MEMORIAL CONTINUES REFORESTATION EFFORT WITH FIFTH ANNUAL TREE PLANTING
Shanksville, PA (May 6, 2016:): On May 13 and 14, the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial are continuing a major reforestation effort that will eventually result in 150,000 new trees at Flight 93 National Memorial, the nation's permanent memorial to the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93, and all of those lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
For the fifth year, Flight 93 National Memorial will honor the passengers and crew with Plant a Tree at Flight 93. This event is one of the many ways the National Park Service is commemorating the 2016 Centennial celebration. The goal of the National Park Service Centennial is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates.
Plant a Tree at Flight 93 is an example of the countless ways to #FindYourPark. The Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque movement was launched in March 2015 by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service. Inspiring people from all backgrounds to celebrate and support America's national parks and community-based programs, #FindYourPark invites people to discover and share their own unique connections to our nation's natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history.
Flight 93 National Memorial will be open to the public during regular visiting hours on the days of the tree-planting effort, with memorial grounds open sunrise to sunset and the Visitor Center open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To date, over 1,800 volunteers have assisted with planting over 75,000 tree seedlings at Flight 93 National Memorial. This year, a team of more than 400 volunteers, under the guidance of tree-planting experts, will have the opportunity to continue this effort, planting an additional 15,640 seedlings at the memorial.
Many sponsors have joined with the National Park Foundation to make this effort possible including: Roy A. Hunt Foundation, The UPS Foundation, S &T Bank, Simpson && McCardy, Somerset Fraternal Order of Eagles, Windber Medical Center, North American Hoganas, EADS Group, Inc. and The Dominion Foundation.
Additional National Park Service partners include The American Chestnut Foundation; Appalachian Regional Commission; Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative; Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service;Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement and; Green Forests Work, Home Depot; REI; Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Penn State University Altoona; PennState University DuBois; University of Kentucky; Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation; Pennsylvania Game Commission; Starbucks, Somerset.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
