Celebrating Earth Day 

Soil & water conservation 

Today, my young granddaughter showed me her drawing for Earth Day. Above the Earth, she drew the solar corona—a dark sun surrounded by a spectacular ring of light.   

She was excited to tell me, “I didn’t see the eclipse, but I learned about it at school, and it reminded me to take care of the Earth.” She wants to make sure we keep the natural world safe for “the butterflies, lady bugs, and the bees, especially the bees, because they make yummy honey!”    

During the total eclipse, I was on a mountain ridge in Maine near the Canadian border to see the eclipse at 100 percent totality. Although I was some 1,700 miles away from my granddaughter, as the Earth became cold, quiet and dark, her very same thought came to me—we have a duty to protect our Earth.  

At the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District, our mission of natural resource conservation centers on being good stewards of the Earth. Through environmental education, technical assistance, and investment, we work with you for a quality environment.     

As we prepare to celebrate our annual Earth Day Fiesta at Whitfield on Saturday, April 20, some district staff and board members shared with me their thoughts about Earth Day.    

For the district’s Business Manager Megan McCready, “Earth Day is a day to celebrate the Earth and all that our planet has to offer us.” She has taught her children, “Mother Earth is here to protect us and give us life, just like our own mothers do. We don’t throw trash at our mother or hurt her, so we can’t do that to our Mother Earth, either!”   

Like my granddaughter, she believes in protecting  bees, because without them, “there would be no more flowers or anything green and we wouldn’t have the have fruits and vegetables that we need.” Like Megan, my granddaughter also thinks “we shouldn’t litter, and we should recycle!”    

VSWCD Chairman Abel Camarena, shared similar sentiments, harkening back to when he was growing up in a small town.  

“I remember my father teaching me that we needed to not throw trash on the ground!” Camarena said. “It was his way of saying we needed to respect the land. Earth Day is a reminder that we all share responsibility in being good land stewards, using natural resources in wisdom and with gratitude.”   

VWSCD Environmental Education Manager Laura McCann, picked up the theme of gratitude, too.   

“As a child, I explored outside and found joy,” McCann said. “Now, as an adult, I am a teacher who helps students young and old appreciate all this Earth has to offer. This is our home, and Earth Day is the day we set aside to celebrate this miraculous world and how lucky we are to have it!”  

We invite you to our Earth Day Fiesta from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, at the Whitfield Conservation Area, 2424 N.M. 47, north of Rio Communities. Bring your kids, too!   

At 10:30 a.m., take a guided nature walk along the Kandy Cordova Trail, led by retired educator and VSWCD Treasurer Pam Cordova. At 11:30 a.m., Jerry Tuttle, of Birds of a Feather Rescue and expert on the Gila Monster and Gray-banded King Snake, will bring out his birds and reptiles.    

At 1 p.m., don’t miss the roll out of “NASA presents the GLOBE Observer APP,” an initiative of Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment. A VSWCD master naturalist, Monica Arguello, will be your guide to learning how to be a world scientist in your own community by using the GLOBE app! At 2 p.m., Laura McCann will present live birds of prey while discussing their role in the ecosystem.    

At the Earth Day Fiesta, there will be face painting, local vendors, and information about upcoming district programs, including the Lavender Festival on May 18.  Gorgeous Aldo Leopold benches decorated by local artists will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the Friends of Whitfield. Save your appetite for the Tomé Todo Food Truck and bring your own water bottle to fill at our new water dispenser.   

For more information, visit the district’s website at valenciaswcd.org, VSWCD’s Facebook page or call 5050-864-8914.  

Finally, as our district board member Priscilla Abeita says, “Let’s celebrate Earth Day every day!”  

  

(Teresa de Cherif is vice chair woman of the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District. Eva Cherif, her 6-year-old granddaughter, hopes to group up to be an artist and art teacher.)