Tacoma Tree Foundation is excited to welcome community artist Rachel Simmons and our partners Springtide Press, Tacoma Public Library, W.W. Seymour Conservatory, and Write 253 for this celebration of local birds! We’ll prelude the workshop with a morning tree birding walk co-led by Jaala Smith (Tacoma Tree Foundation) and Sarah Low (Strategic Nature).
Flock to Wright Park and join us to learn about our local feathered friends and how they interact, depend on and support our tree canopy.
We’ll spend the morning listening to calls, spotting flight patterns, and sharing community knowledge with each other. Wright Park is guaranteed to showcase our flashy local mallards and red-winged blackbirds. Around the trunks of bigleaf maples, we’ll spot dark-eyed juncos, robins, and if we’re patient, hopefully some of our beloved finches, sparrows, and corvids.
All birding levels welcome! No binoculars needed.
This event is supported by Tacoma Creates.
Meeting Point: W. W. Seymour Conservatory
Meeting Time: 7:30AM
Walk start time: 7:45AM
This program is possible in part thanks to Tacoma Creates.
About our guides:
Jaala Smith (they/she)
Jaala was born and raised in Tacoma and has spend their adult life serving as an educator, social worker, artist and community organizer throughout the Puget Sound area. Now, settled back in their hometown, they invest in Tacoma’s grassroots organizing networks that address the devastating effects of systemic racism and supremacy, including environmental justice. Jaala believes that everyone knows how to cultivate safe and healthy spaces for their community to grow, play, and love, and that we all have the right to do so.
Sarah Low
Founder of the Tacoma Tree Foundation, Sarah combines a love of trees and nature with her professional background in urban and community forestry. Sarah has been studying trees since she noticed ants on a favorite flowering dogwood when she was 10. Her curiosity for trees and nature led her to pursue a career focused on urban ecosystem health and sustainability. All along the way, Sarah found relief, healing, connection, and joy outdoors. She is currently Professor of Practice at Oregon State University’s College of Forestry.