There are many great ways you can celebrate Earth Day. Looking for suggestions? Consider these ideas:
Neighborhood Trash Pick Up
Pick up trash while you’re walking your dog or bring your family, invite some friends or neighbors and head out to pick up trash in your neighborhood, along a trail or at a local park.
After winter there’s plenty of trash to pick up – it often accumulates along the edge of wetlands, waterbodies and unmowed areas.
Adopt – A – Drain
Did you know runoff from your street flows straight into local streams, wetlands and lakes from the stormdrain on your street?
You can help keep local waterbodies clean by adopting a stormdrain on your street and keeping the drain clean of trash, leaves, dirt and other debris. This helps prevent plastic pollution and excess nutrients from degrading local waters and prevents localized flooding on your street! Adopt your drain at: https://adopt-a-drain.org/.
Plant a tree or native plants in your yard and remove invasive species.
Help wildlife and pollinators by providing habitat in your yard! Trees can provide great shade and native plants can provide a splash of color and food for pollinators. Removing invasive species like buckthorn, honeysuckle or garlic mustard provides space for native trees and plants which support wildlife.
Find resources on Blue Thumb’s website or call the Scott Soil & Water Conservation District at 952-492-5425 for assistance planning your project.
Bonus: Head out and enjoy the outdoors!
Go for a walk or bike, find a quiet spot to birdwatch or head to a park with your family.
Want to explore new places close to home? Try our Hike the Watershed Challenge for eleven hikes at local parks in the watershed. Now is a great time to see the spring ephemeral wildflowers in the woods, like bloodroot (see photo)! These small understory plants bloom early in the spring, taking advantage of the sunlight before the trees leaf out for the year.
Relaxing at Rice Lake Park – a Hike the Watershed park. Photo: A. Stelljes
Thanks to the Mississippi WMO for providing the inspiration for this article.