Montana State Arbor Day Celebration May 10

The City of Billings will host this year’s State Arbor Day Celebration on May 10, 2012 at ZooMontana, in partnership with the Billings Arborist Association, showing their commitment to tree care and planting programs.
Mayor Tom Hanel will read the Arbor Day Proclamation and Director Mary Sexton of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will present the Tree City USA award at the event, which begins at 12:30 p.m. near the main gate at the zoo. Billings has been named a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation for twenty eight consecutive years to honor its commitment to community forestry.
“Arbor Day promotes how trees in Montana help clean the air, conserve soil and water and reduce heating and cooling costs by moderating temperatures,” said Jamie Kirby, Coordinator of the Urban Forestry Program at the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. “Celebrating Arbor Day shows our communities value trees not only for their beauty but for their numerous health and environmental benefits as well.” Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Friday in April and was founded by J. Sterling Morton in 1872 to encourage tree planting and care.
Activities are planned throughout the day beginning with volunteer arborists doing tree-related service work. In the afternoon children of all ages are invited participate in educational opportunities and will receive a tree seedling to take home and plant along with prizes.
Find out about Arbor Day and Montana’s Urban Forestry Program at www.dnrc.mt.gov/forestry/assistance/urban. For information on volunteer needs, contact ZooMontana at dcreek@zoomontana.org or (406) 652-8100. For event or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Libbi Popelka at boopgirl23@hotmail.com.
visit the zoomontana website at http://www.zoomontana.org/