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| Happy Earth Day from Animal Advocates in Los Angeles, California, Mary Cummins |
Today April 22 is Earth Day. 20 million people celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970 to increase public awareness abut the damage humans were doing to the environment. The purpose of Earth Day is to educate people about the relationship we have with our natural resources. California was one of the first states to enact statutes to protect our flora and fauna. Today Earth Day is celebrated by more than a billion people in 192 nations.
You don’t have to be a professional wildlife conservationist to protect our wildlife, ecosystems and earth. Here are a few things you can do to help save our environment.
- Pick up litter. Wildlife sometimes mistake it for food, eat it and end up dying. Birds can also become entangled in fishing line and die.
- Don’t use rat poison. Let rodent’s natural predators, i.e. coyotes, foxes, bobcats, raptors and snakes, control their populations.
- Replace your lawn with native drought tolerant plans to conserve water and native pollinators.
- Conserve water. This is especially important here in California. Use as little water as possible to prevent shortages and assure sufficient amounts of water for crops and the ecosystem.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle. Most cities by now have recycling programs.
- Use your car less often. Walk, bike, carpool, use public transportation or use a hybrid vehicle.
- Never dump anything into a storm drain or gutter as they lead to the ocean.
- Educate your children about local plants and animals so they will grow up with a positive conservation attitude.
- Volunteer at nature centers, wildlife preserves or wildlife rehabilitation facilities.
- Keep your dog on a leash in wild places. Don’t let your dog chase birds. Birds need undisturbed time to nest, forage, rest and clean themselves.
- Keep cats indoors. Cats kill millions of birds and small animals every year. Many of the animals we receive were cat or dog caught.
- Go solar. Most utilities now offer rebates.
- Conserve electricity and gas. The less you use, the less pollution. Plate trees to offer shade. Line dry clothing.
There are many Earth Day events planned throughout California. Here are a few from the California Department of Fish & Game.
Earth Day Festival at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, April 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3842 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach (92647). The free event will include educational activity booths and guided tours of the reserve. Exhibitors include CDFW, Bolsa Chica State Beach, Wetland and Wildlife Care Center, Native People of SoCal, Orange County Coastkeeper, Shipley Nature Center, Air Quality Management District, Wyland Foundation, Shed Your Skin, and co-host Amigos de Bolsa Chica. Enjoy the Windows to Our Wetlands bus, interactive booths, native plant stations, a craft booth, food for sale, and more. The event is handicap accessible, held in the north parking lot. For more information, call (714) 846-1114.
CDFW will be at the U.S. Forest Service’s Kern River Valley Bioregions Festival at Circle Park in Kernville April 22, to explain the Kern River Hatchery renovation project and the new Kern River Rainbow program with the Friends of the Kern River Hatchery. The CDFW Natural Resource Volunteer Program will provide a booth with information on volunteer opportunities.
CDFW will host booths at three Sacramento area events: the Roseville Celebrate the Earth Festival and Sacramento Zoo Earth Day on April 22, and the ECOS Sacramento Earth Day on April 23. Ask staff about California wildlife, Watchable Wildlife locations in the greater Sacramento area and Nimbus Fish Hatchery, which is open to visitors year-round. Enjoy a variety of hands-on activities, including the Salmon Survival Wheel, where players learn about the obstacles that salmon must overcome in order to spawn.
Volunteer Work Day at Friant Interactive Nature Site, April 21 and 22, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 17443 N. Friant Rd, Friant (93626). Spend a fun day outdoors, doing trail maintenance (pulling weeds, raking, pruning) in a lovely setting for outdoors education. For more information, please call (559) 696-8092.
Gray Lodge Clean-up and Field Day and Public Meeting, April 22, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley (95948). The event is in partnership with California Waterfowl Association (CWA), and will include habitat and maintenance projects, followed by a lunch sponsored by CWA. The day will be informative and will help improve the quality of wildlife habitat. At 1:30 p.m., CDFW will hold an annual public outreach meeting regarding the Gray Lodge and Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Areas at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area’s main office building. For more information, please call (530) 846-7500 or email GLWLA@wildlife.ca.gov.
Los Banos Wildlife Area will have a hands-on activity booth at the Modesto Earth Day Festival in Graceda Park.
Animal Advocates
http://www.AnimalAdvocates.us/
http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA
Mary Cummins of
Animal Advocates is a
wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the
California Department of Fish and Game and the
USDA.
Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.
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