Atlantic States Legal Foundation Inc

GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE URBAN FOOD FORESTS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND BUILD COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

TREE PLANTING ON DEGRADED SITES TO MANAGE STORMWATER RUNOFF IN OSWEGO

DESCRIPTION:THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARP FUNDED GRANT IS FOR ASLF AND ITS PARTNERS TO PLAN, DESIGN, AND INSTALL SIX AGROFORESTRY DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS AND A COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM FOCUSING ON THE MYRIAD ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PRACTICE. FIVE OF THE SIX DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS WILL BE LOCATED IN IMPOVERISHED URBAN SYRACUSE NEIGHBORHOODS AND WILL TAKE THE FORM OF URBAN FOOD FORESTS. THE SIXTH DEMONSTRATION WILL BE INSTALLED ON A FARM OWNED BY THE ONONDAGA NATION AND WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO ITS BRAIDING THE SACRED PROGRAM, WHICH FOCUSES ON PRESERVING INDIGENOUS NATIVE FOOD PLANTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY. OUTREACH AND EDUCATION WILL FOCUS ON COMMUNICATING THE BENEFITS OF AGROFORESTRY AND NATIVE URBAN TREES AS THEY RELATE TO STORMWATER MITIGATION, AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, FOOD SECURITY, GREENSPACE ACCESS, URBAN HEAT ISLAND MITIGATION, URBAN RESILIENCE, AND PSYCHO-SOCIAL STRESS RELIEF.ACTIVITIES:THIS PROJECT HAS OUTREACH/EDUCATION AND DEMONSTRATION COMPONENTS, AND ACTIVITIES WILL BE BASED ON ACCOMPLISHING OUTCOMES DERIVED FROM THESE. ACTIVITIES ARE DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: - OUTREACH/EDUCATION/ADVANCING AWARENESS - ASLF WILL WORK WITH PARTNERS TO ADVANCE AWARENESS OF HOW AGROFORESTRY AND FOOD FORESTS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF RESTORATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, URBAN RESILIENCE, IMPROVING NEARBY GREENSPACES, FOOD SECURITY/SOVEREIGNTY, STORMWATER MITIGATION, AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, URBAN HEAT ISLAND REDUCTION, PSYCHO-SOCIAL STRESS RELIEF, AND PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASE. THIS WILL BE DONE WITH MEETINGS/PRESENTATIONS WITH EACH PARTNER AND THEIR CONSTITUENCY, GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATIONS EITHER VIRTUALLY OR IN-PERSON, MEETINGS AT OTHER STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS INVOLVING MUNICIPAL DECISION-MAKERS, NATIVE TREE PLANTING AND CARE WORKSHOPS, DOOR-TO-DOOR OUTREACH, CREATION OF INFORMATIONAL BROCHURES, CREATION OF INFORMATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, INFORMATION POSTED ON THE ASLF AND PARTNER WEBSITES, AND A CASE STUDY PAPER WRITTEN ON THE PROJECT. ALL OF THESE OUTREACH ACTIVITIES WILL RESULT IN GREATER AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF AGROFORESTRY AND FOOD FORESTS AT MULTIPLE LEVELS, FROM LAY COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MUNICIPAL AGENCY DECISION-MAKERS. A MAJOR GOAL IS TO NORMALIZE THE EXPECTATION OF FOOD FORESTS FOR ALMOST EVERY LOCAL PROJECT INVOLVING PUBLICLY-ACCESSIBLE GREENSPACE. AFTER COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT A MUCH GREATER PORTION OF THE LOCAL PUBLIC SHOULD KNOW AND WANT FOOD FORESTS TO BE INTEGRATED INTO THE URBAN FABRIC OF SYRACUSE. - DESIGN, PLANNING, AND INSTALLATION OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS - ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT COMPONENT INCLUDE: INITIAL PLANNING AND SITE ANALYSIS FOR PROJECT SITES, DESIGN MEETINGS WITH PARTNERS TO ENSURE INVOLVEMENT AND INPUT, TIME SPENT ON DESIGN WORK AND PLANTING PLANS, ORDERING AND PURCHASE OF NATIVE TREES, SHRUBS, AND OTHER PLANTING SUPPLIES, MANAGEMENT AND SCHEDULING OF PLANTING EVENTS, EXECUTING PLANTING EVENTS FOR ALL PROJECT SITES, INITIAL WATERING AND POST-PLANTING MAINTENANCE. FOLLOW UP AND CONTINUED CARE/MAINTENANCE OF PLANTING SITES WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO OUTREACH AND EDUCATION WITH PARTNERS. SUBRECIPIENT:A SUBAWARD WILL SUPPORT AGROFORESTRY DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO EXPLORE APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTING UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN THE WESTSIDE AND SOUTHSIDE NEIGHBORHOODS OF SYRACUSE AND MEMBERS OF THE ONONDAGA NATION IN TOWN OF ONONDAGA. THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS WILL INCLUDE THE PLANTING OF NATIVE TREES AND WILL FOCUS ON COMMUNICATING THE BENEFITS OF AGROFORESTRY AND NATIVE URBAN TREES AS THEY RELATE TO STORMWATER MITIGATION, AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, FOOD SECURITY, GREENSPACE ACCESS, URBAN HEAT ISLAND MITIGATION, URBAN RESILIENCE, AND PSYCHO-SOCIAL STRESS RELIEF.OUTCOMES:DELIVERABLES INCLUDE MEETINGS AND PRESENTATIONS FOR EDUCATING AND PROMOTING AGROFORESTRY AND FOOD FORESTS, AND BENEFITS FOR WATER,

GLRI: TREE PLANTING INITIATIVE ON PRIVATE LAND TO MANAGE STORMWATER