Nebraska City, Neb.--The Forest Discovery Center, Starlight, Indiana, will receive one of two 1999 Good Steward Awards from The National Arbor Day Foundation at a special awards ceremony to be held here on Saturday, May 1. The award honors those who show extraordinary effort in tree planting and conservation work on private property.
The Forest Discovery Center is an education center located on the premises of Koetter Woodworking, a hardwood manufacturing facility. The 24,000 square foot center houses an indoor forest as well as other exhibits that promote education about responsible forest management. Both the woodworking plant and the center are powered by electricity generated by burning the plant's sawdust.
Thomas and Mary Frances Koetter, founders of Koetter Woodworking, and Forest Discovery Center Director Carol Lewis will attend the 27th annual National Arbor Day Foundation Awards banquet to receive the award. The awards ceremony is part of the Arbor Day weekend celebration held in Nebraska City from April 30-May 2.
Others being honored this year include Eloise McClendon, Attalla, Alabama, also the winner of a 1999 Good Steward Award for her lifetime commitment to conservation; Place Middle School, Denver, Colorado, winner of a 1999 Education Award for teaching the value of trees and plant life to the environment; The Idaho Arbor Day Coalition, Boise, Idaho, winner of the 1999 Advertising and Public Relations Award for their contribution to raise understanding of trees as a renewable resource; and DeKalb's First Arbor Day Celebration, DeKalb, Illinois, recipient of a 1999 Celebration Award.
The National Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit education organization dedicated to tree planting and environmental stewardship.