City Forester Mariellen Calabro and Mayor Bob Apgar were recognized during the annual Volusia League of Cities awards banquet.
Mariellen Calabro’s work as City Forester exemplifies what it means to be a model government employee by putting in a lot of work to improve the quality of life for our residents and asking for little in return.
Because of her dedication to her craft, the city’s Forestry Division is regarded as one of the best in the entire state. It wouldn’t happen without Mariellen.
Mariellen has been with the city since April 2006. Mariellen received her BS and MA degrees in Biology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She is a Registered Environmental Manager with the National Registry of Environmental Professionals.
In addition to her duties as City Forester, Mariellen served as interim Public Works Director in 2021 until the position could be filled on a permanent basis. She now serves as Deputy Public Works Director.
But trees and our city’s environment are where her true passion lies.
Mariellen recently became certified as a Florida-Friendly Landscaping Professional through the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. To obtain certification, participants are well-versed in FFL principles and can address common landscape issues by using environmentally sustainable landscape management practices. She is one of three professionals in Volusia County that hold this distinction.
She promotes the safety of people and property by providing a standardized and systematic process for assessing tree risk. The results of a tree risk assessment can provide tree owners and risk managers with the information to make informed decisions to enhance tree benefits, health, and longevity.
Part of DeLand’s history is its heritage as a tree city and Mariellen has helped continue that legacy as DeLand has been an Arbor Day Foundation Tree City USA for 35 consecutive years – and much of that can be attributed to Mariellen’s supervision of the forestry division. She oversees the care of 4,000 trees in the city’s nursery and more than 7,000 trees on city property.
Mariellen also helped DeLand become the first city in the state of Florida to be named a Monarch City USA. Working with the nonprofit organization, Monarch City USA, the city collaborates with local conservation and garden groups to create butterfly gardens throughout the city and encourages residents to plant native milkweed and nectar plants, which are vital to the monarch species.
Mariellen also oversees the annual Tree Giveaway – the city’s joint program with the DeLand Breakfast Rotary Club, which over the past 20 years has given out thousands of trees to DeLand residents. It’s estimated more than 20,000 trees have been distributed through the program.
And Mayor Apgar was presented with the Blaine O’Neill Award for all of his years of service to the community as an elected official. His accomplishments are many. He has done so much for this community for which we are grateful!
Congratulations to all of the winners!
Original source can be found here.
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