SIMI VALLEY : Tree Groves Will Honor Gulf Troops

Groves of trees will be planted in Simi Valley parks and at business sites to honor troops in the Persian Gulf War, parks officials said.

Approving an idea offered by a city resident, board members of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District agreed last week to study which types of trees and sites would be most appropriate.

Organizers hope the idea for a living memorial will be adopted throughout the country.

“We always acknowledge the ones who die,” said Mary McCurdy, who took the idea to the council. “But we don’t have any memorials or any special things for the ones coming back.”

The four-acre Simi Hills Neighborhood Park could support at least 50 more trees, and plantings along the Arroyo Simi would allow the memorial to stretch from one end of the valley to the other, said Don Hunt, assistant general manager of park planning.

“Obviously, drought-tolerant, hardy tree varieties would be placed highest on the selection list,” he said.

Family members and friends of those serving in the war could take comfort in the living memorial, McCurdy said.

“This project will not only honor and acknowledge the enormous sacrifices” made by the service personnel and their families, McCurdy said, “it will also beautify our city.”