Capitol Christmas Tree

Capitol Christmas Tree, Photography / 02.12.2017

The 2017 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree has arrived in Washington D.C.! After a long journey of more than 3,000 miles, this 79-foot Engelmann Spurce was delivered by members of the U.S. Forest Service to the grounds of the United States Capitol where it will be decorated and set alight on December 6, 2017. In partnership with the non-profit Choose Outdoors, photojournalist James Edward Mills of the Joy Trip Project had the honor of taking an extensive series of photographs of the People's Tree from the moment it was harvested...

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Capitol Christmas Tree, Charitable Giving, Environmental Protection, Essays, Video / 21.11.2017

By his own admission, Montana sawyer, Pete Tallmadge thought surely someone else would be a  better choice for the job. “When Kirsten Kaiser the 3 Rivers District Ranger called and asked if I would consider being the sawyer for the 2017 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, I just about said ‘no’,” he told a crowd of neighbors, friends and family near his home in Troy, Montana. “To tell you the truth, I immediately thought of 3 or 4 other sawyers that she should call instead.” But the tall gentle man rose...

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Capitol Christmas Tree, Charitable Giving, Joy To America, Special Events, U.S. Forest Service / 02.10.2017

Every year the U.S. Forest Service is charged with delivering an 80-foot evergreen tree to the American people to serve as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Chosen from a national forest somewhere in country the tree, commonly called the People's Tree is a symbol of our great national heritage of environmental conservation and preservation. For the past three years it has been my piviledge and honor to accompany the People's tree from the site of its harvest across the country to where it is delivered to the grounds of...

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Adventure Activism, Books, Capitol Christmas Tree, National Forests, On Assignment, Public Land, Special Events / 15.12.2016

The Joy Trip Project has published a small book of photographs depicting the events surrounding the 2016 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour. Although many of these images were widely distributed online via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter I am very happy to be able to share the work of this latest project in printed form. This book in two formats (7X7 and 10X8) is available now at Blurb.com as a lasting reminder of the many special people I had the pleasure to meet and photograph on this wonderful adventure. In...

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#BlackLivesMatter, Capitol Christmas Tree, Commentary, Destinations, Diversity / 29.11.2016

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n a brisk afternoon in late November I walked from the United States Capitol Building to the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History & Culture in Washington D.C. My legs were a bit sore having already spent a long morning on my feet taking pictures of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Just arrived from its home in the Payette National Forest near McCall, Idaho the People’s Tree had made a long journey of more than 3,800 miles over four weeks of travel to receive a hero’s welcome from a...

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Adventure Activism, Capitol Christmas Tree / 14.11.2016

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]verlooking the Clearwater River a crowd slowly gathered to witness something remarkable. Making its way to Washington D.C. from the Payette National Forest in Idaho the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was due to arrive at one of more 26 scheduled stops across the country. Here at the Nez Perce National Historic Park rangers of the National Park Service had erected a traditional First Nation tipi to mark the arrival of the People’s Tree. On this clear November day members of the Nez Perce Tribe rode onto the asphalt parking...

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