In 1971 Apollo 14 made the United State's third trip to the surface of Earth's moon. When making these voyages, each astronaut is permitted to bring a personal kit along with them into space. Ed Cliff, who was Chief of the Forest Service, asked astronaut Stuart Roosa to bring tree seeds with him as part of the joint NASA/USF project to study the effects to the seeds after being in space. Five species of trees were chosen to travel to the moon: Douglas Fir, Loblolly Pine, Redwood, Sycamore and Sweetgum. After returning from the space mission, decontaminaion was done and germination of the seeds started.
A sycamore seed was planted in Friendship Park in Jefferson County, Ohio and dedicated in a ceremony on July 29, 1976 (the anniversary of the county). It was then moved to a nursery for the winter and brought back to the park the following spring and planted next to Shelter No. 1, overlooking the lake.
Sycamore trees are a hearty moisture loving tree and can grow 40-100 feet tall. They are the largest deciduous tree in North America. They can live for 500-600 years.
This cache is NOT hidden at the Moon Tree. Please don't enter the fence around it. The cache is a very short ways into the wooded area behind the tree. There are shelters and a playground nearby so please use stealth if people are occupying the area as this could lead to muggles taking the cache container.
Thanks for visiting Ohio's Only Known Moon Tree! Enjoy the rest of your day and happy caching!
