Hundreds of tourism industry professionals put down their cell phones and laptops and descended on George Washington's Mount Vernon estate and gardens Friday, May 13, 2005 for a massive Tourism-Caring for America cleanup project.
Take ten minutes, turn up the sound and enjoy a video production highlighting the experience at Mount Vernon on May 13th. Just click on the link below and enjoy the show.
View the Video
The effort took the better part of six hours, but when it was over, transportation executives, hoteliers, tour operators and dozens of other industry professionals from across the country had cleared many of the 300 acres of George Washington's forest of dead trees and debris, much of which was left behind when Hurricane Isabel struck the region two years ago.
"With 400 people, we could do in a day what it would take a decade to do with [Mount Vernon's] staff," said Bruce Beckham, executive director of the nonprofit Tourism Cares, which sponsored the event. "It was a mess. . . . They needed our help."
Indeed, Mount Vernon officials said Washington's forest was in desperate need of care, partly as a result of the hurricane, but also from the 50 years of debris that has been allowed to accumulate on the forest floor. The Tourism-Caring for America cleanup centered on diminishing the risk of forest fires, which are fueled by the dead debris and could threaten the historic estate, and providing enhanced shelter for animals, improving the appearance of the shoreline and helping the forest to regenerate.
Read some of the buzz this event has already generated:
Sponsors
Tourism Cares is grateful to the sponsors of Tourism Cares for America:
GOLD
George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens
Marriott International, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott
SILVER
Amadeus North America
American Express
Best Western Tysons Westpark
Celebrate Virginia by Silver Companies
Choice Hotels International
Edelman
Historic Hotels of America
Ma Cher
Mohegan Sun
Mount Vernon Food Court
Spirit Cruises
Tauck World Discovery
Virginia Tourism Corporation
BRONZE
Amtrak
City of Alexandria/Alexandria Convention and Visitors Corporation
City of Roanoke
CoachQuote.com
DASH
Fairfax County Convention and Visitors Corporation
Globus
Kodak
New World Tours
Newseum
Northern Virginia Visitors Consortium
Old Town Trolley
PhotoVision
Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau
Smithsonian Magazine
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association
The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner
TRAVEL ASSOCIATION SPONSORS
American Bus Association
National Tour Association
SYTA Youth Foundation
United States Tour Operators Association