Habitat and Wildlife Keepers

HAWK PRESENTS:

Treasure Trees!

 Like many Charlotte residents, Maggie Barker loves the magnificent tree canopy that is found throughout most of the city. Barker's love of trees is so strong and has such an important place in her role as an educator that she recently wrote and released a special guidebook to several unique and significant trees in Mecklenburg County. Her book is titled “Treasure in the City.” The book takes readers on a compact tour around the Queen City to discover 10 of Charlotte's most wonderful and unique trees in our community. Treasure Trees are so designated because of their outstanding size, old age or historical significance. The recognition comes from local arborists who maintain records on more than 100 species that are indigenous to our area.

Barker is a prekindergarten and kindergarten teacher at Park Road Montessori School. She is a four-time finalist for CMS Teacher of the Year and has been honored as a founder of A Child's Place. The UNC Charlotte History Department named Barker Woman of the Year during its 1998 International Women's Day observance. She was selected to travel to Cuba as a member of the Teacher-to-Teacher Peace Delegation in 2004. "My goal is that children will fall in love with trees and see how important they are to the beauty and health of our lives," said Barker. "In fact, trees and children have something in common: They are both full of life and a source of beauty and renewal."

 Be prepared to increase your appreciation of trees, learn about the Treasure Tree program in Mecklenburg and the Legacy Tree program in Matthews,  and discover how we can take our passion to foster the next generation of TREE HUGGERS.