The City of Syracuse will celebrate Arbor Day 2012 on April 27 at 1 PM at the Hughes Elementary School, to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution of trees to Onondaga County’s Save The Rain green infrastructure projects at the school. There is a new porous pavement parking lot and 25 trees will be planted to intercept rainfall on the other parking lots and sidewalks at the school.
Arbor Day has been celebrated around the world since the day’s not-so-humble beginnings in 1874 in Nebraska. Sterling J Morton, who was born in Jefferson County, NY, spearheaded the efforts behind the first Arbor Day, April 10, 1874, when citizens of the new territory planted a million trees. Trees were planted to prevent soil erosion, reduce the damaging effects of wind, provide shade and wildlife habitat and for building materials. Arbor Day has been celebrated every year since those 1,000,000 trees were planted in Nebraska. Arbor Day celebrations have become a tradition in schools nationwide since 1882.
The City of Syracuse celebrated its first Arbor Day in April, 2000 at Thornden Park and has been a Tree City USA since 1990. Since those first Syracuse beginnings Arbor Day has been celebrated at our city schools. Each year the Mayor proclaims our renewed commitment to being a Tree City. This year Syracuse will receive the Tree City Growth Award for sharing of services through the consolidated City-County Arborist position and for increasing planting rates by 100% through Onondaga County’s Save The Rain Program.
The agenda for the afternoon is as follows:
1:00 pm Welcome by Hughes School Principal Theresa Haley and Cornell Cooperative Extension Executive Director Dr. Richard Halpin;
1:05 pm Commissioner Muhammad receives the Tree City USA proclamation from Ken Lynch of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation;
1:10 pm Syracuse City Parks Commissioner, Baye Muhammad reads Arbor Day Proclamation
1:15 pm Tom Rhoads, Commissioner of Water Environment Protection, Save The Rain Program Projects at Hughes Elementary
1:20 pm Tree planting with Commissioner Muhammad and Commissioner Rhoades
1:25 pm Tree planting with Fifth grade students
