A fun way to celebrate Earth Day

As eager as I am to get underway with this season’s geo-trashing work, mid-April is still rather early for our water-based efforts. The rivers we work on are still high enough that much of the debris we hope to inventory or remove is still submerged… and the water is still cold enough that you don’t want to risk a spill into the river. So I’ve been wondering, lately, how I should spend the day.

Then, last week, I received an email from Karen Solas, the River Stewardship Coordinator for the Friends of the Mississippi River. In cooperation with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, they’re hosting clean-up events throughout the metro Mississippi watershed on the morning of Saturday, April 18th. And she asked if I’d be willing to join in, and talk to participants about our project. (She didn’t exactly have to twist my arm!) FMR will be staging their clean-up from two sites on West River Road.

As for me, I’ll be heading to the clean-up site at Nokomis Park, which is also a part of the city-wide clean-up, sponsored by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. Because of the facilities at Nokomis, I'll be able to bring along the laptop and share some digital photos, inventory maps and stories we’ve gathered along the way. I hope you’ll stop by (in the gym) and say hi!

Remember that one (Earth) day is not enough. As you celebrate Earth Day activities, please encourage folks to think of stewardship a lifestyle, not an event.

© Mike D. Anderson, Crystal, MN. All rights reserved.