ATP 2015-2016 Annual Report

# GetRooted
2015/2016 ANNUAL REPORT
“As diasporan teachers, we plant the seeds of the spiritual tree in our students, which
is bringing them up as Armenians. But here they planted the physical trees. And we believe
those two together make up the tree of Independence. We wish to see it grow so much
bigger that both the Diaspora and Armenia rest in its shadow.”
NORAYR DADURYAN, PRINCIPAL OF THE AGBU VATCHE AND TAMAR MANOUKIAN HIGH SCHOOL
OUR
VISION
Students from Beirut’s American Community
School and North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College
plant trees near our Mirak Family Reforestation
Nursery in Margahovit Village.
“Get Rooted” with ATP in 2016
I am honored to work with the talented ATP team to achieve
our goal of a secure, independent and sustainable Armenia
through environmental education, reforestation and advocacy.
With your support, ATP has been planting trees since 1994. We
started during a very dark time. The photos in this newsletter
show what a difference 21 years has made! Of course we have
lots of work yet to accomplish, but we’re proud to say we’ve
made a greener Armenia.
So what’s next? As ATP enters its 22nd year of positive
change, we have big plans:
• Break ground at a new nursery and environmental center
in Vayots Dzor
• Expand our environmental education programs in the
US and Armenia
• Build up ATP’s backyard nursery program
• Continue our reforestation and community tree planting
We supported the Genocide centennial commemorations with
trees, honoring our ancestral roots by creating a green future
in today’s Republic. Support for our Living Century Initiative
allowed us to plant 10 new community forests in Armenia in
memory of the lost regions of historic Armenia.
We’ve planted in more than 33 percent of Armenia’s villages
and towns; with your help we can reach 100 percent!
Many supporters gave in memory of their ancestors, including
the family of historian Lerna Ekmekcioglu, who wrote: “We
should be grateful to ATP’s Living Century Initiative for enabling
different generations of Armenians to connect with each other
as well as to Armenians past and future by planting forests
named after the Western Armenian homelands.”
# GetRooted
We invite you to Get Rooted with us. With your involvement,
we can progress towards our goal of a sustainable and green
Armenia. You can help in many ways:
• Visit us in Armenia (tour schedule is on page 21)
• Plant a tree
• Invite us to your school, community group or church for
an educational session about the environment and our role in
preserving it
• Support our work financially by hosting a fundraiser or
making a gift
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F R O M J E A N M A R I E PA P E L I A N , E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R
We planted nearly 230,000 trees all over Armenia
and Artsakh in 2015, including 10 new community forests
as part of the Living Century centennial initiative.
2016
Program
Goals
• Break ground on new
a new nursery in
Vayots Dzor region
• Plant 200,000 new
forestry seedlings over
an area of 160 acres
• Plant 55,000+ trees at
200 community sites
throughout Armenia
and Artsakh
• Establish 15 new
backyard nursery
micro-enterprises
• Plant six to eight new
community forests in
northern Armenia
• Establish new
community fruit
orchards
PLANTING
TREES
IN EVERY REGION
Plantings Reach More than One-third of Every City, Town and Village
As leaders from 195 nations negotiated a global climate
agreement in Paris in 2015, we put the final touches on another
year planting trees that are removing greenhouse gases from
the atmosphere and providing dozens of other benefits. We
planted another 229,322 trees, bringing the total to 4,952,642
at 1,056 sites since 1994.
Our Forestry department planted several large forests in northern Armenia. “Our forestry team planted more than 165,000
seedlings in 2015 with the support of dozens of local workers.
The planters came in groups of families, friends and couples,
creating jobs and giving people a sense of ownership towards
their land,” explained Forestry manager Navasard Dadyan.
Our flagship Community Tree Planting Program greened sites
in every region including Artsakh. In partnership with residents
of the local community, we planted around churches, monuments, parks, schools, and hospitals. “We have planted in 350
cities, towns and villages all over Armenia,” explained Deputy
Director Arthur Harutyunyan. “This is more than one third of
every city and town in the entire country, and our goal is to
eventually reach every single one!”
“Planting is more than a source of income and jobs. It’s for
our own good. Our kids can play here once they’re older,” said
Arevik Mkhitaryan, a 30-year-old farmer from Mikhaylovka. “I
came to see if my trees from last year had grown…and they
have! I planted 220 more trees today.”
We operate three nurseries including the Mirak Family Reforestation Nursery where hundreds of thousands of young seedlings
are growing. Tree types include ash, beech, birch, maple, oak
and pine. Fruit and nut varieties include almond, apple, apricot,
cherry, peach, pear and plum. “We hope to reduce poverty
through trees,” added Harutyunyan. “We distributed thousands
of fruit trees, including those in Artsakh repopulated by Syrian
Armenians. The harvest from our trees was the best ever, with
more than one million pounds of fruit collected in 2015!”
FORESTS PLANTED FOR THE NEW LIVING CENTURY
As Armenians worldwide commemorated the centennial of the
Genocide, we launched the Living Century Initiative to honor our
past and create a green future. We established 10 new forests
that are aligned with the major Western Armenian communities
devastated by the Genocide.
“The Living Century Initiative is a celebration of life and perseverance,
and we are grateful that more than 1,200 families participated with
their support,” explained Executive Director Jeanmarie Papelian.
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TREE PLANTING
2016
Program
Goals
• Expand connections
between students in
Armenia and Diaspora
through Building
Bridges program
• Host 4,000 student,
teacher and parent
visitors at environmental education
centers sponsored
by Michael and
Virginia Ohanian
• Train 100 teachers
and other education
professionals
• Conduct education
programs at 10
summer camps
• Publish a field guide
to trees in Armenia
YOUTH
AWARENESS
Our Youth Programs Have Local, National and International Impact
Education is one of our major priorities, with trainings and
workshops conducted all over Armenia. More than 3,500 students
visited our two education centers in 2015, which are sponsored
by the Ohanian Family of Boston. The centers—one located on
the grounds of the Karin Nursery and another in Margahovit—
provide interactive lessons focused on the environment.
“Planting trees is not enough when there is limited awareness
about environmental issues,” explained education manager
Alla Sahakyan. “Through our education program, we aim to
raise a generation that will be caretakers of the environment. ”
Melanya Sarukhanyan, age 13, is a regular at the Michael
and Virginia Ohanian Center for Environmental Studies in
Margahovit. She’s a member of our eco-club, whose 35 members
meet weekly. The center has a beautiful experimental garden
with flowers, plants and vegetables that the children care for.
Melanya learned how to make compost and care for trees.
She also learned about organic gardening, bee care and honey
production. “We use modern technology,” she said. “We watch
videos together. . . . It’s more fun that way. I’ve learned that
nature gives us life, so we must care for it.”
We also took the lead in organizing a program called
“Empowering Environmental Education Network for
Strengthening Environmental Governance in Armenia,” funded
by EU Strengthening Environmental Governance by Building the
Capacity of NGO’s Project and delivered by UNDP/GEF Small
Grants Programme. This vibrant network involves more than
30 civil society, educational and international organizations.
WE’RE BUILDING BRIDGES WITH THE DIASPORA
For several years, we have actively involved diasporan youth in our
education initiatives though the Building Bridges program. We use
video, a website, social media, school visits and a printed newsletter
to engage young people in the issues and learn about how ATP is
proposing solutions. When schoolchildren visit Armenia, they often
plant trees with their peers and learn a little bit about each other. In
2015, we hosted six school visits that included plantings at historical
locations like Sardarapat.
“Thanks to the generous support of the Thomas A. Kooyumjian
Family Foundation, we have been able to reach out to thousands
of students throughout the US,” explained Building Bridges manager
Sarah Hayes. “We provide students with fun education materials
and encourage them to plant. Our goal is to develop the capacity
of Armenian schools to be drivers for environmental security.” For
information, visit www.armeniatree.org/buildingbridges.
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E N V I R O N M E N TA L E D U C AT I O N
2016
Program
Goals
• Host Get Rooted tours
to our nurseries and
tree planting
CREATING A
HEALTHY
YOUTH
ARMENIA
AWARENESS
• Celebrate Earth
Day and other key
environmental days
in Armenia
• Expand partnerships
with local and international organizations
including businesses,
NGO’s, governmental
organizations and
local citizens
• Remain at the
vanguard of environmental consciousness
in Armenia by promoting activities like
trash cleanups, being
out in nature and living
a healthy lifestyle
Trash cleanups promote partnerships and volunteerism: As part of our mission to create a healthy environment
and encourage partnerships, we organized several volunteer trash cleanups. The first was at Yerevan Children’s
Railway for Earth Day, while a second was at a beautiful pine grove near Aparan (pictured here). “Our objective is
a clean and healthy Armenia. The Children’s Railway and Mirak Forest are popular gathering places for families,
so we were excited to make the areas more hospitable. We are grateful to the organizations and volunteers
that joined us with suchenthusiasm and good will,” noted Country Director Lucineh Kassarjian.
Serj Tankian and David Alpay Join Glamping Bash in California
Philanthropy and star power joined forces for a high-energy
farm-table dinner we hosted in November with System of a
Down frontman Serj Tankian and actor David Alpay. TreePeople
in Beverly Hills was the setting for the unique outdoor dinner,
where hundreds of guests gathered to enjoy an evening in
nature. Billed as glamping (“glamorous camping”), the event
combined a rustic setting with elegant presentations.
Tankian is a long-time friend with a record of environmental
advocacy. “I stand behind the work of ATP, which is helping
citizens in the Diaspora and Armenia undergo an environmental
awakening,” he said. “It’s hard to look at the big picture and to
make people understand that with the collapse of Armenia’s
ecosystem would come the end of our nation. The magic of
ATP is that it makes people understand this reality.”
Alpay has been another advocate: “ATP promotes education,
economic independence and food security by planting fruit
trees. But its mandate runs deeper. It is nation-building in its
most sacred form. When you contribute to ATP, when you
plant a tree, you spread roots in the ground.”
Founder Carolyn Mugar underscored the nation-building
component: “We do this because we believe in Armenia,” she
said, adding that early on, when there were other pressing
needs, people questioned why she chose to plant trees. But,
Mugar stressed, working to establish a system of sustainable
forestry ensures there will be an Armenia capable of sustaining coming generations. To that end, our focus is also on
educating the youngest of citizens to be environmentally
conscious and vigilant.
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PUBLIC OUTREACH
Green Tour to Karin
Join us for a tour of our tree nursery
in Karin Village in the Aragatsotn region
where we are growing thousands of trees
for our planting initiatives. You’ll meet
our staff and even learn how to graft a
fruit tree. Our nursery is a green oasis
in Armenia . . . it is truly where
the magic happens.
In Armenia:
37410 44 74 01
yerevan@armeniatree.org
Tour dates are
March 22
April 29
May 30
June 5
September 5
October 1
November 1
Trip is 3 hours including travel time
from Yerevan.
Light lunch will be provided.
Suggested donation is $20.
Dates subject to weather.
Other dates may be available,
contact us for information.
In USA:
617 926 8733
info@armeniatree.org
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Get Rooted with ATP’s
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SPECIAL THANKS
We give special thanks to the following individuals, organizations, and companies
for having volunteered their time, assisted with an event, or donated their services
to make it another successful year for ATP.
Peter Abajian
Avedis Abovian
Lilit Abovyan
Gagik Adamian
Hovig Aguilian
David Alpay
American University
of Armenia
Krisdapor Arabian
Armenian Professional
Society of Los Angeles
Armenian Public Radio
Armenians of North Bay
Lina Arslanian
Vera Arutyunyan
Alik Meguerditchian
Arzoumanian
Christina Assadvazadorian
Arpi Avanesian
Khoren and Shooshanig
Avedisian School
AYF La Crescenta
Garegin Njdeh
Badanegan Chapter
Armen Baibourtian
William and Nora
Bairamian
Anahit Bakhshyan
Beaina Bedrossian
Karen Bekaryan
Vahe Berberian
Gregory Bilezikian
Matt Bogoshian
Gabriel Bogossian
Hilda Bogossian
Trish Papelian Caricati
Varant Chinchinian
CivilNet.TV
Norayr Daduryan
Seta Dakessian
Niyera Davoodian
Lucineh Dayian
Gianna Demirchyan
Hayk Demoyan
Levon Der Bedrossian
(Silk Road Hotel)
Menua Dolukhanian
Karnig and Karen
Durgarian
Marten Ehnberg
Al and Sabine Eisaian
Lerna Ekmekcioglu
EU Delegation in Armenia
Vatche Fermanian
Vehik Gabrielian
Ani Galustian
Tom and Dora Garabedian
Hasmik Gasparyan
Arusyak Gevorgyan
Alisa Gevorgyan
Dzovinar Ghazarian Derik Ghookasian
GIZ IBIS Project
Larissa Goliti
Hovhannes Gumryan
Alex Hachigian
Astghik Hakobyan
Anna Hovasapian
Impact Hub Yerevan
Hovsep Injejikian
Lisa Giragosian Iskikian
Arthur Ispiryan
Zareh Issakhanian
Lorraine Diaz Issavi
Rupen Janbazian
Kimberly Kamborian
Matthew Karanian
Talin Kargodorian Ardy Kassakhian
Ani Manjikian Kenderian
Talin Keshishoghlian
Vahe Keushguerian
Taline Kevonian
Christine Jerian
Kharmandalian
Maroun Khoury
Stepan Khzrtian
Sara Kilisian
Carla Koundakjian
Roger and Alina Kupelian
Simon Maghakyan
Mihran Mahmouzian
Leo Mandani
Shahe Mankerian
Gayane Manukyan
Vartan Marashlyan
Kara Setian Marston
Samvel Martirosyan
Sona Martirosyan
Sosie Almasian
Megerdichian
Margarita Melikjanian Margaret Mgrublian
Emil Minas
Karen Killerjian Minassian
Armine Movsisyan
Naira Muradyan
Elita Nazarian
Garo Nerkizian
Larisa Nikogosyan
Anush Gharibyan
O’Connor
Zepyur Ohanessian
Anahid Oshagan Sebouh Oshagan
Ambassador Erikas
Petrikas (Lithuania)
Larisa Safaryan
Vahe Sargsyan
Shamlian Family
Shant TV
Hripsik Shatikian
Southland Nursery
Sir Timothy Straight
Serj and Angela Tankian
Sevag Tankian
Vahagn Thomasian
Baydzar Thomasian
Ruth Thomasian
George Tonikian
TreePeople
Scout Tufankjian
Arto Tuncboyaciyan
Bridget and Denis
Twomey
UNDP/GEF Small Grants
Programme
Uni Comp Inc.
(Jan Paul and Lisa
Ann von Wendt)
Lucy Varpetian
Sarkis Vartanian
Helder Vieira
Sahag Yedalian
Asdghig YoghourtjianSepetjian
York University ASA
Vahan Zanoyan
Armenia Tree Project is working to create a secure, independent, and sustainable Armenia
through environmental education, community-based tree planting, and advocacy. Since
1994, we have planted and restored more than 4.9 million trees, established three nurseries
and two environmental education centers, provided employment to hundreds of seasonal
workers who plant and maintain our fledgling forests, and educated many thousands of
children about the environment.
We strive to:
• PLANT TREES in every community of Armenia and Artsakh
2001
• REVERSE the loss of Armenia’s forests
• CREATE a new generation of environmental stewards through education
• ADVOCATE for the sustainable use of our natural resources
Our flagship Community Tree Planting Program focuses on planting trees at more than
1,000 urban and rural sites in over 350 towns and villages in Armenia and Artsakh. These
trees provide shade, clean air and water, protect against dust and erosion, and produce
more than 500,000 pounds of fruit annually to benefit local communities.
Our Mirak Family Reforestation Nursery supplies hundreds of thousands of seedlings that we use for large-scale planting each year. Successful reforestation is combined with
locally based poverty reduction to protect existing resources. We hire hundreds of seasonal
workers each year to assist in the planting and maintenance of these fledgling forests.
We conduct environmental education in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in
every corner of Armenia. Thousands of schoolchildren visit our two Michael and Virginia
Ohanian Environmental Education Centers each year. These centers provide hands-on
and classroom instruction focused on the environment.
2014
Before and after: We’ve planted hundreds of trees at Saint Harutyun Church in Samakhar Village
(Armavir province). Our work in Samakhar began in 2001 as we greened churches throughout
Armenia to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of Armenia’s adoption of Christianity.
23 A rme ni a Tre e P ro j e ct • Annual Re po r t 201 5/201 6
Mission Statement
Ar me n ia Tre e Pro j e ct • A nnual Re po r t 2 01 5/201 6
ATP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Carolyn Mugar, Founder
Nancy Kricorian
Julia Mirak Kew
Anthony Barsamian
ATP IN-COUNTRY OFFICE
Armenia Tree Project
Charitable Foundation
Arshakunyats Street 57/5
Yerevan, Armenia 0026
(37410) 44-74-01
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# GetRooted
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