Michelle Obama:Gives seeds, Magnolia trees

WASHINGTON, DC, February 20, 2009 (ENS) – First Lady Michelle Obama carried an historic magnolia tree seedling from the White House to the Department of Agriculture Headquarters building on Thursday to be planted in the first of many community gardens that will be grown at USDA facilities worldwide.

 

The seedling comes from a tree on the South Lawn of the White House planted by President Andrew Jackson that is one of the earliest remaining trees on the grounds to have been planted by a U.S. president.

The southern magnolias that stand on either side of the South portico were planted by President Jackson in honor of his wife, Rachel, who died before they were to have moved into the White House together in March 1829. Rachel died suddenly on December 22, 1828, prior to Jackson’s inauguration.

“I hope that this seedling brings years of joy and beauty to the garden that will be planted here, in the same way it has brought beauty to the White House for 180 years,” said First Lady Obama as she delivered the magnolia seedling, Magnolia grandiflora, to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

One of the two Jackson magnolia trees that stand on either side of the White House South portico (Photo by Steve Woody)

Secretary Vilsack broke pavement on the inaugural USDA The People’s Garden during a ceremony February 12, commemorating the 200th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln.

President Lincoln founded the Department of Agriculture in 1862 and referred to it as “The People’s Department” in his last annual message to Congress.

The USDA Headquarters People’s Garden will eliminate 1,250 square feet of unnecessary paved surface and return the landscape to grass. The changes signal a removal of impervious surfaces and improvement in water management that is needed throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America, with a length of 200 miles and 11,684 miles of tidal shoreline, more than the entire U.S. West Coast. The Chesapeake Bay supports more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals.

About 100,000 streams and rivers thread through the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which is home to almost 17 million people in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, New York and the District of Columbia.

“It is essential for the federal government to lead the way in enhancing and conserving our land and water resources,” said Vilsack. “President Obama has expressed his commitment to responsible stewardship of our land, water and other natural resources, and one way of restoring the land to its natural condition is what we are doing here today – breaking pavement for The People’s Garden.”

The new garden will add 612 square feet of planted space to an existing garden traditionally planted with ornamentals. As a component of the garden, pollinator-friendly plantings will provide habitat for bees and butterflies and can serve as an educational opportunity to help people understand the vital role pollinators play in agriculture. The new garden adjacent to the site of the USDA Farmer’s Market.

As part of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial, Secretary Vilsack announced the goal of creating a community garden at each USDA facility worldwide. The community gardens will spring up on field office plots and in Embassy window boxes.

The gardens will be designed to promote “going green” concepts, said Vilsack, including landscaping and building design to retain water and reduce runoff; roof gardens for energy efficiency, native plantings and sound conservation practices.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.

Michelle Obama celebrate Black History Month

First lady hosts Black History Month celebration

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE – WASHINGTON (AP) — Foot-stomping music filled the East Room of the White House on Wednesday as first lady Michelle Obama hosted nearly 200 schoolchildren for a Black History Month celebration featuring Sweet Honey in the Rock, an award-winning female a cappella ensemble.

Mrs. Obama seemed a bit surprised when the sixth- and seventh-graders from three local schools said yes, they knew slaves helped build the White House, that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation upstairs in a bedroom named for him, and that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders met in the building with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to discuss the end of segregation.

“So you guys know your history. That’s a good thing,” she said. “That means your parents and teachers are doing their jobs.”

Mrs. Obama encouraged them to look beyond the names in the history books and to “think about the extraordinary people who live in your own world,” like parents, grandparents and teachers, “all those folks who play important roles in black history and American history every single day.”

She said they will write history’s next chapter and they should work hard every day, always put their best foot forward, even when no one is looking, and support their families at home by making their beds, putting away dishes and cleaning their rooms.

“That’s part of the preparation,” said Mrs. Obama, whose daughters, Malia and Sasha, sat in the front row with her mother, Marian Robinson.

Before Mrs. Obama spoke, the students listened as retired Rear Adm. Stephen Rochon told his own story. In 2007, Rochon became the first black man to be named chief usher at the White House and director of the executive residence.

President Barack Obama and the first lady have talked about opening up the White House and making it more accessible to the public.

Wednesday’s event with Sweet Honey in the Rock, a Grammy Award-winning ensemble, was the first with a student audience, including some whose parents are members of the White House’s professional staff. The students attend Shaw and Stuart-Hobson middle schools, and KIPP DC: KEY Academy, a charter school.

It’s so nice to said Michelle Obama doing saome normals things, even if it’s a publicity stunt(which I doubt). This was Thrusday 2/19/09 🙂