CITY CELEBRATES ARBOR DAY BY HONORING  FOSTER PARK 100th ANNIVERSARY

Fort Wayne, IN—Mayor Tom Henry was joined by youths from Crossroad Child and Family Services, Ron Caccamo from Old National Insurance, Carol Cavell from Trees Indiana, Parks & Recreation Director Al Moll and Manager of Forestry Operations Chad Tinkel as they celebrated Arbor Day by planting a tree in Foster Park today.

Mayor Henry announced that Fort Wayne has been named a “Tree City USA” for the 22nd year in a row. This designation—awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters--was earned for the City of Fort Wayne’s tree canopy stewardship and a continued commitment to a green city. Fort Wayne also earned a Growth Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation for a higher standard of forestry management of the City’s 70,000 trees. In addition to these yearly honors, the City of Fort Wayne was recognized as the “2011 Outstanding Government Entity in Promoting Principles of Urban Forestry” in Indiana and the Parks & Recreation Department received a state award for “Outstanding Municipality of the Year,” for efforts in addressing the Emerald Ash Borer challenge.

“Our trees are a key asset that sets Fort Wayne apart. They are the enduring trademark that makes our community beautiful, desirable and more livable. A strong

urban forest makes our City more attractive and competitive in our drive for good jobs and business investment,” said Mayor Tom Henry.

A ceremonial oak and a tulip tree,Indiana’s state tree, were planted in the Foster Park Playground to

commemorate FosterPark’s upcoming 100th anniversary celebration in July, and an engraved stone was placed in front of the tulip tree.

“This park is truly loved and appreciated by all, especially the neighbors,” said Director Moll. “And in 2010, this playground was the first adopted by Old National Insurance in our Adopt-a-Playground program. Old National has taken their responsibility to care for this playground very seriously and we greatly appreciate their help. Twelve other groups have joined the program since and we hope others volunteer. With 86 parks, we have plenty of playgrounds left to adopt.”

Additional information about Adopt-a-Playground can be found at www.fortwayneparks.org.

More information about Tree City USA can be found at www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA. The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, environmental, and education organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at www.arborday.org.

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