Dear Friend of Forest Park Forever:

Happy Birthday Forest Park!

Forest Park was dedicated on June 24th, 1876, so what better occasion than the Park’s birthday to thank you for your gifts of time, talent and resource which help make Forest Park a continued success! From concerts to musicals, walks in Kennedy Forest or strolls in the Savanna, Forest Park is a wonderful and affordable place to be this summer. Your support helps us make Forest Park beautiful, safe and accessible, and we appreciate every friend and every gift. You each make a difference and allow us to continue our mission: to restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park as one of America’s great urban public parks, for the enjoyment of all ~ now and forever.

Commerce Bank Celebrates Green Customers with $5,000 Contribution to Forest Park Forever

During a two-month campaign, the St. Louis team at Commerce Bank converted more than 2,900 environmentally conscience customers to E-statements, an increase of 14.8%! Commerce is committed to doing the right thing for their customers, the bank and the environment. In celebration of this outstanding effort, Commerce Bank made a $5,000 contribution on behalf of their customers for new trees and tree maintenance in Forest Park. Many thanks to Dee Joyner, our FPF Board Chair-elect and Commerce Bank’s Senior Vice President, Director of Organizational Development & Community Relations.

Bayless School District’s MINDGLO Students Provide 10,000 Pennies for the Park

Students from the 5th grade MINDGLO class from the Bayless School District came together to raise money for Forest Park Forever, and successfully raised $100 in pennies from friends and supporters. Upon arrival to the Visitors Center, the children were personally thanked by our Membership & Data Manager and then got to experience a walk in the Savanna with their teacher who had attended FPF’s A Voyage of Learning Teacher’s Academy and shared her knowledge learned from the program. We want to thank all of the students for their hard work and dedication to Forest Park!

2009 Leffingwell Awards “Hat Luncheon” Great Success

With fabulous prizes and bragging rights on the line, guests pulled out all the stops this year, donning some of the most beautiful and creative toppers in the history of the event. The hat contest, coupled with the opportunity to dine al fresco on a spectacular June day with 1,000 fellow Forest Park supporters, proved a winning combination— the event sold more than 1000 tickets for the 7th year in a row and raised $404,000. Many thanks to our principal sponsor, Regional Business Council, who led the way with donations, ticket sales and corporate sponsorships in support of ongoing Park maintenance and education programs.

The Luncheon honors the spirit of Hiram W. Leffingwell, whose vision resulted in the creation of Forest Park in 1876. The Leffingwell Award is bestowed upon corporations, foundations or individuals who have made significant contributions to the restoration of Forest Park. This year, Lee M. Liberman and The Department of Parks Recreation and Forestry received Leffingwell Awards for their roles in creating and sustaining the incredible public/private partnership that has become a national model for urban parks. Sunny Glassberg was given a Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of her role in the restoration of the World’s Fair Pavilion, celebrating its 10th anniversary of renovation. Visit Hat Luncheon on our homepage at www.forestparkforever.org to see Sponsors and the Photo Gallery from this event!

2009 Wonderland Tea Party Full of Pixie Dust and Good Work

More than 250 children, parents and grandparents explored an enchanted forest of activities during the Peter Pan themed day. They decorated hats, received a complimentary photo courtesy of Goodeye Photoshare, ate scrumptious goodies donated by Catering St. Louis and won prizes at this year’s Wonderland Tea Party. The event raised over $28,000 towards maintenance of the Wonderland play ground which encourages children of all abilities to play together. To see photos of this event, visit www.forestparkforever.org and click Photo Gallery.

Forest ReLeaf Presents “Exceptional ReLeaf” Award to Forest Park Forever

Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, a not-for-profit tree planting and education organization, presented its annual Exceptional ReLeaf awards honoring outstanding planting projects from the previous year using trees donated by the organization.

Forest Park Forever won the Exceptional ReLeaf award in the category of organizations for its efforts to ensure that the tree canopy within the Park is healthy for the enjoyment of Park visitors and future generations to come. We received 132 free trees through Project CommuniTree and 75 larger trees through Priority ReLeaf. The trees were used to help restock Kennedy Forest, helping provide a replacement canopy for the declining oaks and fill in the woods after removal of bush honeysuckle. Forest Park Forever and its volunteers also planted trees near The Flegel Falls Cascades, where bush honeysuckle was also recently cleared. In addition, 75 larger trees provided through Forest ReLeaf’s Priority ReLeaf program were planted in various locations in the Park in accordance with Forest Park’s master tree planting plan.

Nature Nurturing - Educators try to connect kids with the outdoors

Educators and conservationists across the nation have become aware of most children’s lack of exposure to nature. They call it “Nature Deficit Disorder”. The Suburban Journal featured an article that explained the challenges combating NDD, featuring a quote from James H. Wilson, the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Experiential and Family Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who works in tandem with Forest Park Forever. To read more visit Forest Park Forever’s news page here.

BoatHouse Events to Benefit Forest Park Forever

• Do you and your four-legged friend have what it takes to be Paddle with your Pooch champions? The big day is Sunday, July 19, 2009, and Charlie Brennan will be returning this year to be Master of Ceremonies.

• Introducing Yappy Hour every first Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. A donation of $5 to Forest Park Forever will get you in! Limited snacks with a cash bar available. Call (314) 367-2224 for more information.

World’s Fair Bike Rentals are back! Rental fees: $10/hr, $25/half day or $40/day. Rentals are through the Forest Perk Café at the Visitor Center in Forest Park and available (weather permitting) from  11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (314) 361-4477 for additional Bike Rental information.

Intern Invasion at Forest Park Forever

We are thrilled to have the help of 9 summer interns at Forest Park Forever. These undergrad and graduate students include 5 horticulture and 2 nature reserve interns to help with zone maintenance, an AutoCAD intern to help with Park mapping and a website intern who is spearheading our site development. We welcome and thank them for their talented additions to FPF!

Phillip Mohebalian, Crystal Camp, Jessica Blessing, Alice Tipton, Valerie Brej,

Karen Momper, Dustin Potts

Not shown in photo: Ali Lang, Evan Wiskup

Photo by: Edward Crim

Website Migration Complete

Speaking of our website, www.forestparkforever.org has begun work on one of our Strategic Plan goals: we’ve successfully migrated to a new and improved platform. This will allow for more interactive web experiences so we can reach out to existing friends and attract new ones both locally and nationally. Many thanks to Fleishman-Hillard for their support of the transition. A “Photo Gallery” and “News Page” have been added, and future improvements include interactive features such as an RSS feed, a Park-wide Calendar of Events and places to upload your favorite Forest Park photos and memories. We enjoy hearing from you so please visit, call or click!

FPF Volunteers Make their Mark in the St. Louis Senior Olympics

Forest Park Forever is extremely lucky to have a dedicated volunteer corps that helps keep Forest Park the premier urban Park that it is today. From gardening and native landscape maintenance, to Park tours and visitor services, to administrative tasks and special events, these selfless individuals see the value of donating their time to the Park. Recently we learned that two of our administrative volunteers, Sue Fisher and Jeanne Hevesy, competed in the 2009 St. Louis Senior Olympics over memorial day weekend. From all of the staff of Forest Park Forever we would like to celebrate Sue’s and Jeanne’s accomplishments in the 2009 Senior Olympics, in addition to recognizing their commitment to volunteering in the St. Louis community. Way to go ladies!

FPF Staff Spotlight! FPF would like to welcome our newest Horticulturist, Kurt Buchholz. Kurt and his volunteer team are in charge of the Welcome Zone which includes the grounds at the Dennis and Judith Jones Visitor & Education Center and surrounding landscape (see map below). A long-time St. Louisan (he went to Ritenour High School), Kurt has worked for the City of Crestwood as well as more recently KV Pharmaceutical as their Horticulturist.

Current plans for the Welcome Zone include continued maintenance and planning for future projects. One possible project includes expanding the Plants of Merit Garden found on the north side of the Visitors Center. Please say “Hi” to Kurt if you see him and feel free to ask him any questions you may have regarding the flora and fauna of the Welcome Zone.

St. Louis Aces and Rebounces Partner for a ‘Go Green’ Tennis Event on July 2 at the Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center in St. Louis’ Forest Park. Read about event here at pr.com

Help Slow the Spread of Emerald Ash Borer

DO NOT transport Firewood

The destructive emerald Ash Borer Beetle can be devastating to Ash trees and they are on a slow migration across the country. The Emerald Ash Borer will decimate all ash trees it encounters, which represents about 6% of the trees in the Park, and a higher percentage throughout St. Louis. These beetles do not travel far on their own, but their larva can be transported easily via wood such as firewood. Since this beetle is now found in Missouri, you can help protect the trees of Forest Park and your community by not transporting firewood around the state or between states.

To see more information on identifying this beetle click here for the entire article, if you think you have seen this beetle please call the Missouri Department of Conservation at (314) 877-1309

Forest Park Conservation Youth Corps

With the generous support of the Dana Brown Charitable Trust and in cooperation with UM-St. Louis, Forest Park Forever has initiated a summer youth corps pilot program. Six carefully selected young people, 18-22 years old, are working and learning in the Park this summer under the direction of Clarence Robinson, an experiential educator for UMSL and Forest Park Forever. Participants will learn about Park ecology and management and undertake landscaping and related projects in the Park.

Summer Youth Program

This year, for the sixth year, university students are leading 7 to 12 year old participants from Mathews-Dickey and Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Clubs in ecology and nature based activities in Forest Park and other natural areas and habitats within the region. This program is operated through UM-St. Louis Continuing Education and Forest Park Forever, and is funded by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the many individual and corporate gifts to the education programs of Forest Park Forever.

Four Stars for Forest Park Forever

Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator is a non-profit organization that evaluates over 5,000 charities across the country and has more than 4 million users. They rate non-profits according to two financial aspects, how responsibly the organization functions day to day and how well positioned it is to sustain its programs over time.

Forest Park Forever has received four stars, their highest rating. This four star designation is a great opportunity to recommit our organization to our current and future supporters so that they can be sure that Forest Park Forever will make smart and efficient choices regarding your generous support of Forest Park. Click here to visit Charity Navigator or see their four star logo on our home page. Thank you for trusting your financial support to Forest Park Forever as we continue to restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park.

The Power of the Park

The inaugural issue of C3 magazine, a St. Louis based publication focusing on the “philanthropic spirit from St. Louis”, features an article about “The Power of the Parks”. Taking cues from Forest Park Forever’s 28 year history, Lucie Springmeyer, Interim Executive Director of Forest Park Forever, contributed to the article. Click here to see the article Forest Park Forever’s news page.

Perk Up Your Day With a Free Coffee!

Print this coupon to receive a complimentary cup of coffee (offer good through July 31, 2009) when you purchase an omelet or breakfast panini at the Forest Perk Café at the Visitor Center in Forest Park. The Perk is open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week, from 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Forever yours,

Lucie N. Springmeyer

Interim Executive Director

P.S. If you are already a member friend of FPF Thank You, and please feel free to click here to forward this e-mail to a friend!

FOREST PARK FOREVER EVENTS

Join Us For A Walk In The Park

Bring family, friends & leashed pets to experience an informative walk in the Park. Free to the public, hour long, volunteer led tours meet in the lobby of the Visitor Center 5 minutes before start time (pooches meet on the porch). The pace is leisurely and covers approximately 1.5 miles. No need for reservations; however, be sure to dress appropriately for the weather because tours generally are held rain or shine (cancellation may occur due to severe weather). For more information about tours, email tours@forestparkforever.org

Forest Park: Then and Now Summer Walking Tours –

Through Thursday, July 2

1:00 p.m. – Mondays

10:00 a.m. – Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays

Summmer Naturalist Tours – Through Friday, July 3

10:00 a.m. - Fridays

And, for those who’d like to take a “Walk on the Wild Side” FPF Naturalists lead tours where you learn about the Park’s flora and fauna in the savannas, prairies & wetlands. Meet in the Visitor Center lobby 5 minutes before start time.

Forest Park iPod Audio Tours

We also feature 5 self-guided iPod audio tours, sponsored by the Trio Foundation of St. Louis, that are available for checkout at the Visitor Center, free of charge (equipment requires a Visa or MasterCard credit card deposit).

Birding in Forest Park

On the first Saturday of every month, Forest Park Forever, in partnership with the St. Louis Audubon Society, offers a free, public birding program that is geared toward novice bird watchers. Meet at the Visitor Center at 8:30 a.m. and be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. If you have binoculars, bring them. Please e-mail birding@forestparkforever.org, or call 314-367-7275 x 20 to sign up. Due to the holiday, there will not be a birding program on Saturday, July 4th.

FOREST PARK EVENTS

The Muny’s 2009 Season Schedule

It is that magical time of year in which the Muny stage lights up the night! Grab a seat in the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor theatre and enjoy the show!

Annie - June 22 – 30  Meet me in St. Louis - July 6 – 12  Godspell - July 13 – 19  The Music Man - July 20 – 26  Camelot - July 27 - August 2  Hairspray - August 3 – 9

Want to avoid traffic tie-ups in the Park? Then take the hassle-free Muny Shuttle Service, which runs every 15 minutes from the Forest Park MetroLink station at Forest Park Parkway & DeBaliviere beginning at 6:45 PM through show time. Shuttle service resumes following the performance and operates for approximately 30 minutes after the show. For more information visit www.muny.org.

OASIS EVENTS

Building Bones: Mixed Level

Strengthen muscles and bones with a mix of aerobics and strength training. Session: Now through July 23. Next session: July 28 – Sept. 3.

Missouri Snakes with the Missouri Dept. of Conservation

Warm weather brings out our cold-blooded friends. Fri., June 26, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

“Downtown Next” with the Downtown St. Louis Partnership

Come look at the planning process for “Downtown Next” that will guide their efforts over the next 10 years! Fri., July 17, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

What’s New in Forest Park? Lucie Springmeyer, Interim Executive Director, Forest Park Forever

Learn about the many exciting improvements happening at Forest Park, Fri., July 24, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Storytelling Time

Experience the ancient art of storytelling as OASIS storytellers weave their tales. Fri., July 24, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

A Society of Friends: Quakerism

A 17th-century English Puritan movement, it rejects barriers of race, sex or creed. Meetings of Worship are characterized by silence, during which anyone present may feel moved to speak, Thurs., July 30, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

FOREST PARK FORUM: Stimulating discourse and thoughtful exploration of today’s hot topics:

- Robin Carnahan: “Rising Star” in American Government

As our Secretary of State, she has focused on protecting consumers, cracking down on financial fraud, cutting costs and more, Tues., July 28, 1:30 p.m.  – 2:30 p.m.

- The World’s Most Famous People … and Me. Patrick Murphy, the “Voice of Channel 9” since 1981, KETC’s Vice President of Production, four-time Emmy winner, and the emcee for the St. Louis Speakers Series, Tues., August 4, 1:30 p.m.– 2:30 p.m.

- Smoke Free St. Louis City with Diana Benanti, Coalition Director, Tues., August 11, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

CALL 314.536.4556 FOR INFORMATION ON FEES AND TO REGISTER OR VISIT OASISNET.ORG!