Media Contact: Barb DeGroot, PR Specialist, 952-443-1459      For Immediate Release

‘Beyond Fossil Fools’ Author Joe Shuster to Speak at Earth Day Event

            Chanhassen, MN (April 14) - The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum will present an evening with energy expert and author Joe Shuster on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22.   Shuster, author of “Beyond Fossil Fools: The Roadmap to Energy Independence by 2040,” will discuss his book at 7 p.m. in the MacMillan Auditorium of the Oswald Visitor Center; a book-signing follows at 8:30 p.m.  Co-sponsored by the Carver County Environmental Services and TCW Railroad, this event is free, but please pre-register at  www.arboretum.umn.edu or call county environmental services offices at 952-361-1800.  Gate admission is waived for event attendees.  Guests may check in from 6:30 to 7 p.m.

            Shuster, a chemical engineer, Minnesota businessman and University of Minnesota alumnus, founded or co-founded eight companies, many addressing diverse energy-related issues, including Minnesota Valley Engineering and Teltech.  His presentation will take the form of an energy road trip pointing the way to energy independence in one generation. 

            Earth Day observances at the Arboretum continue on Thursday, April 23, with an Earth Day Celebration Dinner Cooking Class from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Arboretum’s Learning Center.  Resident chef Jenny Breen will create a special spring menu that celebrates our connection to the Earth – including mushroom pate, quinoa and fiddlehead salad, cheese assortment and cured meats, simple spring greens with maple vinaigrette, wild rice souffle with smoked trout and Minnesota mud cake.  This is a demo/class with wine pairings for each course. Fee: $45 for Arboretum members or $55 for non-members. Call 952-443-1422 or visit www.arboretum.umn.edu to register.

            Finally, “Earth Day Week” culminates in a  “Welcome Spring Wildflower Walk” with an Arboretum naturalist  on Saturday, April 25, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.  Meet in the Ordway Parking Lot for an enjoyable and informative walk through the Arboretum
woods.  $5 fee, payable at the Visitor Center.  Children free.

Arboretum Celebrates its Roots on Arbor Day

Join the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in celebrating the value of trees on Arbor Day!

·        In observance of the holiday, which falls on Friday, April 24, the Arboretum will be giving away sugar maple tree seedlings to the first 100 visitors (one per household) to the Oswald Visitor Center on April 24. 

·        Seedlings also will be given to the first 50 families attending the Family Weekend Fun activity on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Learning Center. Visitors also are invited to pick up a free copy of the Arboretum’s “Value of Trees” tabloid publication containing vital info on tree care and selection.

·        Two current exhibits in the Oswald Visitor Center Great Hall celebrate the wonder of trees large and small – from the prized miniatures in Kevin Oshima’s Bonsai Retrospective to artisan Virgil Leih’s massive wood turnings in the “Spring Trunk Show.”  Both shows continue through May 3. 

The arboretum is a living showcase of tree specimens – from the popular flowering crabapples to the elegant maples to the hardy and diverse pinetree collection.  A stroll or ride along Three-Mile Drive traverses several collections of trees, providing visitors with living examples of the hardiness and visual appeal of different species.  In particular, the Pillsbury Shade Tree Exhibit offers visitors visual examples of 40 different species or cultivars or trees, along with important advice on how to select the right tree, including such considerations as shade quality, sensory appeal, shape, disease resistance, leaf color and other qualities.  The Arboretum provides a forest of information on the latest in tree selection and care!

Part of the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resources Sciences, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is located in Chanhassen on State Hwy. 5, nine miles west of the intersection with Interstate 494. Admission is $7 adults; free for ages 15 and younger and free for members.  Call 952-443-1400 for general information.