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reunion that attracts over 30,000 people. Tingle was selected “Contemporary Storyteller of the Year for 2001” by the Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers. He was featured at the 2002 National Storytelling Festival and was honored with the National Storytelling Network's Oracle Award for leadership and service in 2003. Tingle holds a Master's Degree in English from the University of Oklahoma, where he focused on Native American Literature. For more information, call the Eugene Public Library at 682-5450. Arbor Day Brings People and Trees Together On Saturday, April 8, community members including City Councilor Gary Papé, local business owner John Hirons, Eugene Tree Foundation (ETF) President Alby Thoumsin, newly elected Planning Commissioner Phil Carroll, Mark Pangborn of Lane Transit District, and children from the YMCA’s After School Care Program gathered in celebration of Arbor Day. Mayor Kitty Piercy accepted Eugene’s 27th consecutive Tree City USA award from Rick Rogers, District Forester for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). Tree City USA, a program of the National Arbor Day Foundation sponsored by ODF, recognizes cities that have developed programs that plant and care for trees. Following the event, crews got busy planting trees and native plants. In this “Trees for Concrete” project, organized by the City of Eugene’s NeighborWoods program and its community partner, ETF, 38 tons of concrete were replaced by trees and native plants. In total, four new London plane trees and hundreds th of native plants were planted at Franklin and Orchard, six red oaks were planted at Charnelton and 17 nd Avenue, and five shumardi oaks were put into planting pits at 2 Avenue and Mill Street. Arbor Day is America's national tree holiday, a day set aside to plant ceremonial trees, educate children about the importance of trees, and honor the important role trees play in the daily lives of people in communities across the country. For more information contact Urban Forester Mark Snyder at 682- 4819. RiverPlay “Buy a Brick” Homerun Campaign a Success In the final few days of the RiverPlay “Buy a Brick” campaign, more than 150 community members quickly purchased the last of the 1,000 bricks that will line the entry to the new playground. The majority of bricks were purchased in memory or in honor of children, parents, and friends. Each holds its own story and will create a permanent testament to the community’s efforts to make this playground a reality. To date, the “One Brick at a Time” campaign has raised over $97,000 of the $100,000 goal. With the help of the Downtown Rotary Club, a total of over $440,000 has been raised through local individuals, businesses, and granting agencies. On Saturday, July 8, the RiverPlay Discovery Village at Skinner Butte Park will officially open to the public. The community will be invited to an afternoon of ribbon cutting, dedications, games, prizes, music, food, and much more. For more information contact the RiverPlay Hotline at 682-4907 or carrie.a.peterson@ci.eugene.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 April 14, 2006