Today being the last Friday in April means that we celebrate National Arbor Day today. The very first Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska in 1872 and since that time 250 million trees have been planted all over the country through the Arbor Day Foundation. A day set aside to celebrate the importance of trees in our lives and to promote their planting and care came about through the efforts of J. Sterling Morton, an early Nebraska pioneer and editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper. He often wrote about agriculture and environmentalism and promoted the idea of a day for tree planting. Nebraska’s State Board of Agriculture agreed with his proposal and declared the first Arbor Day. Prizes were offered for the largest number of trees planted and over a million trees were planted in Nebraska on that day. Other states soon followed and eventually the day would be celebrated in all 50 states and numerous countries around the world.
Join the celebration today at 1:30 with the MVCC Go Green! Club. They will be planting a magnolia tree on the north side of the pump house in front of Buildings F and T. Then at 2:00 in D116 there will be a talk entitled “Climate Action Plan? What’s That? & Other Sustainability News.” Also, don’t forget to check out the many books in our collection covering the natural history of trees as well information about different varieties of trees around the country, growing tips, and even a book about famous trees. To find out more about Arbor Day or to add to the next 250 million trees visit the Arbor Day Foundation website.
“Arbor Day…which has already transplanted itself…to every state in the American Union and has even been adopted in foreign lands…is not like other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future.” –J. Sterling Morton