[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 185 (Thursday, December 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2926-E2927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING ARIZONA'S GIFT OF THE 2009 CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE

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                         HON. HARRY E. MITCHELL

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 9, 2009

  Mr. MITCHELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the State of 
Arizona's

[[Page E2927]]

gift to the U.S. Capitol and to the American people. The Capitol 
Christmas Tree has been a tradition at the United States Capitol since 
1964. This is the first time that Arizona has gifted the Capitol 
Christmas tree, and it is also the tallest ever.
  On December 8th, 2009, this majestic 85-foot Blue spruce, originally 
harvested from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests in Eastern 
Arizona, was unveiled on the west lawn of the United States Capitol. 
The Capitol Christmas Tree, also known as ``The People's Tree,'' is 
decorated with more than 6,000 holiday ornaments made by Arizona's 
school children. These ornaments were made from recycled materials and 
were made specially to survive the winter elements of this colder 
Washington climate.
  The tree's journey to the United States Capitol began when it was cut 
down on November 7th, and embarked on a 10-day tour of Arizona, during 
which the tree stopped in 28 of our communities. The tree eventually 
travelled over 4,600 miles before arriving at its final destination in 
Washington, D.C., but before arriving, it stopped at cities across the 
nation so that thousands of Americans could marvel at the seven-story, 
9,000-pound spruce. Moving such a large tree for so great a distance 
was a challenge, and was successful due to the efforts of Harry Baker 
and his crew from Southwest Industrial Rigging.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in thanking the U.S. Forest Service, 
and especially the employees of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, 
for their devotion to this wonderful project. These employees gave up 
their Thanksgiving holiday with their families to assist with the 
transportation of the tree to Washington, D.C. I would especially like 
to thank Rick Davalos, the District Manager of the Apache-Sitgreaves 
National Forests, and Jim Payne, the Forest Service's Public Affairs 
Officer, who headed up this extensive project. And lastly, I would like 
to commend the Steering Committee of the Capitol Christmas Tree 2009 
Project, and the project's many volunteers, for their time and hard 
work.

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