Civic Coffee Hour: Learn how to get more involved

​Jeff Scherr is President of the Norwalk Tree Alliance (NTA), the city's primary advocate for the health of its urban forest. Founded in 2003, the all-volunteer 501(c)(3) plants native trees on public and private land, runs environmental education programs, and partners with the City to keep Norwalk a certified "Tree City USA."

​A Landscape Architect at Granoff Architects, Jeff has lived in New Jersey, Rhode Island, Shanghai, and New York before settling in Connecticut. Trees have been childhood jungle gyms, kickball bases, and hiking trail markers as much as a professional calling, so getting involved in Norwalk through its trees was, in his words, a no-brainer.

​Much of the NTA's work is rooted at Fodor Farm, home to the first municipal tree farm in Fairfield County, where the Alliance cultivates native and unusual species for replanting across the city. It's also the site of the Outdoor Classroom, a dedicated green space built for the NTA's signature Tree School, an integrated science program launched in 2018 with the Norwalk Board of Education to give the city's youngest neighbors wonder-filled, outdoor learning.

​Beyond planting and teaching, the NTA advises the City on matters affecting the tree canopy, hosts the annual Arbor Day celebration at a local elementary school, and has lately been recruiting neighbors into playful efforts like the Treesure Hunt. Jeff will talk about what it takes to grow and protect a canopy in a dense small city, the volunteers who make it happen, and how anyone can lend a hand.

​Meet a neighbor doing real work in our community and find your own way to get involved!