Forty-two years ago, on April 22, the very first Earth Day was celebrated. This year, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve is dedicating three whole days to loving, appreciating and acknowledging planet Earth.
“I think it’s a good reminder to us that we can do things both locally to help and also we can think globally as well,” said Wendy Craney, communications and outreach director for the Pine Bush.
Earth Day was created by the modern environmentalist movement that makes saving the planet a priority, so the Pine Bush is giving the community a chance to do some saving.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 20, 21 and 22, various conservation service projects will be available for people to participate in. Everything from clearing trails to ridding the 3,200-acre preserve of invasive species like honeysuckles (a fancy phrase for “pulling weeds,” said Craney) to planting native plants will be going on starting at 9 a.m.
“I think people like to come and help us out, especially with the hands on field work because it gives people a chance to help the environment,” said Craney.
Earth Day itself will be solely for service projects, but Friday and Saturday will also feature special programs.
“On Friday we have a preschool program in the Discovery Center for small kids to come and learn about simple things. Even little kids can do things to help the planet,” said Craney.
Preschoolers will also create a craft project using recycled materials during the 10 a.m. program.
Saturday’s earthy docket features an 11 a.m. program about spring wildflowers, which Craney said is perfect for someone just looking to enjoy the day.
“If someone just wants to come out for Earth Day and appreciate the environment, it’s a nice way to come out. You don’t actually have to volunteer,” said Craney.
On Saturday afternoon, there will be tours of the Discovery Center at 1 and 2:30 p.m. It’s a LEED-certified building, which represents a daily pact of friendship with the environment.
“(It’s) to show people the different green technologies we use. For example, we have solar panels we use and we also have in the back a composting toilet system,” said Craney. “Within the building as we retrofitted it for the Discovery Center, we used a lot of recycled materials and different renewable resources in building materials.”
Craney said enlisting the public’s help for three days of conservation work holds a greater value than simply spending time in the great outdoors.
“It’s the best way to get large projects done for us because we do have a small staff, so when we have our big community conservation days and people come help us, it helps us get our work done a lot faster and more efficiently,” said Craney.
The Discovery Center will be open all weekend with exhibits geared to all ages. Registration is required for all programs and can be done at www.albanypinebush.org or by calling 456-0655.
In Schenectady’s Central Park, the Cornell Cooperative Extension will celebrate Earth Day at the greenhouse.
“We want to promote and educate about gardening, composting and sustainability,” said Denise Kolankowski, senior extension resource educator and health and wellness/recycling educator at the Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Throughout the day there will be many activities that aim to give back to the planet, starting with a demonstration about composting, followed by one where attendees will learn how to make garden sculpture art from junk. There will also be a demonstration about bat conservation with the goal of debunking negative connotations of what Kolankowski said are actually beneficial creatures.
From 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. there will be free paper shredding, a confidential service that limits three paper boxes per person.
“There are a lot of people doing really great things, so we wanted to have a lot of community partners involved,” said Kolankowski, who named NYSERDA, Woodlawn Preserve and The Environmental Clearinghouse Inc. as a few partners.
There will also be a plant sale, a master gardener program, discounted soil testing, a recycling information table, children’s planting activity and eco-friendly giveaways like books and composting tools.
In Saratoga Springs, take a walk along the Bog Meadow Trail on Route 29 from 7 to 10 a.m. It’s led by Marne Onderdonk, a “bird enthusiast” and member of the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club.
To learn more about Earth Day and what it all means, visit www.earthday.org.
-Jon Wittmann contributed to this report
