PRESS RELEASE
May 1, 2006

Bilezikian Family Foundation Supports Expansion of Backyard Nursery Program

$50,000 Grant Jumpstarts ATP’s Spring Reforestation Program in Getik River Valley

Jeffrey D. Bilezikian is a vice president of the Bilezikian Family Foundation

WATERTOWN, MA--With the support of the Bilezikian Family Foundation of Massachusetts, Armenia Tree Project (ATP) was able to continue the expansion of its Backyard Nursery Program in the Getik River Valley this spring. The project was initiated in Aygut village with 20 families in 2004, and now has 330 families in four villages growing seedlings.

This spring, ATP was able to purchase 95,000 seedlings from 118 families, and hire 45 workers to plant them into the forest. This was made possible largely as a result of a $50,000 grant from the Bilezikian Family Foundation.

Families are able to significantly increase their annual income by growing seedlings.
“When we began our Backyard Nursery Program we looked for an area that would benefit most from our reforestation efforts,” stated ATP Executive Director Jeff Masarjian. “We started with the knowledge that deforestation was linked to poverty. We knew that in addition to planting trees, we had to provide people with a steady income, so they could meet their basic needs.”

“In two years we have grown from helping 20 families learn how to start their own tree nurseries to now providing a stable income for 330 families who are also creating a successful and renewable source of tree seedlings for the degraded hillsides around their villages,” noted ATP founder Carolyn Mugar. “ATP has found a way to create reliable ‘micro-enterprise’ partnerships with these families, and we are grateful to the Bilezikian Family Foundation for providing the support to bring their work to fruition.”

Anoush Gezoughyan participated in ATP’s Backyard Nursery Program by growing 600 maple seedlings that were purchased and planted in the forests around her village in the Getik River Valley of northeastern Armenia

The Bilezikian Family Foundation was established by Charles and Doreen Bilezikian of Hyannis, MA. The foundation assists programs on Cape Cod and other parts of Massachusetts such as the Home for Little Wanderers, and is a major supporter of hospitals and schools in Armenia and Artsakh, primarily through the Armenian Missionary Association of America.

ATP was founded in 1994 with the vision of securing Armenia’s future by protecting its environment and restoring its degraded forests. ATP advances Armenia’s socio-economic development by mobilizing resources for large-scale reforestation, community-based tree planting, environmental education and advocacy, and rural development through job creation. With the establishment of the Mirak Family reforestation nursery and expansion of the Backyard Nursery Program, ATP is working toward the goal of planting over one million trees in 2006.

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