WASHINGTON – On Thursday, July 26, 2007, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne will discuss the Department’s initiative to help restore the nearly extinct American Chestnut tree to the Appalachian region and other U.S. landscapes. His remarks and planting of hybrid American Chestnut trees will mark the 30th anniversary of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
Joining the Secretary at the 2 p.m. ceremony will be Marshall Case, President and CEO of the American Chestnut Foundation; Stephen Allred, Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management; and Brent Wahlquist, the Appalachian Region Director for Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
The remarks, tree planting and an exhibit explaining restoration activities will be held on the South Interior Building lawn that faces Virginia Avenue between 19th and 20th Street, Northwest. In partnership, Interior’s Office of Surface Mining and the American Chestnut Foundation are planting blight-resistant American Chestnut trees on loosely compacted reclaimed surface mine lands in Appalachia to help restore this fabled tree.
| Who: | Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne; Marshall Case, President and CEO of the American Chestnut Foundation; Steven Allred, Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management; and Brent Wahlquist, OSM Appalachian Region Director |
| What: | Remarks, exhibit and tree planting to underscore Chestnut tree restoration; mark 30th anniversary of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act |
| When: | 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, July 26, 2007 |
| Where: | South Interior Building lawn facing Virginia Ave. between 19th and 20th Streets, Northwest. |
| Media: | All credentialed media are invited to attend; camera area, multbox and other support equipment will be provided. |