Volunteers Work to Create Memorial Landscape at Flight 93 National Memorial

Date: May 6, 2016
Contact: MaryEllen Snyder, 724-329-8131
Contact: Brooke Neel, 814-893-6552
Contact: Alanna Sobel, 202-796-2538

MEMORIAL CONTINUES REFORESTATION EFFORT WITH FIFTH ANNUAL TREE PLANTING

Shanksville, PA (May 6, 2016:): On May 13 and 14, the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial are continuing a major reforestation effort that will eventually result in 150,000 new trees at Flight 93 National Memorial, the nation's permanent memorial to the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93, and all of those lost on September 11, 2001.

For the fifth year, Flight 93 National Memorial will honor the passengers and crew with Plant a Tree at Flight 93. This event is one of the many ways the National Park Service is commemorating the 2016 Centennial celebration. The goal of the National Park Service Centennial is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates.

Plant a Tree at Flight 93 is an example of the countless ways to #FindYourPark. The Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque movement was launched in March 2015 by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service. Inspiring people from all backgrounds to celebrate and support America's national parks and community-based programs, #FindYourPark invites people to discover and share their own unique connections to our nation's natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history.

Flight 93 National Memorial will be open to the public during regular visiting hours on the days of the tree-planting effort, with memorial grounds open sunrise to sunset and the Visitor Center open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To date, over 1,800 volunteers have assisted with planting over 75,000 tree seedlings at Flight 93 National Memorial. This year, a team of more than 400 volunteers, under the guidance of tree-planting experts, will have the opportunity to continue this effort, planting an additional 15,640 seedlings at the memorial.

Many sponsors have joined with the National Park Foundation to make this effort possible including: Roy A. Hunt Foundation, The UPS Foundation, S &T Bank, Simpson && McCardy, Somerset Fraternal Order of Eagles, Windber Medical Center, North American Hoganas, EADS Group, Inc. and The Dominion Foundation.

Additional National Park Service partners include The American Chestnut Foundation; Appalachian Regional Commission; Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative; Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service;Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement and; Green Forests Work, Home Depot; REI; Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Penn State University Altoona; PennState University DuBois; University of Kentucky; Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation; Pennsylvania Game Commission; Starbucks, Somerset.

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ABOUT FLIGHT 93 NATIONAL MEMORIAL
On September 24, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Flight 93 National Memorial Act. The Act created a new national park unit to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our nation's capital. The memorial is near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed with the loss of its 40 passengers and crew. For more information on Flight 93 National Memorial visit www.nps.gov/flni.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
More than 22,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 411 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at: www.nps.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, commemorating the National Park Service's 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America's National Parks, a $350 million comprehensive fundraising campaign to strengthen and enhance the future of these national treasures for the next hundred years. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.

ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF FLIGHT 93 NATIONAL MEMORIAL
Established in 2009, the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial is the official nonprofit supporting partner of Flight 93 National Memorial. The Friends focus on awareness, education, volunteer support, preservation and stewardship. The Friends of Flight 93 is a registered 501 (c)3 organization, donations to which are tax-deductible. The Friends of Flight 93 membership includes family and friends of the passengers and crew of Flight 93, people nationwide who have been inspired by these acts of courage, and many residents of Western Pennsylvania who want to be part of the Friends' mission in a hands-on way. To learn more about the Friends or to make a donation to support the memorial, visit www.Flight93Friends.org.