HOUSTON, Sept. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Apache
Corporation (NYSE, Nasdaq: APA) today announced it has kicked off
the 2016-2017 tree planting season by awarding a total of 280,000
trees as part of the annual Apache Tree Grant Program. This year
the company is partnering with 24 nonprofits across three states
including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Black Bear
Conservation Coalition, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The
plantings will start this week and continue into May 2017. Apache's Tree Grant program has donated
more than 4 million trees to nonprofits across 17 states since its
launch in 2005.
Sowing seeds of ongoing support
The city of New Orleans' NOLA
Tree Project has been awarded a donation of 2,400 trees which will
be used for replanting efforts in Louisiana parishes impacted by recent
flooding.
"Your support of the NOLA Tree Project will help substantially
as they work to revitalize neighborhoods throughout Louisiana," said Mitchell Landrieu, mayor of the City of New Orleans. "Thank you for your
commitment as an ongoing and dedicated partner for New Orleans. The people of New Orleans will never forget those who helped
us when we needed it most."
Along 80-acres of what is called the "Milagro Tract," the Lower
Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Texas will plant
10,000 Apache-donated seedlings as part of the Refuge's Farmland
Phase-out and Re-vegetation Program. The Milagro Tract is adjacent
to the Refuge's Rio Reforestation site, which will celebrate its
25th anniversary in October. The Refuge expects more than 1,000
visitors to attend and help plant 31 acres of trees.
"The generous financial support we've received from Apache
Corporation and others for purchase of native tree seedlings
enables the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to further leverage
its ecosystem restoration capabilities within the Tamaulipan
thornscrub habitats found only in southernmost counties of deep
South Texas," said Bryan Winton, Lower Rio Grande Valley National
Wildlife Refuge manager. "Without these additional funds, our
annual acreage and plant restoration/distribution goals would be
next to impossible to achieve."
Much of the Lower Rio Grande area, about 12,750 acres, has been
restored through the Refuge's Farmland Phase-out and Re-vegetation
programs. Since 1989, the program has planted an estimated 6.5
million seedlings to reforest the habitat of many endangered
species such as the ocelot and jaguarundi, making it the most
successful and longest running reforestation project in
the United States. This is the
second year that Apache has supported the Lower Rio Grande Valley
National Wildlife Refuge's efforts.
The company continues ongoing donations to other organizations
including the Black Bear Conservation Coalition (BBCC) and Texas
Parks & Wildlife. Apache donated 250,000 native bottomland
hardwood seedlings to BBCC to continue habitat restoration efforts
for endangered black bears in Louisiana and Texas. The Texas Parks &
Wildlife Department received 2,735 trees from Apache for plantings
in 14 parks throughout the state. The parks received trees native
to their areas.
Another 2016-2017 recipient of Apache-donated trees is the
Lubbock Roots Historical Arts Council which promotes a greater
understanding of the African American experience through the
practice and appreciation of the visual and performing arts and
through the study, interpretation and preservation of the history
of the African American in the Early American West. The Council
plans to use the tree donation to help beautify East Lubbock and promote economic development
in the community. The revitalization effort will take an estimated
three years to complete.
Company leaves legacy of trees
"Now in its 11th year, our tree program has been a
great way for our employees to volunteer in their communities and
for the company to make a lasting contribution," said Apache CEO
and President John J. Christmann
IV.
A cornerstone of the company's community outreach and giving
efforts, the tree program was extended to employees in 2012 with
the formation of The Trees for Tots program. The program donates a
tree to honor each child born to or adopted by an Apache employee
from January to December of the previous year. More than 100 trees
have been planted in honor of children of Apache employees to
date.
For more information about the Apache Tree Grant Program, please
visit www.apachelovestrees.com.
About Apache
Apache Corporation is an oil and gas exploration and production
company with operations in the United
States, Canada,
Egypt, and the United Kingdom. Apache posts announcements,
operational updates, investor information and press releases on its
website, www.apachecorp.com, and on its Media and Investor Center
mobile application, which is available for free download from the
Apple App Store and the Google's Play store.
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140116/DA47435LOGO
APA-O
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apache-corporations-tree-grant-program-kicks-off-2016-2017-planting-season-with-280000-tree-donations-to-area-nonprofits-300329964.html
SOURCE Apache Corporation