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Forest Service 9/11 Documentation Efforts Honored
New York, NY, September 7, 2007 - The U.S. Forest Service Living Memorials Project National Registry will be recognized at a forum and exhibit hosted by Voices of September 11th on Monday, Sept. 10 from noon until 5:30 p.m. at the Marriott Financial Center Hotel, 85 West Street, adjacent to the World Trade Center site. This research initiative will be honored as part of the sixth anniversary commemoration of September 11th. The U.S. Forest Service Living Memorials Project is partnering with the VOICES of September 11th “9/11 Living Memorial project,” which has already documented more than 500 memorials created around the world.
Presenting findings from this unique research initiative, U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station (NRS) Researcher Lindsay Campbell will participate in a “9/11 Living Memorial Panel Discussion” from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sept. 10th. The Forest Service Northern Research Station and other honorees will be recognized at a luncheon on Tuesday, September 11 from noon to 3 p.m.
All events will be held at the Marriott Financial Center Hotel.
Forest Service researchers interviewed 150 memorial project stewards and created individual web pages for each documented project. All of the 700 documented memorial sites were synthesized via an interactive spatial/temporal National Map that was created in partnership with the design firm Urban-Interface. Findings from the research project were presented in a multi-media exhibition, “Land-Markings: 12 journeys through 9/11 Living Memorials” that was developed along with Parsons, The School for Design. First installed at the National Park Service Federal Hall National Memorial in honor of the fifth anniversary of September 11, this exhibit is available free as a curriculum tool and memorial display. This unique research effort not only preserves 9/11 memorial sites in the record of public history, but also works to analyze and understand the role of open space and natural resources in collective resilience.
“September 11th memorials reflect traditional, almost universal, mourning rituals and beliefs,“ said NRS Research Scientist Erika Svendsen. “We envision this exhibit a step to understanding how we interact with our public landscapes and how we memorialize events and individuals. We hope that this research project will invite reflection, response and debate,“ remarked Svendsen.
The Living Memorials Project National Registry is part of the U.S. Forest Service Living Memorials project, a joint initiative of the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry and the Northern Research Station. For more information, visit: www.livingmemorialsproject.net
For more information, about Voices of September 11th, visit: www.voicesofsept11.org or www.911livingmemorial.org
The U.S. Forest Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a mission of sustaining the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The mission of the Forest Service's Northern Research Station is to improve people’s lives and help sustain the natural resources in the Northeast and Midwest through leading-edge science and effective information delivery.
The U.S. Forest Service manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live. For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/.
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