National Award from the Arbor Day Foundation
Nebraska City, Neb. (April 25, 2011) – The Arbor Day Foundation announced today that Shannon Ramsay of Anamosa, Iowa, won a prestigious 2011 Arbor Day Award for her dedication to planting and celebrating trees and conservation efforts.
Ramsay is one of 16 individuals and organizations who will be honored by the Arbor Day Foundation for environmental stewardship at the annual Arbor Day Awards Ceremony, which will be held at the Lied Lodge & Conference Center in Nebraska City on April 30.
The Arbor Day Awards annually honors innovative and extraordinary individuals and organizations that represent the highest standards of tree planting and conservation practices for work done internationally, nationally, state-wide and locally. Awards recognize conservation efforts such as tree planting and care, Arbor Day celebrations, education initiatives, community projects that benefit the environment and volunteer engagement.
Ramsay will receive the Frederick Law Olmsted Award, which is given to honor a lifelong commitment to tree-planting and conservation on a state level.
For the past 22 years, Ramsay has been planting trees by the thousands as the founding president and chief executive officer of Trees Forever, based in Marion, Iowa. Through Ramsay’s leadership and vision, Trees Forever engages volunteers and assists community leaders with tree-planting and stewardship programs. The organization works with more than 200 communities and 7,000 volunteers each year to plant trees. Since the organization was founded in 1989, Trees Forever has planted nearly 3 million trees in Iowa and Illinois. Trees Forever also partners with local farmers to showcase how buffers of trees, shrubs and grasses can help purify water and reduce erosion along streams and rivers. Ramsay is a respected leader among tree-planters nationwide, helping to craft national policy with the Alliance for Community Trees.
“The good work being done by our Arbor Day Award winners like Shannon Ramsay serves as great examples of how planting trees is making a positive impact on communities throughout the world,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. “When we plant trees, engage our community to plant trees or give children opportunities to connect with nature, we are leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.”
Since 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has given Arbor Day Awards for honor America’s foremost tree planters and conservationists. Past winners include Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, veteran newsman Bill Kurtis, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and The Walt Disney Company.