September 11 Memorial Event
The following is a press release from Wildlife West Nature Park:
On Friday, September 11, 2009 the largest simultaneous white dove release in history will take place across America as a national memorial to those who died on September 11, 2001. In New Mexico the only location for this special recognition for victims and fire fighters who perished that day will be held at Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood at 10:00 a.m.
The release of white doves will take place in locations from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, in communities from large cities to small town all across America. Wildlife West Nature Park was selected as the only site in New Mexico for this national memorial in part because Tom Smylie, world-renowned falconer, will handle the release of the birds (the birds will fly back to his home in Edgewood).
The public is invited to attend and to honor those who lost their lives on this devastating day. Admission to Wildlife West is free during the day for this special ceremony. Contact Wildlife West Nature Park for additional information at 505-281-7655, 877-981-WILD (9453) or visit the Park’s web site at www.wildlifewest.org.
3 Responses “September 11 Memorial Event”
blogged this morning & soon to be tweeted
Sad but true…when I was working in Jersey City I became friends with our receptionist, Sue, an animal lover. She’s the reason I wound up adopting my dog and had helped her in raising money for the local shelter, Liberty Humane Society. She got involved because she’s always loved animals but at a September 11 memorial (many don’t realize that downtown Jersey City watched the towers fall across the water) they wanted to release white doves but were unable to acquire enough to memorialize the Jersey City residents who were killed in a short time frame. Instead, they released white pigeons that were bred in Newark…well…for eating. Since they had never learned to fly – they bashed into windows and such and generally fell right back out of the sky, much to the horror of the already-mourning crowd. Sue was in the newspaper desperately trying to collect the injured birds and contacting the Raptor Trust (near Laurie in western NJ) to help rescue the birds. I guess that PR guy got fired, huh?
Great Scott. We’ve researched the subject, and found that the incident happened pretty much as described at a 2002 September 11 memorial in Jersey City (this is as good a description as any).
The foibles of the well meaning can certainly make a mess of things. We apologize for the fact that this account reminds of an old WKRP In Cincinnati episode: “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.