Arbor Day Lecture for NJ Students
(Reprinted from the Hunterdon County Democrat, April 23, 2009)
TEWKSBURY TWP. – Gov. Corzine is expected in the township tomorrow for the state Arbor Day celebration.
The day gets under way at 8:30 a.m. with the planting of 187 trees and shrubs by volunteers from the community and from the N.J. Youth Corps. The plantings will be at Christie Hoffman Farm park, Fairmount Park North, Pascale Farm Park and along the western edge of the Oldwick fields.
Japanese maple, October. © Alison M. Jones
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At 10 a.m. photographer Alison M. Jones will speak at the Tewksbury Elementary School. She grew up in Mountainville and has since traveled the world to photograph wildlife, scenery and native peoples in many different countries. She will also display her “Trees, Rivers, Logging” photo exhibit. She is also the founder of the nonprofit No Water, No Life.
After her presentation, the third-graders will plant this year’s class tree, donated by township resident Gus Diaz.
The official state Arbor Day ceremony will be at 11 a.m. at Christie Hoffman Farm. During the program, there will be musical interludes presented by the Old Turnpike School Jazz Ensemble and Girls’ Chorus and various awards will be presented. These include the Joyce Kilmer, Tree Line, and Tree City awards, along with the announcement of the annual student art contest winners.
Dignitaries expected to attend include the governor, who will present the keynote address, and U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance. Then lunch will be served to more than 300 volunteers.
Voorhees High School ceramics III and IV class students created 40 ceramic bowls to serve as centerpieces at the luncheon. It took them two months. They and their teacher Gerald DeVisser will attend the festivities.
The events are being sponsored by Embarq, Peapack-Gladstone Bank, Suburban Consulting Engineers, Tewksbury Athletic Association, Tewksbury Trail Association, the Kappus family, Fischer Thompson Beverages, Tewksbury Fine Wines and Spirits, and local growers Heartsease Greenhouses, Hildebrant Nurseries, and Melick Orchard and Town Farm. A number of local residents have been added to the roster of donors.
The Tewksbury organizations responsible for working with the N.J. Forest Service and Tree Foundation are the Forestry Advisory Board, Parks Committee, and the Department of Public Works. All of the trees and shrubs that will be planted on Arbor Day will be tended for three years by members of the Woman’s Club of Tewksbury Township, various Scout troops, and teachers and classes in the Old Turnpike and Tewksbury Elementary schools.
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