Words and Photos by Sophie Vaughan

Theiss Woods is a treasured triangle of land located in the Merriman Valley. This 45-acre parcel of woodland and wetland is owned by the City of Akron and was saved from development by the will of concerned citizens, some of whom eventually formed the volunteer citizen action coalition, Preserve the Valley. Even though Theiss Woods was preserved, its fate was still up in the air, until the City of Akron recently announced that this lush green space will become the site of Project ACORN: Akron Community Owned Reforestation Network.

Project ACORN has been in the works since City of Akron Watershed Superintendent Jessica Glowczewski began working on a grant proposal to procure Inflation Reduction Act funding from the USDA Forest Service for an Urban Forestry and Workforce Development program. Project ACORN will include an Urban Forestry Academy to be developed at the Theiss Woods site, as well as tree plantings to increase local tree canopy, and a community engagement component for involvement, education and outreach.

We talked to Glowczewski to get an overview of the big picture hopes and ambitions for Project ACORN, and what’s going to be happening over the next year to launch the program.

Glowczewski has worked with the City of Akron for almost 16 years, and during that time she has written many grant proposals for the Water Bureau.  Glowczewski began to develop an idea for a grant proposal to expand existing Truly Reaching You Ministries (TRY Ministries) programs to include an Urban Forestry Academy.

Emily Collins, Strategic Advisor to Mayor Dan Horrigan, encouraged her to reach out to the Akron Zoo, as they were developing a similar program. As Glowczewski and Akron Zoo Director of External Affairs Michelle Camou began to compare plans for their separate program ideas, they saw a lot of overlap. They decided it would be ideal to work together towards a common goal by combining their ideas into one program.

Glowczewski said that, while she is used to writing grants, this one was tricky because of so many partners and moving parts. Glowczewski worked with the City of Akron, the Akron Zoo and TRY Ministries to develop the program, which the City describes as “a USDA grant funded Urban Forestry program which focuses on the creation of a workforce development program to restore, improve, and reconnect green spaces in underserved communities in Akron through investment, education, community advocacy, and engagement.”

The original grant proposal for Project ACORN was for $6.7 million. The project was only approved for a $1 million grant.  Glowczewski worked diligently over the last several months to make major cuts to the program in order to fit the new budget.

Project ACORN financial partners include the City of Akron, the Akron Zoo, and Truly Reaching You Ministries (TRY Ministries). Contributing partners include the Summit County Health Department, Akron Public Schools, Akron Juvenile Court System, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, Keep Akron Beautiful, and the Akron Tree Commission. Tentative contractual partners include Davey Tree and CommEN Strategies. (These contracts are required to be bid out. There will be a call for proposals for community engagement and academy work. Glowczewski says that she does not anticipate a lot of other submissions for these are specialized contracts.)

Project ACORN will work with young adults ages 18-24 and members of TRY Ministries’ ex-offender re-entry program. The goal is to train members of these groups in the Urban Forestry industry for employment in the neighborhoods where they live.

This project will focus on the underserved neighborhoods of Middlebury, East Akron, Sherbondy Hill, South Akron, and Summit Lake. In an effort to restore and improve green spaces, and to reconnect local residents to these spaces, partners will work together to plant native trees and agro-forestry species in locations to be determined through public engagement. The intention is to create green spaces that residents want in their communities.

Read Part 2 Next Steps for Theiss Woods and ACORN Partners  here