[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 27205]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      THE MILLENNIUM HOLIDAY TREE

  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, the wonderful tree currently gracing the 
West lawn of this Capitol is from Colorado. I have had the pleasure of 
working towards getting this tree to DC for 2\1/2\ years, and I wanted 
to share with my colleagues a little about my home state's gift to the 
nation.
  The Millennium Holiday Tree is a gift from the entire state of 
Colorado to our nation. It is a celebration of all that is Colorado: 
natural beauty, many cultures, cities and rural communities, and our 
rich history. The Colorado tree will be shining through early January 
2001. The Millennium Holiday Tree is a native Colorado Blue Spruce 
which stands 65' tall and was projected to be 77 years old at the time 
of cutting. It was grown on the Pike National Forest near the community 
of Woodland Park. The tree was selected from this area because it is in 
the shadow of Pikes Peak, often referred to as ``America's Mountain''.
  The Colorado State Forest Service is growing seedlings from the 
``grandma'' tree. Seedlings from the Millennium Holiday Tree will be 
replanted at the cutting site. The Governor and Francis Owens were 
among the first to receive a Holiday Tree seedling for their support of 
this project. Hundreds of seedlings will also be planted in memorial 
forests around the state as part of Holiday Tree celebrations.
  Colorado school children made over 4,000 ornaments for the tree. They 
each depict the theme: ``Valuing the Past--Looking to the Future''. 
Each county had the opportunity to supply 100 ornaments for the 
Millennium Holiday Tree and the companion trees.
  Through the many community events, we celebrated the richness of 
Colorado. Each reflected the wide range of cultural and historical 
influences present in our communities--Native American, Hispanics, 
pioneers, and others. Local celebrations were encouraged in each of 
Colorado's 64 counties and at each of the 10 stops along the Tree 
route. Santa Fe Trail communities in Kansas and Missouri joined the 
celebrations too, including one in St. Louis at a National Park Service 
historic site. After the cutting ceremony on November 20th, the tree 
was moved indoors where the limbs were drawn up and secured for the 
long journey. A 65-foot trailer, designed to look like a historic 
Conestoga pioneer wagon, hauled the tree. Organizers used an 
experimental shrink wrap method to keep the tree fresh and secure from 
weather damage. The tree traveled caravan-style here to our nation's 
Capitol following the Santa Fe Trail, a historic trade route through 
Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. My friend and our colleague from 
Colorado, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, actually drove the tree 
carrying truck all the way out here. He told me he had a great time, 
and I believe him.
  Sixty four smaller companion trees, one from each county, traveled 
with the Millennium Holiday Tree and were placed in various government 
offices throughout DC.
  This entire project was made possible through generous financial and 
in-kind support from the many sponsors. Volunteers, donations, and 
sponsorships made it all possible. Unused surpluses from this project 
will be set aside for a rural endowment fund. The year 2000 will be the 
31st year a tree has been provided by the U.S. Forest Service and its 
partners. And I want to especially thank Dr. Raitano and Bill Nelson 
for their incredible work on this. They ``parented'' the project for 
years and it is due to their efforts it all turned out so well.

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