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Tour des Trees was born as an idea--a dream, really--in the minds of a few arborists at the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) conference in Philadelphia in 1991. They were looking for a way to create a growing source of funds for the ISA Research Trust, now known as the TREE Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund), to support the very necessary research and education required to keep our urban trees healthy and beautiful. Their dream was to use their passion for cycling as a means for promoting their love of trees. The first Tour des Trees began a year later with 13 riders setting off from Seattle, Washington and ended a thousand miles later in Oakland, California. It was a great success--the beginning of a growing tradition. The TREE Fund Tour des Trees has continued to spread the word in places such as Great Britain, along the East Coast and Canada, throughout the Northern Plains and the Midwest, into the Deep South and along the Pacific Northwest and California coasts. This year marks the 16th TREE Fund Tour des Trees. As the thousands of miles rolled past and over $3,000,000 dollars flowed in to the TREE Fund, Tour participants reaped many additional rewards:
The Tour des Trees has proven to be an event that marries a passion for cycling with a passion for the environment. It brings together people from different professions and backgrounds. It is fast becoming a “destination tour” for avid cyclists from all over the United States, Canada and beyond. |
Here’s a brief glimpse at each Tour, its route, & money raised: |
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| 1992 | Seattle, WA to Oakland, CA | $ 89,000 | ||
| 1993 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Bismarck, ND | $ 36,000 | ||
| 1994 | Stowe, VT to Halifax, Novia Scotia, Canada | $107,000 | ||
| 1995 | Mt. Airy, NC to Hilton Head, SC | $ 84,000 | ||
| 1996 | St. Ignace, MI to Cleveland, OH | $138,000 | ||
| 1997 | Coeur d’Alene, ID to Salt Lake City, UT | $127,000 | ||
| 1998 | Guildford to Birmingham, England | $219,000 | ||
| 1999 | Albany, NY to Stamford, CT |
$230,000 | ||
| 2000 | Williamsburg, VA to Baltimore, MD |
$300,000 | ||
| 2001 | Minneapolis, MN to Milwaukee, WI |
$420,000 | ||
| 2002 | Seattle, WA to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
$349,000 | ||
| 2003 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Watertown, NY Burlington, VT, Montreal, PQ, Canada |
$400,000 | ||
| 2004 | Philadelphia, PA to Pittsburgh, PA |
$273,000 | ||
| 2005 | The Natchez Trace Jackson, MI to Nashville, TN |
$255,000 | ||
| 2006 | Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada to Minneapolis, MN | $295,000 | ||
TOTAL: $3,322,000 |
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| photos courtesy of Alvin Gilens | Web design by QDesign |