Moraine State Park Moon Tree

Portersville, Pennsylvania

A Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) Moon Tree was planted on Thursday, August 4, 1977, at the 1977 Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Jamboree at Moraine State Park in Portersville, Pennsylvania. The four foot tall seedling was planted in the Scouter's Memorial Grove. The planting was assisted by NASA astronaut Dr. Karl Henize, who would go on to fly on the space shuttle in 1985. Assisting in the planting were Bill Shiner (Chairman of the Jamboree Conservation Program), Dave Maneval (Jamboree Conservation Program Staff), Walt Wenzel (BSA National Director of Camping and Conservation), Brad Dempsey (Jamboree Program Staff), Harvey Price (the Chief Scout Executive), Dee Ritchie (U.S. Forest Service) and a number of scouts from the Jamboree. The picture at top left shows a group of some of these, and the picture on the right shows Harvey Price shoveling dirt on the seedling as Dee Ritchie and some of the scouts watch.

The news clipping above is from the "Jamboree Journal", a daily publication produced and distributed at the Scout Jamboree. Pictures below show more scenes from the planting ceremony.

Karl Henize shovels dirt on the seedling, and Dee Ritchie shakes hands with Harvey Price as Karl Henize and scouts look on.

(L to R) Bill Shiner, Karl Henize, Dee Ritchie speak to a news reporter. (L to R) Dave Maneval, Bill Shiner, Karl Henize, Walt Wenzel

The sycamore seeds that went on Apollo 14 were collected by the forest service from Claiborne County, Mississippi and grown at the U.S. Forest Station in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Photographs, news clipping, and information courtesy of Dr. Bill Shiner
Article credit "Jamboree Journal"

Moraine State Park

History of the Moon Sycamores
Moon Tree Home Page

NASA Official: Dave Williams, david.r.williams@nasa.gov
Last Updated: 21 July 2025, DRW