Washoe County teams up with forestry agencies to spread Christmas cheer

Christmas trees for foster, adoptive and military families.

Reno, Nevada. Nov. 30, 2015. The Washoe County Community Services Department, the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF), with support from the U.S. Forest Service, is harvesting more than 200 trees from Galena Creek Regional Park Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. The trees will be given to Washoe County foster and adoptive families as well as Nevada National Guard families to use as Christmas trees.

NDF Forester, Eric Roussel, was awarded a grant by the U.S. Forest Service’s Hazardous Fuels Grant Program to provide for wildfire fuels reduction for the forest within Galena Creek Regional Park. Many of the trees identified as part of the fuels reduction treatments include small, white fir trees that needed to be removed anyway and this is a great way to reuse them for the benefit of the community.

Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) and Washoe County park rangers will be on-hand with a fire crew and special guest Smokey Bear as families receive their Christmas tree. Families will also be able to enjoy free admission to the Wilbur D. May Museum that day. Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, a local private, non-profit organization, will offer free Christmas tree recycling to these families after the event.

TREE CUTTING EVENT

• WHAT: Washoe County to harvest Christmas trees for local foster and Nevada National Guard families
• WHERE: Galena Creek Regional Park, 18350 Mt. Rose Hwy, Reno
• WHEN: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
• CONTACT: Please contact Park Ranger Marie Fong at 775-813-3629

TREE DISTRIBUTION EVENT

• WHAT: Local foster and Nevada National Guard families will be collecting free Christmas trees, and an NDF fire crew and Smokey Bear will be on-hand. Foster families will also be offered free admission to the Wilbur D. May Museum and free tickets to a Tuba Christmas Concert at the museum.
• WHERE: Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, 1595 N. Sierra St., Reno
• WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• CONTACT: Park Ranger Marie Fong at (775) 813-3629

Galena Creek and Rancho San Rafael Regional Parks are owned and managed by Washoe County, through its Community Services Department. Washoe County aims to provide exceptional parks and open space, and recreational opportunities while preserving our natural, historical and cultural resources. For more information, visit www.washoecountyparks.com.

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