Jonas Brothers Join Mrs. Laura Bush for First Bloom Event in Dallas

Jonas Brothers Join Mrs. Laura Bush for First Bloom Event in Dallas

National Park Foundation Flagship Youth Program for Conservation Education Returns to Texas Roots to Celebrate First Anniversary

DALLAS, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, National Park Foundation Honorary Chair, Mrs. Laura Bush and Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers Band participated in a First Bloom event with Dallas youth to mark the program's one-year anniversary. Joining 150 students from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas and Williams Preparatory School for a special First Bloom event at the Trinity River Audubon Center, Mrs. Bush and the brothers took part in hands-on activities aimed at helping young people from urban communities connect to the outdoors and develop a commitment to conservation.

The day's First Bloom activities included a hike in the Great Trinity Forest to learn to identify native plants and view the wildlife that depend on them, soil sampling experiments and the restoration of an area of native grass. Students created seed balls from a mix of grass seed, compost material, soil and water and 'broadcast" them in a reclaimed area along a wetland pond. This First Bloom event is the first opportunity that the students have had to visit the Audubon Center located just 8 miles from downtown Dallas, TX.

"We're thrilled to have the leadership of our Honorary Chair Mrs. Laura Bush and the wonderful energy of the Jonas Brothers to help us celebrate this First Bloom milestone in this extraordinary park setting," said Vin Cipolla, President and CEO, National Park Foundation. "With the creation of our national parks, American citizens first displayed a deep commitment to conservation of our land and preservation of our history that has continued for more than a century. Through First Bloom the National Park Foundation is helping young people develop the sense of pride, ownership and responsibility that they will need to become the caretakers of this important legacy."

First Bloom helps city-kids discover and explore the national parks in their backyard and the outdoor spaces in their communities through the science of native plants. First Bloom was launched in Austin, TX in October 2007 at the National Park Foundation Leadership Summit on Partnership and Philanthropy to honor the conservation legacy of NPF co-Founder Lady Bird Johnson. Core partners in the nationwide effort include the National Park Service and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center with major funding directed by Aramark through the Yawkey Foundation. In its second year First Bloom will grow to serve 16 national park sites including the LBJ National Historical Park and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in Texas. For more information about First Bloom and its work throughout the country, visit www.First-Bloom.org.

About the National Park Foundation

The National Park Foundation (www.nationalparks.org) is a private charitable organization chartered by Congress in 1967 to continue a century- long tradition of private philanthropy to preserve and enhance the legacy of our National Park System. As the official national non-profit partner of America's National Parks, the National Park Foundation is wholly supported through private contributions and does not receive federal appropriations. In 2007, the Foundation had its best fundraising year ever bringing in $43 million dollars in support. The National Park Foundation serves to strengthen the connection between the American people and their national parks by raising private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and increasing public awareness. Support of the National Park Foundation ensures that the evolving history and rich heritage of our Nation remains vital and relevant.

About Trinity River Audubon Center Located just eight minutes south of downtown Dallas, the Great Trinity Forest is the largest urban hardwood forest in the United States. The Great Trinity Forest supports a diverse community of plant and animal species and contains a unique mixture of bottomland hardwoods, aquatic and wetland systems and grasslands. The Trinity River Audubon Center, opened in October 2008 and serves as the gateway to explore these amazing resources. The land, formerly an illegal dump site, has been reclaimed by the City of Dallas and serves as the flagship Center for Audubon's education and conservation initiatives in Texas.

Source: National Park Foundation

CONTACT: Anne Marek, National Park Foundation, +1-202-321-5440,
amarek@nationalparks.org

Web site: http://www.first-bloom.org/
http://www.nationalparks.org/

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