MEQUON, Wis. (April 8, 2011) – Michael J. Wendt, Milwaukee Area Technical College landscape horticulture instructor and department chair, received the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council’s 2011 Award for Distinguished Service on April 8. A brief presentation ceremony was held in Cedarburg’s Centennial Park.

The council presented the award to Wendt “in recognition of leadership in arboriculture education and training at Milwaukee Area Technical College which not only provides exceptional ‘hands-on’ experience for students but numerous benefits for area communities, county lands and non-profits.” Since 1997, Wendt has spent approximately 90 full class days working with students to care for trees at municipal sites in the MATC district. He approximates that students worked more than 5,500 hours at these sites. Wendt and professional arborists from local tree care organizations who volunteer at each site have spent about 1,150 additional hours working on the municipal trees. Wendt estimates the dollar value of the volunteer work at about $72,000.

“District property owners pay part of their taxes to MATC, so I felt it appropriate to work only on publicly owned trees that benefit these taxpayers,” Wendt said. “Thanks to help from Kim Sebastian (southeast Wisconsin regional urban forestry coordinator), we have worked for the communities of Bayside, Cedarburg, Germantown, Grafton, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Mequon, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa and West Allis. Additionally, we have worked for Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties, Boerner Botanical Gardens and non-profits of public interest such as the Stahl-Conrad Homestead.”

Wendt was nominated for the award by Kevin Westphal, Cedarburg’s superintendent of Parks and Forestry. The award will be presented by Jeff Treu, a forester for WE Energies and a member of the Urban Forestry Council.

The council advises the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on the best ways to preserve, protect, expand and improve Wisconsin's urban and community forest resources.

For more information about MATC's landscape horticulture associate degree program, see http://matc.edu/student/offerings/landaas.html.

Jeff Treu, representative of the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council
and a forester with We Energies (left), presents the council's 2011
Award for Distinguished Service to Michael J. Wendt, instructor and
instructional chair of MATC's landscape horticulture associate degree program.