OAKHURST – More than a billion people around the world celebrated Earth Day on April 22, the 44th anniversary of the annual day of environmental action.
This year, 1st Grade students of Oakhurst Elementary School (OES) were part of the celebration, as Oakhurst Feed and Pet Supply held their annual Earth Day event, inviting our local kids to participate.
Throughout the morning, students learned about the red-tailed hawk, spotted owl, and bats, and were educated on ways to be environmental ambassadors for Mother Earth.
Kids shared a Recycle Rap for the various visitors on hand and then had time to visit assorted booths hosted by local businesses, including Burleigh the Bat Lady, PG&E, Sierra Tel, CAL Fire and Yosemite National Park.
Last, before the kids boarded the bus for a return to OES, each student was given a recycle bag filled with goodies, courtesy of our local community businesses.
Ever wondered how Earth Day started? The Old Farmer’s Almanac website says this observance arose from an interest in gathering national support for environmental issues.
In 1970, San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson separately asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration. McConnell chose the spring equinox (March 21, 1970) and Nelson chose April 22.
Millions of people participated, and today, Earth Day continues to be widely celebrated with events on both days. The most common practice is to plant new trees for Earth Day. However, OES students learned there are many ways to take action, such as picking up trash, and recycling paper, cans and bottles.
OES wishes to extend our sincere gratitude to Collette Goga and Gwen Flinn, along with the staff of Oakhurst Feed and Pet Supply for inviting our students to attend this annual event.
For more information visit the Bass Lake School District website.
Kathleen Murphy is the principal at Oakhurst Elementary School
