| Creating Living Memorials to 9-11 | |
To assist communities nationwide in memorializing the tragic losses of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Forest Service has created the "Living Memorials Project," an initiative designed to "invoke the resonating power of trees to bring people together and create lasting, living memorials to the victims of terrorism, their families, communities, and the nation."
While the initial focus for the Living Memorials Project is geared toward community planting projects in areas of the Northeast most devastated by the Sept. 11 attacks, the Forest Service will ultimately work with state forestry agencies and communities nationwide in developing plans and planting trees.
Utilizing the resources and skills of its Urban and Community Forestry Program, the Forest Service will assist state and local officials, and non-profit organizations in developing and caring for living memorials -- places where "trees and memories will thrive in perpetuity" -- places to "bring families, communities, and the nation together."
First 9-11 Living Memorial Project grants awarded
Also seeking funding for projects nationwide, Agriculture Secretary Ann M.
Veneman on Sept. 9 announced $933,000 in federal grants to develop living
memorials in recognition of the losses that occurred during terrorist attacks in
New York City, southwest Pennsylvania and the Washington metropolitan area on
Sept. 11, 2001.
"This week, as we all take time to reflect and honor the courage of so many, we also pay tribute to the victims, their families and communities who have suffered from these tragedies," said Veneman. "These living memorials, through community involvement and tree plantings, will provide a long-lasting tribute to honor the heroes of September 11."
Based on their socio-geographic linkage to the Sept. 11 attacks, groups in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., received 12 federal cost-share grants ranging from $13,000 to $236,000 to establish publicly accessible memorial sites. [Details of grants awarded on Sept. 9]
- National
Living Memorials Programs
Includes Web links and contact information for all current living memorial projects and resources nationwide and in the New York, SW Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. areas. - Find
a Living Memorial Near You
Currently providing complete information on over 40 projects from California to New York, this interface is the basis of the Forest Service's National Inventory of living memorial projects. By the end of Fall 2002, an interactive map will be available to assist guests in locating memorial projects,
National Inventory of living memorials
To coordinate, recognize and
promote efforts throughout the nation to create memorials in small towns and
cities, the Forest Service is developing a National
Inventory of living memorial projects.
Cities, towns, non-profit organizations and individuals developing living memorials are encouraged to register their projects in the National Inventory.
- How
to submit your project to the National Inventory
By registering, your project, story, and photographs will be posted on the Web and shared with others throughout the country. - Living
Memorials Contact List
Whether you would like to develop a living memorial in your area, or just have questions about this program, here is a complete list of names, phone numbers and email address of persons to contact.
A living legacy endures
Throughout our history, Americans have planted trees as living, growing
memorials to those who died, to those who survived and to those who served
during some of our nation's darkest hours. In these cherished groves, countless
people have stopped to remember, to heal and to go forward.
What better symbol of life, renewal and the spirit of America can be found?
"In a way [this tree] symbolizes the city: life under difficulties, growth against odds, sap-rise in the midst of concrete, and the steady reaching for the sun." -- E.B. White “Here is New York,” 1948
