DOE Co-Sponsors Earth Day Activities

Free trees and native plants are available to the first participants at the Idaho Falls Earth Day festivities in Tautphaus Park.

There are a number of educational and environmentally-oriented activities for children at the Earth Day celebration.

This year’s Earth Day in April marks the 38th celebration of its kind since former Senator Gaylord Nelson first set aside the day in 1970 to honor the environment in which we live. Now Earth Day has expanded across the globe as nearly over a billion people celebrate with events, both large and small, in nearly 200 hundred different countries. Idaho Falls will join the celebration on Saturday, April 26 at the Tautphaus Park Zoo and Hockey Shelter. The Idaho Falls Earth Day Celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hockey Shelter, where admission is free, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the zoo. Admission to the zoo will be free for children 12 and under with a paying adult and one of the following recyclable items: cell phone, ink cartridge, used coat, bag of aluminum cans, sneakers. Enjoy a day of live music, concessions, conservation education, games, crafts, and displays by local clubs and organizations. CWI employee and Earth Day committee co-chair Dave Gianotto says the celebration should bring out nearly 4,000 participants from the region. Education topics will include: hybrid cars, bike safety, organic food, healthy snacks, xeriscaping, wildlife conservation, electronics stewardship, and environmentally responsible investing. Giveaways will include live pine seedlings, syringas and reusable grocery bags. This year, a variety of free raffle prizes will also be given away, including a mountain bike, trees, and other prizes. Arbor Day is celebrated in Idaho on April 25, one day before our city celebrates Earth Day. This day is an excellent opportunity to take stock of the trees on your property and plan for the future. In the spirit of Earth Day, you can soon experience the geology of southeastern Idaho by visiting outdoor Earth cache sites. An Earth cache site is a special place people can visit to learn about a unique geoscience or social feature that has shaped the fabric  of our area. A field science class at Skyline High School will create Earth cache sites in the community around Idaho Falls.

The Earth cache locations will be posted on the www.ifearthday.com Web site beginning April 16. As well as the “trinket cache” at each location, the treasure earned will be the lessons you learn when you visit the sites. DOE-ID helps sponsor the Idaho Falls Earth Day celebration, along with a wide consortium of other individuals, businesses and agencies that have combined their time, talent, and energy to make this event possible. To learn more about our local celebration, visit www.ifearthday.com. Earth Day is a fun and educational event celebrating the natural wonders of our world and responsible stewardship of our planet.

Editorial Date April 15, 2008
By Lisa Peterson