Happy Earth Day Tree of Life

In honor of Earth Day we're combining a few fun facts with Foto Friday. It was difficult to pick just one Disney image, so I picked a few ;) 

The Tree of Life is our subject because it is the iconic symbol (Sorry Lou, I just can't call it a weenie) of Animal Kingdom. 

It symbolizes the beauty, diversity and grandeur of our animal life on earth. 

When DS, Peter saw the Tree of Life pics I would be using for the blog he did some research and came up a few fun facts. 

The Tree of Life project was started in the late 80’s and opened on April, 22, 1998. 

Happy Birthday Tree of Life! 

The tree is 14 stories high, its leafy canopy spreads 160 feet across. So large that it fits the Tough to be a Bug theater inside that can seat 430 people.

 It took 20 artists to carve the 320 animals into the trunk, branches and the roots. 

The trunk carvings were assembled outside the park with 52 rockwork cages out of which the animal sculptures were carved. The trunk was then cut into a dozen giant parts and flown to an assembly area near the park. There, they joined the segments into pairs. The completed six trunk sections were then transported by crane to the Safari Village area and assembled. 

Disney celebrates Earth Day everyday throughout it's resorts and parks as Walt would've wanted it to. 

"You've probably heard people talk about conservation. Well, conservation isn't just the business of a few people. It's a matter that concerns all of us. It's a science whose principles are written in the oldest code in the world, the laws of nature. The natural resources of our vast continent are not inexhaustible. But if we will use our riches wisely, if we will protect our wildlife and preserve our lakes and streams, these things will last us for generations to come."   Walt Disney, 1950

 and Peter who enjoyed the research..and shhh...  learned a thing or two:)  Peter has Learning Disabilities with AS He's currently takings Pre-Vet courses with hopes of becoming a Vet Assistant one day.