Save the National Cherry Trees from the Mulch Pile
The Issue
What’s Happening:
158 historic cherry trees will be cut down and mulched starting as early as the end of May 2024 as the first step of rehabilitating the iconic Washington DC tidal basin, which has been prone to destructive flooding for many years. The National Park Service has decided that the trees must be turned into mulch. This outcome misses a huge ecological and cultural opportunity. We urgently call upon the National Park Service and demand they reconsider their mulching plan.
We propose a soil-enriching public artwork that celebrates over a century of Japanese-American friendship and engages the public to commemorate this beloved living monument.
Why It Matters:
These 100+ year old trees are living gifts offered in the spirit of international friendship. Their unfortunate but necessary removal provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to honor their cultural significance and highlight the realities of sea level rise.
Urgent Action is Needed:
We do not have much time before these trees disappear forever. We must act quickly to spread the word and demand a different course of action for how the removed trees are handled.
We Adamantly Call For:
Allowing these historic cherry trees to be used for commemorative public artwork. We have identified several ecologically-friendly, community-based, Federal-regulation-compliant concepts. We express support for a collaborative process with the National Park Service if this petition is successful.
The goals of the public art project are threefold:
- Honor the long and fruitful Japanese-American friendship
- Engage the public about the realities of sea level rise
- Use the nutrients from the trees to enrich the soil of the Tidal Basin
We Acknowledge Compliance with Federal Regulations:
To comply with 36 CFR 2.1 (from 48 FR 30282), no commercial profit will be gained from any aspect of a commemorative public artwork created from historic cherry trees.
How You Can Help:
- Amplify this campaign on social media using the hashtags #MakeArtNotMulch #DontMulchHistory, #DontMulchStumpy
- Sign and share this petition (only takes 20 seconds)
Your voice can change the course of history - every share and signature matters!
DON'T LET OUR NATIONS ICONIC HISTORY GET MULCHED!
234
The Issue
What’s Happening:
158 historic cherry trees will be cut down and mulched starting as early as the end of May 2024 as the first step of rehabilitating the iconic Washington DC tidal basin, which has been prone to destructive flooding for many years. The National Park Service has decided that the trees must be turned into mulch. This outcome misses a huge ecological and cultural opportunity. We urgently call upon the National Park Service and demand they reconsider their mulching plan.
We propose a soil-enriching public artwork that celebrates over a century of Japanese-American friendship and engages the public to commemorate this beloved living monument.
Why It Matters:
These 100+ year old trees are living gifts offered in the spirit of international friendship. Their unfortunate but necessary removal provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to honor their cultural significance and highlight the realities of sea level rise.
Urgent Action is Needed:
We do not have much time before these trees disappear forever. We must act quickly to spread the word and demand a different course of action for how the removed trees are handled.
We Adamantly Call For:
Allowing these historic cherry trees to be used for commemorative public artwork. We have identified several ecologically-friendly, community-based, Federal-regulation-compliant concepts. We express support for a collaborative process with the National Park Service if this petition is successful.
The goals of the public art project are threefold:
- Honor the long and fruitful Japanese-American friendship
- Engage the public about the realities of sea level rise
- Use the nutrients from the trees to enrich the soil of the Tidal Basin
We Acknowledge Compliance with Federal Regulations:
To comply with 36 CFR 2.1 (from 48 FR 30282), no commercial profit will be gained from any aspect of a commemorative public artwork created from historic cherry trees.
How You Can Help:
- Amplify this campaign on social media using the hashtags #MakeArtNotMulch #DontMulchHistory, #DontMulchStumpy
- Sign and share this petition (only takes 20 seconds)
Your voice can change the course of history - every share and signature matters!
DON'T LET OUR NATIONS ICONIC HISTORY GET MULCHED!
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Petition created on April 22, 2024