Earth Day at Sailor's Creek Historical State Park will be observed Saturday, April 21 with a two-part program. In the morning, volunteers will assist park staff with the second phase of the tree planting project successfully begun on March 31. In the afternoon there will be a topically related program on trees and their use during the ACW-era.

The planned time for the tree planting project is four hours, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Following a noon – 1 p.m. lunch break, volunteers, as well as the general public, are invited to attend a presentation by Park Ranger Trey Mottley, a life-long forestry buff. He will review the multi-year historical landscape plan for the park, identifying battlefield locations for re-planting and also desired clearing.

He will also explain and show certain ACW-era end items that used a specific genus of tree for a specific purpose. Mottley will focus on those trees historically native to Southside and the Hillsman Farm on the park battlefield. His aim is to give attendees greater insight into the relationship between trees and human uses during the American Civil War era.

Volunteers are invited to arrive and sign in at the park visitor center, before deploying directly across the road from the visitor center for the tree planting project. Tree planters should wear old clothes, sturdy shoes, a hat for the sun or weather, and bring bottled drinking water. The park will also have water available.

The program will be held inside the visitor center in the event of inclement weather, and irrespective of any weather decision for the outdoor planting activity.

Attendees to the speaking event should bring a portable chair.

This program is Event #9 of the Sailor's Creek History Education Series. Participants in this year-long series of educational programs, targeted at K12 public education and adults, should bring their park booklets to be stamped and initialed for end-of-year recognition.

The purpose of Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historical State Park is to preserve the cultural landscape as it was in 1865, and to provide a historic setting to tell the story of the last major battle of the Civil War in Virginia and its impact on the citizens of Southside Virginia. The April 6, 1865 Battle of Sailor's Creek lead to the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Army at Appomattox Courthouse three days afterwards.

For more information on this event, please contact the visitor center at 804-561-7510 or email: sailorscreek@dcr.virginia.gov.