 degrees set in 1950."

With these high temperatures we also see in increase in forest fires. The theory has always been, fire will clear out the old and create conditions favorable for forest regeneration.  But scientist are not so sure anymore. The high temperatures are creating long term droughts that make it much harder for the forests survival. 

Here is a link to a great story and video from NBCNews.com: 
Will Forest flourish after fires? In a warming world, not always.

A 43 Trees Project Update

It's been more than a month since The 43 Trees Project Earth Day Walk, and we figured that we should let everyone know what we've been doing.

The rush to our Earth Day walk was so intense that afterwards we decided to take a couple of weeks off from the project. Now that we're back, we have begun work on additional content for the web site.  This will include videos, readings, some surprises, and updates from the park.

And in the latest update from Roosevelt Park, one of the things we have noticed is the difference from when Super Storm Sandy hit New Jersey last October.  The Middlesex County Parks and Recreation Department has made a major effort to clean up many of the fallen trees and branches, and many others are almost invisible due to the Spring growth.  Some of these changes can be seen in our friend Hugo (below), who stood so tall and broken and now has been over-run by Poison Ivy.  To see his portrait from last fall click here.

Finally, The 43 Trees Project Lives!  Within the next couple of weeks we will have a major announcement about the next phase of The 43 Trees Project. Until then, enjoy the summer and think of us as you are sitting under the cool shade of your favorite tree.

Today Is The Day!

Come on out for today's 43 Trees Project Earth Day Interactive Walk.

Join us in Roosevelt Park, Grove 2A in Edison, NJ between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm, and don't forget your smartphone!
Find us here.

Get Your QR Code Reader and Go For A Walk!

43trees.com

With the 43trees Interactive Earth Day Walk only a few days away, we want you to make sure you're ready for the interactive part.  Below is a demonstration on how QR Codes work and how The 43 Trees Project is going to use them:

43 Trees Interactive Earth Day Walk

April 21, 2013

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Grove 2ARoosevelt Park

Edison, New Jersey

QR Codes and The 43 Trees Project Interactive Walk

43trees.com

On Sunday, April 21, 2013, The 43 Trees Project will be having an Earth Day walk through Roosevelt Park in Edison, New Jersey.  What makes this different than other Earth Day walks is the use of QR (Quick Response) Codes that will augment the experience of meeting many of the 43 trees.

What are QR Codes?  A QR Code is a square grid that contains square dots where certain types of information can be encoded.  The codes can then be read by an optical device, such as a smart phone.  By placing a QR Code near our subjects, The 43 Trees Project will be able to connect the viewer to videos, readings, and other information about the trees, the park, and Earth Day.  There are many QR Code readers available for FREE at the Apple and Android app stores.

We look forward to seeing you at Grove 2A in Roosevelt Park at 1:00 pm.

43 Trees Interactive Earth Day Walk

www.43trees.com

Here is our brand new press release announcing our Interactive Earth Day walk in Roosevelt Park, Edison, New Jersey on April 21st at 1:00 pm.  Please Come join us.
http://www.pr.com/press-release/484681

Why 43?

www.43trees.com

The question has been asked "why only 43 trees when Roosevelt Park alone probably lost scores of trees?"
We decided to make this a celebration of the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, 2013.


Don't forget to come join us on our 43 Trees Earth Day walk on April 21 in Roosevelt Park Grove 2A, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.  Hope to see your there.

43 Trees Earth Day Walk

www.43trees.com

We are happy to announce that on April 21 we will be celebrating Earth Day and the 43 Trees Project with a walking tour of Roosevelt Park in Edison, New Jersey.

This will be an opportunity to meet some of the 43 trees that have been highlighted over the last few months with prose, poetry, and narratives.  You'll get to walk past Elsie, visit Hugo and learn how Charlotte got to Edison.

We will meet at 1:00 pm at Grove 2A and walk the tree lined paths and streets starting at 2:00 pm.  We hope to see you there!

It's been a long and busy two weeks

www.43trees.com

The last two weeks have been very busy for 43trees.com. We have completed 32 of the tree narratives, mapped the locations of 15 of the trees, and posted audio readings of 3 of the trees stories.

We are now working on a photo exhibit to accompany the website and we are attempting to arrange tree tours of the park on Sunday April 21. We've come a long way and we hope you'll come with us as we head into Earth Day celebrations.

Here are two of the latest contributions:
"Gib, Bending to Meet the Winds," by Gina Delia, is a wonderful story of meeting the challenges of life head-on.

And we are honored to have been granted permission to use the poem "Jersey Rain" by Robert Pinsky for "Robby, Nourishing Everything He Touches." Mr. Pinsky served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress between 1997 and 2000.
For a special audio version  of "Jersey Rain" click here.

www.43trees.com

Although 43Trees.com has been posted and is a working website, we have a lot of building out to do. We have more than twenty trees that need narratives to be completed, we need to fill in the media page and we need to start putting together the photo exhibit that will accompany the website.

But as we do fill it out, we want to bring you some of the latest entries from our artists and writers. So here are a couple that have been recently posted:

Here is Fiamma, Dreams of Becoming, written by Deborah Sperry: http://bit.ly/WwOmMn

And Leon, Eiffel Towering Stature, by Meredith Remz: http://bit.ly/ZSr2aw

We hope you enjoy these and come back soon and see more of the 43 Trees life narratives.

The 43 Trees Project started as an idea that would honor the trees lost during Super Storm Sandy.  The idea was to write 43 tree obituaries, one for every year we have celebrated Earth Day. As we assemble the project we have discovered that the artists and writers participating are often writing about personal experiences and people they have known. Their stories are diverse and add texture to the project. When  reading these poems and narratives we find ourselves developing a personal relationship to the trees being described.

And it's easy to become emotionally attach to these trees. Trees are beloved and respected everywhere. There is something universal about them.  Their growth and maturity often mimics that of a humans.  We see them growing fast early, becoming tall and strong in adolescence, shining with a brilliant canopy in mid-life and finally returning to the ground in old age. They stand with outstretched limbs that seem to welcome all those who enter their realm and we often think of them wise, deeply rooted friends.

If there is one goal that we wish to achieve with this project, it would be to have everyone look at the environment as a friend, a friend that can no longer be ignored or abused.

Here is a picture of  Jacqueline, soon you will be able to read her life story.

Ready to Launch!

www.43trees.com

We are getting to a very exciting place in the 43 Trees Project.  Within the next few days the website www.43trees.com will become fully functional.

Over the last month we have had a number of artists and writers create narratives for the 43 trees we are honoring.  Almost no one has turned us down. In fact, many want to contribute two or three essays, poems or memories of trees in their lives.

Stay turned, we're about ready to launch.

Remember Superstorm Sandy, memorialize trees and celebrate Earth Day 2013 with The 43 Trees Project.