SPARK Celebrates Earth Day, Welcomes Spring
LOCK HAVEN – The day could not have been more beautiful for those who gathered at Triangle Park on Sunday, April 22nd, to celebrate Earth Day in Lock Haven. After weeks of gloomy weather, the event provided a perfect opportunity for local residents to welcome spring, engage in a variety of enjoyable, family-centered activities, and learn more about the environment.
“We wanted to combine educational displays with interactive games and projects that would engage participants of all ages,” said Karen Elias, member of SPARK and one of the organizers of the event. SPARK (Supporting Public Action and Reliable Knowledge) co-hosted the celebration with the Lock Haven University Environmental Club.
Tables lining both sides of the park included displays by representatives of local environmental groups as well as opportunities to paint rocks with Carol Liddick, vote to adopt your favorite endangered species (the snow leopard won!), test your environmental knowledge on the Climate Wheel of Fortune, write love letters to Mother Earth, make seed balls to grow wild flowers, and submit a guess for the number of chocolate earth balls in the jar (the number was 272, and the winner was Janet Miller!). In addition, kids learned how to make solar ovens from pizza boxes and then, when the day became warmer, they were able to cook s’mores in their own hand-crafted ‘ovens.’
“It was a pleasure to watch the children going from one activity to the next. Kids were bouncing around everywhere with laughter and excitement,” said Pam Dillett, another SPARK member who served as master of ceremonies for the day.
The event, which ran from 11 am to 4 pm, and attracted a crowd of over 100 people, also offered music (environmental songs from singer / song-writer Gary Gyekis), poetry (by Jared Conti), and a food truck (Taco Bill’s) painted bright green in honor of the day. Sue Morris, creator of Sue’s Salves, offered her plant-based skin care and aromatherapy products – all crafted from the organic plants grown in Sue’s local herb garden – and gave a talk on “Healing from the Earth.”
Two representatives from our local government were present to connect the event with larger environmental issues. Commissioner Paul Conklin spoke about the rail-trail project currently underway in Clinton County that will eventually connect Castanea to the 62-mile Pine Creek Rail Trail. The 11.2 miles of rail-trail being developed will provide further opportunities for hiking and biking and will encourage additional economic growth in the form of outdoor tourism. Representative Mike Hanna, Sr., spoke about the remarkable recreational opportunities offered by our area and honored the energy and passion of local activists who have worked over the years to repair and rejuvenate our watersheds. He said retiring from public service will now allow him to spend more time in our beautiful woods.
Sylvia Neely, representing the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a grassroots, bipartisan advocacy organization, spoke about climate change and what we can do about it. A proposal called “Carbon Fee and Dividend” would impose a fee on C02 emissions and would then return those fees to households as a monthly energy dividend. This legislation promises not only to help us financially but also to reduce C02 emissions 52% below 1990 levels in 20 years. For more information, go to citizensclimatelobby.org.
The two representatives of the LHU Environmental Club, Zach Miller and Katie Gable – who were also responsible for painting the Earth Day banner that hung proudly from the gazebo all day, gave a final talk on the importance of remembering to “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.”
Local environmental groups, whose representatives set up lively, informative displays, included Trout Unlimited, the Lycoming Audubon Society, Penn State Master Gardeners of Clinton County, Tussey Mountain Outfitters, The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, CleanScapes, and the Clinton County Conservation District. Educational materials were also provided by Bald Eagle State Park, the Wayne Township Landfill, the Climate Reality Project, and solar providers.
“We learned a lot of new things, including bi-partisan ways to solve environmental problems, how to plant milkweed seeds, and how to deal with invasive vines,” said Joe Bitner, an attendee at the event.
Several businesses from the area helped support the event. “SPARK would like to thank Lowes, Walmart, Wegman’s, Thompson’s Packing Co. (Jersey Shore), and Pizza Hut for donations,” stated Karen Elias. “We’d also like to thank Jim Dolan and Jenny Boyle for their support. As well as Subway and the Arts Council’s Station Gallery for their help on the day of the event. We so much appreciate all of the assistance we received from our community.”
The members of SPARK who worked to make the event a success were Pam Dillett, Sue Dolan, Karen Elias, Pat Hancock, Joan Heller, Claudia Hunold, Jeannine Lipez, Diane Mills, John O’Donnell, Sonnie Perry (and Carter), Rose and Dan Reeder, Lauri Schaitkin, Vicki Smedley, Karin Sutherland, and Jennifer Taylor.
