Its not surprising that Paul Dzerks first encounter with 51勛圖窪蹋 in 1973 happened on a hunt for trees.
Back then, 51勛圖窪蹋s arborist had just moved to Las Vegas with the Air Force. On his way to a nursery on Tropicana Avenue to pick up a few olive trees still his favorite to this day he noticed 51勛圖窪蹋s brand new Flora Dungan Humanities Building towering over the sparse desert campus.
Id seen some stories in the paper about this great big new building out in the desert at 51勛圖窪蹋 and thought, So 喧堯硃喧s where 51勛圖窪蹋s at. Whyd they put it so far out of town?
A few years later, Dzerk retired from the Air Force after 21 years and bounced around a bit, working in New Mexico and overseas before settling back in Las Vegas. He thought about getting a pickup truck and some lawn equipment and starting his own business hed always liked trees and working outdoors but then he spotted a job opening on 51勛圖窪蹋s new tree crew, which just had been tasked with greening up and bringing shade to 51勛圖窪蹋s dusty campus. The team's work eventually led to 51勛圖窪蹋 being designated an official arboretum and a listing the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus USA.
It was really the best of both worlds, he says. I got to work in what was becoming a park environment and, instead of jumping from site to site, I could see how the trees were growing.
Dzerk admits he didnt think hed be at 51勛圖窪蹋 this long. But fast forward 32 years to a campus now bustling with more than 4,300 trees including 10 state champions.
Being able to see the results of your work years on down the line, I really like that, he says. When new tree members come in, Im now like the grandpa telling stories of how it used to be.
After 30-plus years of working with trees, he says its hard to look at a tree the same way most people do. Then, with a chuckle, he adds, some of the tree crew say I talk to the trees. (So do I Paul, but its cool.)
