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Locatations and Schedule Announced for the Katrina Tree Recovery Campaign

date 03/01/06

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NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY AND NATIONAL ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE LOCATIONS AND SCHEDULE OF TREE GIVEAWAY PROGRAM
FOR KATRINA VICTIMS

Moss Point, MS, February 22, 2006 – Many of the beautiful trees found on America’s Gulf Coast were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. To help with the restoration, the National Audubon Society and The National Arbor Day Foundation launched the Katrina Tree Recovery Campaign last year to assist in the region’s tree recovery efforts.

Through the Katrina Tree Recovery Campaign, people across America have answered the call to help replant trees in coastal Mississippi and Louisiana through financial donations that, to date, will result in the shipment of over 23,000 trees in early March.

For every $10 donated to the Katrina Tree Recovery Campaign, the Arbor Day Foundation is contributing 10 trees to be planted by Katrina victims. Distribution of the trees is being managed by Audubon Mississippi's Coastal Project Office and its director, Dr. Mark LaSalle, who is working with Audubon Chapters and other civic and community groups in the region to distribute the trees at 20 sites across coastal Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana.

Four species of trees will be available – Bald Cypress, Red Maple, Red Oak, and Live Oak, all of which are hardy species that are native in these areas. Native trees and natural habitats are important assets for human communities on the Gulf Coast and are vital to many birds, including the millions that migrate across the Gulf of Mexico and depend on trees, forests and other habitats to provide crucial feeding and resting areas.

Bare-root trees (five per family) will be provided free of charge on Saturday, March 4th at the following locations:

MISSISSIPPI:
Pascagoula – Pascagoula Recreation Center (Pascagoula Street)
Moss Point – Riverfront Park (Main Street)
Gautier – Gulf Coast Community College Campus
Ocean Springs – Ocean Springs Civic Center (Hwy 90)
Lucedale – MSU Extension Service (Hwy 198 East)
D’Iberville / St. Martin – St. Martin Community Center (Lemoyne Blvd)
Biloxi – Mississippi Power Service Center (Reynoir Street)
Gulfport (first site) – Tuggle Community Center (Rippy Road)
Gulfport (second site) – Jones Park (Hwy 90 and Hwy 49)
Long Beach – First United Methodist Church (Pine Street)
Pass Christian – Pass Christian Middle School (Delisle Road)
Bay St. Louis – The Depot (downtown)
Waveland – City Hall Complex (Coleman Avenue)
Kiln – Annunciation Gym & School (Kiln-Delisle Road)
Picayune – Paul Bounds Nursery (South Main Street)
Saucier – Saucier Elementary (Hwy 49)

LOUISIANA:
New Orleans (first site) – City Park
New Orleans (second site) – Bayou Savage National Wildlife Refuge (I-10)
Slidell – La Branch National Wildlife Refuge (Lacombe)
Metairie – American Legion Hall (Metairie Road)

Audubon Mississippi’s collaboration with The National Arbor Day Foundation is part of its overall initiative to promote the recovery of habitat for birds and other wildlife in areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina. The project, dubbed Operation Backyard Recovery, follows many of the themes of the Audubon at Home program, namely that by taking personal conservation action, everyone can improve the environmental health and habitat quality close to home and, collectively, over the larger landscape.

More information about Operation Backyard Recovery, and the schedule of the tree giveaway program, can be found at www.msaudubon.org.

To contribute to the Katrina Tree Recovery Campaign, which will continue throughout 2006, people can send contributions to The National Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Avenue, Nebraska City, NE 68410, or contribute online at www.arborday.org/Katrina.

For more information about the tree giveaway schedule, please contact Mark LaSalle at 228-475-0825 or [email protected].

Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based nature centers and chapters, scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in conservation.

The National Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, environmental education organization of nearly a million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.

Contacts:

National Audubon Society
Erica Barton
212/979-3197
[email protected]

The National Arbor Day Foundation:
Dan Lamb
1-888-448-7337
[email protected]


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