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University of Maryland students complete re-sodding projecat at Arlington Cemetery
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This page is sponsored by Atlantic Tractor
11 locations to serve all your agricultural needs! Click on the logo to visit their web-site. |
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University of Maryland students complete re-sodding projecat at Arlington Cemetery
11.09.04
By LINDA SIEMON
Landscaping students from the University of Maryland will be testing out their green thumbs today (Tuesday) using some of their hard earned knowledge and skills at one of the nation’s most famous graveyards — Arlington National Cemetery.
Each year the cemetery gets a facelift on a different portion of the land with the help of Project Evergreen, formerly known as Evergreen Foundation.
Project Evergreen, an alliance of various landscaping companies, is an organization that promotes green spaces.
This year, new sod will be installed between the Kennedy gravesite and the Lee Memorial because of an irrigation problem. Project Evergreen is installing a new irrigation system and re-sodding the land that was torn up because of it.
About 30 students, a few professors and four businesses that have donated products to Project Evergreen will start helping to make the Kennedy grave-site more aesthetic in the aftermath of the irrigation installation at around 9:30 am. Tuesday morning. They’ll work for about six hours to sod approximately half an acre of the hillside.
A special ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in which a ceremonial piece of sod will be laid near the Kennedy gravesite. Some members of the Kennedy family have been invited to lay those ceremonial blades of grass including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.
Project Evergreen has been doing some type of charitable landscaping event every year for the past nine years at the cemetery which averages 100 funerals per week. However, this is the first year they’ve invited students to join in the effort.
“They’re our grunt labor force,” joked Phil Fogarty, co-chair of Project Evergreen. “The involvement of the youth is a natural progression. There’s so much symbolism in Arlington. Anytime we are there we feel like what we’re doing has a deeper meaning than that day’s work.”
Dr. Steven Cohan, a professor in the Department of Natural Resource Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland, said the project would be an opportunity for the students to do valuable service while using their landscape maintenance knowledge and skills.
In years past, Fogarty said they have done some liming, planted veterans private roses and placed a permanent marker in the form of a plaque that shows their respect for all fallen veterans who have served the country. All of the events are charitable and donations are made from various farms or companies for the projects.
Central Sod of Queenstown, Md., has donated the sod for this year’s project, while Hunter Industries, a national irrigation company, has provided all parts and mechanisms for the irrigation system. John Deere Landscapes has designed the irrigation system and The Brickman Group, a large landscape maintenance company based in Gaithersburg, Md., has prepared the area.