A local non-profit organization dedicated to keeping Cape Coral green and creating ecosystems for native plants and animals is celebrating 20 years of serving the community.
Future Forestry will be hosting a 20th birthday party next Wednesday, January 31, at the Wicked Dolphin Tiki Hut from 6-10 p.m.
Attendees can expect great food, music, and various forms of entertainment, including live music, a live performer, and more. Future Forests Executive Director Ross Ringland said the event is a “Thank you” To all the volunteers and contributors who play a vital role in conserving urban forests in Cape Coral.
Ringland began his farming journey throughout the Cape decades ago, in locations such as Echo Park and Rotary Park, as a member of the Jaycee family doing volunteer projects for the city's forests.
“Those trees along the gravel path down to the water, they were planted around 1994, 1995,” Ringland said. “It looks like a whole forest now.”
When Ringland was part of Rotary, he began working on the Veterans Parkway areas next to the Cultural Parkway.
“We put 100 trees up at the Cultural and Veterans Center on the northwest corner, and they are pretty big now.” Ringland said.
As the years go by, the more trees Ringland and the other volunteers plant.
Future Forestry has put down roots at the corners of Chiquita Boulevard and Veterans Parkway, Country Club Boulevard and Veterans Parkway, Santa Barbara Boulevard and Veterans Parkway, Skyline Boulevard and Veterans Parkway, and other locations.
Ringland said it feels good to see the trees he planted years ago now as he drives around town. He also enjoys seeing the wildlife that calls these trees home.
“We got a great photo of a Pileated Woodpecker in the northwest corner of Chiquita and the Veterans Memorial when we made our tree gift. I mean, we planted that. Ringland said. “Seeing the wildlife there is really cool. It's more than just the trees.
“And from a Cape Coral resident's perspective… now, when you drive from Fort Myers to Cape Coral, you see something different. You see a tree-lined road and a lot of scenery.”
With Cape Coral's vision of continued development, preserving green spaces and urban forests is important to the quality of life, both for the human race and beyond.
“It shows that the community is involved in what the city looks like, rather than just the developers getting to decide.” Ringland said. “It also creates a corridor. Ruffed woodpeckers are often seen on pine roofs. There are big old pines spaced apart. So when you put Cape Coral pines in this area and they grow, it's a jumping off point for woodpeckers to move between Pine Island and Fort Myers on for example.
“There's a web of environmental features that you can see. We tend to really focus on ourselves and on humans and our built environment. But there's so much more to life than just what man has made.”
The Christmas party will also serve as a fundraiser to continue Future Forestry's work across the city. A minimum donation of $25 is encouraged on the night of the event (cash or check only).
For more information about Future Forestry and to register for the 20th Anniversary Christmas Day, visit www.futureforestry.org.
Wicked Dolphin Tiki Hut is located at 131 SW Third Place.
