Should America have a national tree?
Otok Ben-Hvar thinks so. Formerly known as Ben Garcia, Ben is one of those wonderful people who gives of himself freely. For several years he traveled to Red Square in Moscow so he could play Santa Clause on Christmas Eve. He’s ridden a riding lawnmower across the United States. There is more. The Saint Petersburg Times wrote a very nice piece about him that goes into many of the details. It provides a good introduction to him and who he is.
So what did Ben want or need from us? We had the same question. He has a very thick 3-ring notebook with pictures of a particular Maple tree, grown from a seed in soil collected from all 50 states.
The pictures show the tree in front of our nation’s state capitol buildings, there is a letter from the governor of each state, and Ben’s notes he took on the road. Ben detailed his travels and troubles (going through Customs is always an adventure) as well as the National Arbor Day Foundation and its efforts to get an Oak tree declared the nation’s national tree instead.
Ben’s goal? Get his Maple tree planted in the White House lawn and then turn his 3-ring binder into a book so the whole nation can enjoy it. More on that as it develops.
