MThis time of year, gold-tinged leaves bring into focus the role played by trees in the character of a community.

On the Naperville Riverwalk, the tree-lined paths are a major part of the park's charm, attracting crowds of residents on warm evenings. It's also what draws thousands of people to the Morton Arboretum every October.

It's that aspect of the two natural areas that links their endeavors, arboretum Executive Director Gerard Donnelly said Thursday when he addressed the Riverwalk Foundation's fall fund-raising breakfast.

"The arboretum stands for community building, as the Riverwalk does," Donnelly said.

"That's what you're doing in Naperville," Donnelly said. "You're planting trees, you're laying bricks, you're creating parkland that will have a long-lasting legacy and contributions for the city of Naperville."

The foundation raised $7,080 with Thursday's breakfast. The foundation is trying to raise $400,000 to build Fredenhagen Park on Washington Street in place of the former Cock Robin ice cream parlor.

With arbors, a clock tower and fountain, Fredenhagen Park will serve as a new anchor for the Riverwalk and a gateway to downtown Naperville. Organizers said they hope to break ground on the new park in spring 2003.

"Fredenhagen Park will become a reality," said John Schmitt, co-chairman of the fund-raising campaign. "I tell people new to Naperville that here in Naperville we do things very, very well. Not very fast, but very well."

Organizers invited Donnelly to speak because of what the arboretum shares in common with the Riverwalk - beautiful trees, water views and incredible vistas, said Ruth Fawell, a member of the foundation board.

"They also share a certain fragility, which reminds us we have to reserve these beautiful spaces," she said.

Donnelly, who lived on the south side of the city for 11 years, said the Riverwalk exhibits a vitality that attracts people. He drew a comparison with the family of Joy Morton, the arboretum's founder, whose motto was "Plant trees."

As governor of Nebraska, Morton's father founded Arbor Day and encouraged tree planting as a way to solidify communities on the vast grasslands of the West.

"He could think of all kinds of economic incentives and the one he chose was planting trees," Donnelly said.

A tree-lined, winding street represents our idealized sense of community, Donnelly said, a goal the arboretum helps cities achieve by researching tree species and helping cities develop programs to care for them.

A grove of trees planted on the newest stretch of the Riverwalk represents the arboretum's work in finding disease-resistant trees that adapt to urban environments. The arboretum also helped inventory the trees at Naper Settlement, plant trees near the downtown Metra station and replace the elms in the Naperville Cemetery.

And the arboretum tries to influence people to plant and care for trees in their own community.

"These things require reinvestment," he said. "It's always attractive to build something new because it makes an immediate impact. But there is a responsibility to take care of what you've got."