A Project of:
PO Box 646
Zoar OH 44697
Located at
434 W Fifth St
Zoar OH 44697
330-874-4632
This site last updated on
08/07/2009 01:34 PM -0400
Program History
Our organization was founded in 1989 as American Free Tree
Program (AFTP). The mission of AFTP was to raise money, buy tree seedlings, and
give them away to the public every year for Earth Day. The goal was to
provide a large quantity of trees to every person in the county, including
school children, who would then plant them in their back yards. The
project was an instant success because the trees were free and easy to plant due
to their size.
Even though the model project began in our own Stark County, it soon went statewide. AFTP received a four-year grant in 1992 from Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry to fund the creation of the same free tree program in all 88 counties of Ohio. This expanded project was a compliment to the Ohio TreeSource project.
Our staff traveled to each county to train project coordinators, who would then recruit volunteers and raise funds from the community to buy the tree seedlings. The coordinators and volunteers would organize their own "free tree" program named for the county they were located in.
After 11 years AFTP had reached its goal of giving away 2 million trees in Stark County and 9 million statewide. When the goals were met the funding stopped and the free tree project ended in 2000. The Board of Directors authorized a change in mission, hired a new Executive Director in June 2001 to replace the resigning director, and began a two-year transition to formulate a new organization based on education and outreach.
Beginning in 2003, our Board authorized a corporate name change to Earth Action Partnership, Inc. We developed a logo, defined a mission statement, completed the first major revision of bylaws since 1989, implemented a Conflict of Interest Policy, purchased Directors and Officers insurance, and completed a company profile with the Better Business Bureau for public accountability. We began evaluating our existing assets to determine the programs that could be developed around them, and we began building relationships with professionals in environmental fields to help develop those programs. By the end of 2003 a plan was taking shape for the development of the Zoar Wetland Arboretum as our main program.
The office of EAP had been in Canton 15 miles north of Zoar, which limited the amount of time staff could manage and promote the wetland, so in November 2004 we moved our office from downtown Canton to the duplex at the Zoar Wetland Arboretum to strengthen our presence at the wetland and make it central to our mission.