We express our gratitude and appreciation to all the volunteers for spending a good part of Saturday to participate in our Fall Planting Day on November 10, 2012. Your love of trees and your support of the Pittsburgh Sakura Project are greatly appreciated.

We are extremely grateful for the extra work that Kary Arimoto-Mercer, Rick Mercer and Alexandra Sabine put in November 10 and 11 to replant a number of trees. This indicates the need to consistently train all volunteers. We will work hard to carry this out. We hope all the volunteers will come again next spring and fall to help plant and care for the trees.

We will work hard to better organize the event in the future and your input, suggestions and comments are very much appreciated.

Pittsburgh Sakura Project Board Members

It was a perfect sunny day to spend outdoors, especially to plant trees, on November 10.  We planted 20 native trees from Tree Vitalize and 7 sakura trees, thanks to Arimoto+Mercer LLC architect/designer and their friends who worked very hard for weeks and months to get ready for this day.  We, the volunteers, shoveled, mulched, watered and staked.  After hard work, we all enjoyed warm cup noodles served on the second floor of the boathouse.

We estimate more than 130 people showed up.  Our special thanks goes to Mitsubishi Electric Power volunteers, Shaler High School students lead by Mr. Balsomico, Obama International Academy students lead by Ms. Rushlander and CMU’s Japanese Student Association.  We are so happy to have a ‘new generation’ of volunteers who will someday be able to tell their children and peers, “I planted these trees!”

How many of you greeted the director of the Allegheny Park Department, Mr. Andy Beachle (pronounced BackLee)?  Yes, he was there to work with the park personnel who allowed us to use their wheelbarrows and shovels and provided the cart.  We cannot thank Mr. Beachle and his crew enough for their generosity and hard work,  helping us through their Veterans’ day holiday.

See photos in photo gallery.

Yoko Motoyama