Deere makes major donation to National Mall

Glance at the National Mall from an aerial view and you notice a divide in the grounds—a lush greenery on the east side in front of the U.S. Capitol building and a lawn in need of a face-lift on the west side in front of the Washington Monument.

That unbalance will soon come to an end.

John Deere donated $400,000 in equipment to the National Park Service (NPS) to maintain the restored areas of the National Mall (from 3rd to 7th Street) and to migrate that restoration west (from 7th to 10th Street). The renewal of the latter side of the mall was set to begin in October at the start of the 2014 fiscal year.

In an early celebration of National Public Lands Day, John Deere personnel as well as representatives from the Trust for the National Mall and NPS gathered at the National Mall Sept. 27 to unveil the donation.

“We recognize as a company that public lands are the cornerstone of our society and they serve many people in many ways,” said Denver Caldwell, manager of turf marketing and marketing support for John Deere. “Through this donation we hope to ensure the National Mall will continue to thrive as an enduring green space for generations to come.”

John Deere’s partnership with the NPS, Caldwell said, has been in the works for about 10 months and goes hand in hand with the National Mall plan.

Instated in November 2010 the plan was set in place to revive and continually sustain the National Mall, making it functional for nearly 30 million visitors per year.