Lincoln, Neb., April 12, 2002 -- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Botanical Garden and Arboretum will celebrate Arbor Day April 26 by planting a tree in observance of the 35th anniversary of Maxwell Arboretum.
The planting will be part of a public program at Maxwell Arboretum on East Campus.
"Everyone is welcome to bring a brown bag lunch to the Maxwell Gazebo from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.," said Kay Kottas, education manager for the UNL Botanical Garden and Arboretum. "At 12:30, Dr. Gary Hergenrader, Nebraska state forester, will speak."
Representatives of the Friends of Maxwell Arboretum and Landscape Services will also give brief remarks, followed by the tree-planting. For more information, please call (402) 472-2679.
This year marks the 130th anniversary of Arbor Day. J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City, founder of Arbor Day, once said, "Most holidays celebrate the past, but Arbor Day celebrates the future." Trees planted today will continue to grow and provide benefits for years.
In honor of Arbor day, Kottas offered these tree facts: The first Arbor Day holiday in Nebraska was in 1872, and the day is now celebrated internationally; Nebraska's nickname was once the "Tree-Planters State"; strategically planted trees near your home may reduce heating and cooling costs; and trees provide aesthetic enjoyment of your surroundings and habitat for wildlife.
She also offered this tree trivia question: Who wrote this short poem
titled "Trees": "Food for the table / Wood for the stove / Shade for the
body / Beauty for the soul"? For the answer go to http://busfin.unl.edu/unlbga on
the World Wide Web.
For questions regarding these releases, contact:
tsimons1@unl.edu
(402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825