Living Legacy Tree Planting Project: Examining the Value of Conservation Through Service-Learning-Based Educational Programs

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground (JTHG) Partnership encourages students of all ages to examine the value of conservation through a variety of service-learning-based educational programs.  All service-learning educational programs are designed for students to use local sites to explore greater conservation and historic themes with the JTHG National Heritage Area. Students are trained on technology and equipment used in global communications with their final projects then uploaded to websites for use in classrooms around the world. Using a number of different service-learning-based educational programs, the JTHG Partnership has connected thousands of middle school students with their local and regional history. 

The Living Legacy Tree Planting Project (LLTPP), a JTHG Partnership initiative where students engage in creating a 180-mile landscape memorial dedicated to honoring the most defining moment in our American History along the JTHG National Scenic Byway, which is within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  The LLTPP provides a strong educational component designed to create a national service learning program to engage students throughout the country to learn the stories of those from their community who fought and died, then honor these fallen soldiers by planting a tree in their name. It will ignite a renewed interest in our shared heritage as each tree will be tagged with a Smart Phone App, which will tell the story of each of the fallen soldiers as their photos, diary entries and letters are made available to all visitors. Through the planting of 620,000 trees for the LLTPP, the JTHG Partnership and local municipalities will reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to meeting the Chesapeake Bay Nutrient and Sediment Reduction goals and requirements.