Volunteers Forge Ahead at Tourism Cares Project

September 26, 2011

Tourism Cares Volunteer Day, one of the travel and tourism industry’s most highly anticipated give-back events, was held in conjunction with the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The Sept. 9 event attracted travel, tourism and hospitality industry professionals—from small business owners and front-line employees to corporate leaders and college students—to work together toward a common goal: preserving the travel experience for future generations.

Volunteer Day participants labored to improve Valley Forge National Historical Park’s 3,500-acre landscape as well as some of the historic buildings and facilities. Their work saved the park thousands of dollars, addressing maintenance tasks that had been set aside due to budget cuts.

Projects included: 

• Planting 300 seedling trees to re-establish the tree screen between the park’s historic landscape and the Pennsylvania Turnpike
• Repairing 14 riparian buffer fences along Valley Creek that were damaged during Hurricane Irene
• Clearing dozens of acres of invasive vegetation
• Removing hazardous concrete mortar from a building entrance
• Removing 60 feet of damaged iron fence
• Clearing flood debris, trash and downed tree limbs

For more information and photos from Volunteer Day, visit the Tourism Cares Web site.

And, for a participant’s perspective on the day, read this article in the October Courier.