Post by poorboy1 on Apr 4, 2006 0:01:33 GMT -5
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Major Media Distribution
March 31, 2006 Jeff Foreman, (503) 945-7506
06-21
Tillamook Forest Center Opens Doors to Public
The new Tillamook Forest Center – fresh from a dedication ceremony today – will open its doors to the public for the first time Saturday, April 1, celebrating the start of Arbor Week.
The new visitor and education facility center is located 50 miles west of Portland on the Wilson River Highway (Oregon 6) in the heart of the former “Tillamook Burn,” which is today’s Tillamook State Forest.
Admission is free and the center will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through April. Beginning in May, it’s open seven days a week until 6 p.m.
At today’s dedication, officials praised the efforts of the public-private partnership that turned the dream of a center into a reality. No tax dollars were used to build the $10.7 million center.
“This new special place is a gift to Oregon,” said Gov. Ted Kulongoski in a statement read by State Forester Marvin Brown. “It reminds us about the spirit of Oregonians who came together in adversity to literally re-make a landscape from ashes.”
Today’s Tillamook State Forest, still recovering from a series of devastating wildfires in the 1930s and 1940s, is regarded as one of the largest forest planting efforts ever undertaken. Following the fires, thousands of Oregonians, many of them schoolchildren and volunteers, helped plant more than 72 million Douglas-fir seedlings across the blackened landscape.
During the dedication ceremony, the area where the center sits was inducted into the Oregon Heritage Tree program, recognizing the grove of trees as historically significant. The forested site was planted entirely by schoolchildren in the 1950s.
The center – with its 40-foot tall replica of a fire lookout and dramatic 250-foot-long suspension bridge for pedestrians across the Wilson River – offers visitors an opportunity to see how their lives are connected with forests.
Visitors can explore the past, present and future of the Tillamook State Forest through artifacts, personal stories, photos, film, exhibits, games, hands-on models, computer simulations and interpreter-led programs.
Outdoors, the forest comes alive for visitors with salmon watching viewpoints and a network of interpretive trails. Grand opening activities throughout Arbor Week included guided hikes on the interpretive trails.
For more information about the center, call (503) 815-6800 or visit on-line at www.tillamookforestcenter.org.
March 31, 2006 Jeff Foreman, (503) 945-7506
06-21
Tillamook Forest Center Opens Doors to Public
The new Tillamook Forest Center – fresh from a dedication ceremony today – will open its doors to the public for the first time Saturday, April 1, celebrating the start of Arbor Week.
The new visitor and education facility center is located 50 miles west of Portland on the Wilson River Highway (Oregon 6) in the heart of the former “Tillamook Burn,” which is today’s Tillamook State Forest.
Admission is free and the center will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through April. Beginning in May, it’s open seven days a week until 6 p.m.
At today’s dedication, officials praised the efforts of the public-private partnership that turned the dream of a center into a reality. No tax dollars were used to build the $10.7 million center.
“This new special place is a gift to Oregon,” said Gov. Ted Kulongoski in a statement read by State Forester Marvin Brown. “It reminds us about the spirit of Oregonians who came together in adversity to literally re-make a landscape from ashes.”
Today’s Tillamook State Forest, still recovering from a series of devastating wildfires in the 1930s and 1940s, is regarded as one of the largest forest planting efforts ever undertaken. Following the fires, thousands of Oregonians, many of them schoolchildren and volunteers, helped plant more than 72 million Douglas-fir seedlings across the blackened landscape.
During the dedication ceremony, the area where the center sits was inducted into the Oregon Heritage Tree program, recognizing the grove of trees as historically significant. The forested site was planted entirely by schoolchildren in the 1950s.
The center – with its 40-foot tall replica of a fire lookout and dramatic 250-foot-long suspension bridge for pedestrians across the Wilson River – offers visitors an opportunity to see how their lives are connected with forests.
Visitors can explore the past, present and future of the Tillamook State Forest through artifacts, personal stories, photos, film, exhibits, games, hands-on models, computer simulations and interpreter-led programs.
Outdoors, the forest comes alive for visitors with salmon watching viewpoints and a network of interpretive trails. Grand opening activities throughout Arbor Week included guided hikes on the interpretive trails.
For more information about the center, call (503) 815-6800 or visit on-line at www.tillamookforestcenter.org.