Lemon Lily Proclamation

PROCLAMATION

Recognizing

Lemon Lily Month

July, 2010

WHEREAS, on July 16, 17 and 18, 2010, the community of Idyllwild will host the Lemon Lily Festival, a three-day schedule of events all centered on the restoration of what was once a major Idyllwild tourist attraction – the Lemon Lily, a flower that once graced the Hill along perennial streams and in wet meadows, canyon bottom seeps and springs; and

WHEREAS, the Lemon Lily Festival is a community event organized under the auspices of the non-profit Friends of the San Jacinto Mountain County Parks and it has been dubbed “A Festival for Education, Celebration and Restoration”, to highlight the uniqueness and rarity of one of the San Jacinto Mountain area’s most precious native flowers, whose numbers dramatically declined, in large part, to bulb hunters who removed them by the thousands as well as degradation of their natural habitat; and

WHEREAS, the Lemon Llly Festival is going to turn back time in Idyllwild with an olden-days theme and the planting of the Lemon Lily bulbs, which will be the start of bringing the plant back to prominence, which without intervention, their future in California is uncertain; and
WHEREAS, the Lemon Lily Festival’s objective is three-fold; 1) education: to generate and implement educational programs, course material, children’s curricula, and promotional materials that support awareness of the native Lemon Lily and the importance of preserving its natural habitat; 2) celebration: to hold an annual 3-day festival that focuses on the awareness and restoration of the Lemon Lily; and 3) restoration: to conduct a multi-year, multi-phase restoration project of the Lemon Lilies in the San Jacinto Mountains, the first phase of which is to plant nursery-obtained bulbs in the Lily’s natural habitat along the steams of Idyllwild, while later phases focus on the germination of seeds collected by the Forest Service and planting them in local wilderness areas; and

WHEREAS, the Lemon Lily Festival’s highlights include an around-town Lily Walk, an art show, guided walks to Lily Creek and a back country hike in search of native Lemon Lilies, planting of Lemon Lily bulbs, a barbecue sponsored by the American Legion Post 800, an old fashioned hoedown with live fiddle music and square dance lessons, an outdoor pancake breakfast sponsored by the Rotary and a “Pioneer Town” with hands-on activities and demonstrations by artisans of goods from a bygone era;

NOW THEREFORE, Let It Be Known, that the Board of Supervisors of Riverside County does hereby recognize and proclaim the month of July, 2010, Lemon Lily Month and July 16, 17 and 18, 2010, the “Festival of the Idyllwild Lemon Lily” and wishes them the best for a successful event!