Our Story

Bob Thibodeaux, the founder of Acorns of Hope, began this necessary project in November of 2007. "I felt this need was far overlooked as I was doing tree evaluations along the Hurricane Rita struck coastline. I saw live oaks that fell and broke apart because of poor maintenance, soil environments, and heedless growing practices. Over the 67 years of my living in South Louisiana, I have noticed soil decline increasing yearly. More trees than ever, fail due to this issue. Pollution, litter, over use in chemicals, poorly planned project developments (urbanization) will continue damaging the environment unless we cease these unfriendly ecological practices."

"I witnessed FEMA constructors destroy valuable land and live oaks, not understanding the soil space and environment these and many other specimen thrive upon; and with our tax dollars too! In 1998, I refused a state contract to cut an alley of live oaks lining the coastal road near Rockefeller Refuge that were nearly 150 years old. Former governor Mike Foster phoned me to ask about the issue personally in which case I told him that I could not participate or allow these trees to be flattened out for the sake of a roadway. There comes a point in your life, when you start to really understand what is truly important. Mike Foster supported my decision and agreed to suspend the contract. Though these trees survived from this incident, nearly all were destroyed by Hurricane Rita."

Now the coastline is facing a rapid digression of the land. Approximately 24 square miles per year (that is the equivalent of one football field every 38 minutes) has been lost. According to the land loss estimates, Hurricane Katrina and Rita transformed 217 square miles of marsh to open water in coastal Louisiana.

 

"It was then that I decided to do something about it. I was going to ride my bike 25 to 35 miles a day and plant thousands of trees along the way equipped with my bicycle, water bottle, and shovel. My wife, Dot Thibodeaux, would come and meet me somewhere along the way with more trees and provisions. This all changed as some of my employees and many Tour des Trees riders quickly called to join in the adventure which is how AOH became a bike tour and tree planting initiative."

"Acorns of Hope, 2007, was a lot of fun. We did not plant as many trees as I would have liked, but in the next two or three years we will catch up. Our goal is to plant over 10,000 quality live oaks in a term of five years. Though it may not replace what we have lost; collecting and growing thousands of live oaks as well as focusing on education; we can make a strong impact!"

"Acorns of Hope is about planting the very best of live oaks on planet earth! For the 50 years since I really got involved with container grown live oaks along this coastal plain, I have seen the horrors of wind thrown trees; 20, 30, 40, and 50 year old live oaks. While doing these evaluations I noticed too many of these fallen trees were container grown. Believe me, a container grown tree is better than no tree, yet Acorns of Hope is about research and development and selecting the very best parent plant we can find. I like the idea of looking at a good set of roots and setting them in good quality soil. It is a wonderful connection with nature and a good message for Acorns of Hope to share with the world."

Very importantly, it is a focus of Acorns of Hope to plant cheniers. A close nit line of live oaks is my version of a chenier which is the most effective method in slowing down winds and holding soil banks to prevent erosion.

"We are a large group of tree people to help an area of the US that seriously needs tree professionals." This year, 2009, the Acorns of Hope group may be the largest number of tree professionals ever, to assist in the re-forestation of this valuable, fast eroding coastline.

"These are exciting times for me to have such special people assist in this very important project. Our Acorns of Hope ambassador Alexandra Futch, Dot and my first grandchild came all the way from Florida to help with our Acorns of Hope Project. Her energetic and inspiring commitment to the foundation has strengthened my desire to see this project through. We hope that together, we may bring awareness to this issue and inspire a change in how we should care for our planet."

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