SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – On Tuesday, April 9, John Snell gave a talk entitled “So Many Reasons to Love Trees,” at the Nolin-Murray Center in Springfield. The talk was cosponsored by the Springfield Garden Club (SGC) and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), a continuing-education program with the University of Vermont. There were 72 people in attendance, including 22 garden club members, guests, or spouses; 14 were members of both the SGC and OLLI.
John Snell is a retired Vermont businessman and active photographer, and has served on the Montpelier Tree Board for over 20 years. He spoke about the different ways to look at, identify, and appreciate trees, as well as their fiscal, environmental, and psychological benefits. He also passed around twig samples of some budding and fruiting trees. Many people approached him afterwards, eager to share their stories of favorite trees.
This is the 20th year that the SGC has cosponsored talks with OLLI. The speaker was introduced by Marita Johnson, who has been facilitator for the OLLI programs since the beginning of the partnership. She is also a Golden Trowel member of the SGC, and has served as a liaison between the two groups while serving on the garden club’s program committee.
For more information on the SGC, visit their web page at www.springfieldgardenclub.org, or their Facebook page, “Springfield Garden Club of Vermont.” More information on OLLI’s programs in Springfield can be found at www.learn.uvm.edu/olli/springfield.