Richmond to Celebrate Arbor Day 2006

Bryan Park will be the place to be April 29th as Richmond celebrates Arbor Day 2006. The Arbor Day Family Festival activities will kick off at 8 a.m. with a 5K "Run for the Trees" in the Park. From 9 a.m. to noon, Festival activities will focus on fun for the whole family.

All Arbor Day Family Festival events are free, except for the race. The 5K Run for the Trees is a fundraiser, the proceeds of which will be used to plant trees in an underserved Richmond community at a later date. The $15 registration fee guarantees race participation, a limited edition Run for the Trees T-shirt, and tree seedlings to plant in Bryan Park.

"This is going to be a terrific day," said Lisa Krajewski, area forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry. "People will be able to strap on a harness and climb into the canopy of a tree; plant tree seedlings in the Park; make paper; play games; enjoy nature walks; have their faces painted, and enjoy numerous exhibits that focus on the environment of Virginia."

"In addition, people looking to safely get rid of electronic devices, such as computers and TV sets, will be able to drop them off at Bryan Park that day for environmentally friendly recycling," Krajewski said.

Visitors may also assist the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries with the planting of a Habitat Partners® demonstration garden featuring native plants that will provide food and cover for birds, butterflies and other species that frequent the Park. Volunteers also can help the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Friends of Bryan Park plant tree seedlings on the banks of a Park pond, which will help reduce erosion and filter runoff pollution from the waterway - a tributary of the Chickahominy River and the Chesapeake Bay.

People are asked to bring a shovel to help with the planting and their own picnic lunch.

The Arbor Day Family Festival is a cooperative event hosted by the City of Richmond Clean City Commission; Richmond Department of Public Works; Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities; the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; the Friends of Bryan Park; the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and the Virginia Department of Forestry.

For more information or to register for the 5K Race, go to www.dof.virginia.gov and click on the "Run For The Trees" logo, or call Lisa Krajewski at 804.328.3031.

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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, there are Forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth.

With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 248,000 Virginians employed in the forest products industry, Virginia forests provide more than $30 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.

VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.