Annual Earth Day Celebration: Plant it for the Planet!
April 8, 2009
Clark Public Utilities’ StreamTeam and Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation will hold an annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 18th from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Local citizens are invited to walk or ride a bike to join the celebration on the Salmon Creek Greenway Trail, approximately 1 mile west of Salmon Creek Park. This year’s Earth Day event is a celebration of our local green spaces, local community, and positive action in support of our watershed.
The community event is free to the public and will consist of a native tree planting, wildlife show, and an EcoFair.
The EcoFair will include exhibits from about 15 local businesses and organizations. Highlights include free massages from local Licensed Massage Practitioner Amber Ham, raffle prizes and plenty of activities for kids. Clark Public Utilities employees will be on hand to answer questions about conservation of electricity and water.
The EcoFair will also showcase the entries in Salmon Creek Reflection, a local student art contest. The winning entries will be announced at the closing ceremonies.
Vancouver area Rotary and Inter-Act clubs will provide lunch for a suggested small donation.
For those interested in participating in the native tree planting, space is limited so advanced registration is required. Planting activities begin at 8:15 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. and volunteers must be able to commit to the entire four hours. Volunteers will receive a free sustainable lunch and a commemorative 2009 Earth Day Celebration t-shirt. Training and tools are provided for a day of community fun! The event is rain or shine.
The Clark Public Utilities’ StreamTeam program is the largest stream restoration effort in Clark County and focuses on improving salmon habitat and water quality. A volunteer-based stream restoration and environmental education program, the StreamTeam plants more than 50,000 native plants each year and provides educational opportunities for both the young and young at heart. Native plants are important for wildlife as well as maintaining a high air and water quality for both humans and wildlife.
The StreamTeam coordinates volunteer activities for individuals, groups and schools throughout the year. The program provides all of the training and equipment for activities ranging from tree plantings to water quality monitoring and outreach.
The StreamTeam also coordinates the Stream Stewards Program which is a professional level learn-n-serve program covering topics from local hydrology and geology, to water quality and native plant landscaping. If you are interested in learning more or registering your group for an event, please contact Lisa Beranek at (360) 992-8585 or [email protected].
The Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation Watershed Team is an Americorps-staffed program that assists in restoring and managing thousands of acres of Clark County’s sensitive lands. Working in coordination with multiple environmental partners, the team performs a variety of tasks, ranging from large scale planting projects to stream monitoring, invasive weed management and environmental education.
The Watershed Team’s Volunteer Coordinator works with multiple youth, neighborhood, and area service groups, managing projects throughout the City of Vancouver and Clark County park system. If you are interested in learning more about the Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Department or the Watershed Team, please Maddie von Baeyer at (360) 619-1124 or [email protected].
About Clark Public Utilities
Clark Public Utilities is a customer-owned public utility district that provides electric service to more than 182,000 customers throughout Clark County. The utility also provides water service to about 30,000 homes and businesses in the Hazel Dell, Salmon Creek, Lakeshore, Hockinson, Brush Prairie, La Center, Meadow Glade, Amboy and Yacolt areas.
For more information:
Mick Shutt, 360-992-3238