Arbor Day 2010 is a National Holiday
April 30, 2010 is Arbor Day 2010. The U.S. national holiday is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April. It is the day that encourages tree planting and care, founded by J. Sterling Morton in 1872.
Arbor Day website posted a list of how to celebrate Arbor Day, as a group or as an individual.
Group Celebrations
* Raise the flag, strike up the band, make Arbor Day fun. Make it memorable.
* Organize a beautification project in a public area.
* Get people into action. Ask a civic or service group to promote a paper drive to gather paper to be recycled and save a tree. Use the proceeds to buy a special tree to plant in a park or other special public place.
* Hold a poster contest, or a poetry contest.
* Sponsor a children’s pageant or play.
* Fill the air with music. Have an Arbor Day concert of songs about trees, or with tree names in their titles.
* Sponsor a tree trivia contest. Give away trees to winners.
* Conduct a tree search. Ask people to find large, unusual or historic trees in your community. Once the results are in, publish a map that highlights the winners, or hold a walk showcasing them.
* Tell people to take a hike?—?a tree identification hike?—?and have girl scouts or boy scouts act as guides.
* Dedicate a forest, or a tree, or a flower bed in a park, and make it an occasion to talk about stewardship. Get a local nursery or garden center to hold an open house or field day. Organize an Arbor Day Fair.
* Encourage neighborhood organizations to hold block parties and get their members to adopt and care for street trees in front of their homes. Pass out buttons. Give away trees.
Individual Arbor Day Celebration
* Celebrate Arbor Day in a personal way by planting a tree yourself. It is an act of optimism and kindness, a labor of love and a commitment to stewardship.
* Read a book about trees. Learn to identify trees in your yard and neighborhood.
* Enjoy the outdoors. Visit a local park or take a nature hike.
* Attend a class on tree and plant care.
* Volunteer with a local tree-planting organization. You’ll meet new people and make a difference in your community.