Published: April 22, 2008 02:05 pm            

April brings spring joys

April is a great month. The weather always shares at least a few warm days to pop the daffodils and encourage us that spring is close. The birds, silent all winter, have begun pairing up with musical flirtations to attract their partners. Chorus frogs and spring peepers emerge from their muddy winter trance to waken the earth with their calls. While the grass greens up, trees and shrubs begin to show color; yellow forsythia and red maple burst open.

It is only fitting that Arbor Day and Earth Day should both be observed in this magnificent month. Zion Nature Center will celebrate both events at Z’GreenFest from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 20, at the nature center, 690 Beech St. The free event will offer fun and educational activities for all ages. A giant Earth Balloon will be inside the Eagle Elementary gym adjacent to the center with opportunities to learn about our precious earth, ZNC Naturalist Therese Burkhard said. Clean water info will be a focus of several organizations and guided hikes will be available in the adjoining sanctuary with tree identification. “I Spy” will open many eyes to conservation needs. Visitors are encouraged to bring in old cell phones and ink cartridges for recycling. The event is expected to draw more than 600 people.

More than 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the Earth Day Indiana festivities the following weekend, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the American Legion Mall in downtown Indianapolis (North Street between Meridian and Pennsylvania streets). Billed as one of the nation's largest Earth Day festivals, it is also the first free, outdoor festival in Indianapolis each year, with 100 environmental and conservation exhibits, live music, special activities for kids and great food. Visit www.earthdayindiana.org for more information.

Begun in 1970 by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson as an environmental protest to industrial pollution and government inaction, Earth Day has grown in importance, and more so recently with the reality of climate change. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s milestone book “Silent Spring” helped to launch the environmental movement. The book documented detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, particularly on birds.

Carson said DDT had been found to cause thinner egg shells and resulted in reproductive problems and death of Bald Eagle chicks, taking our national symbol to the edge of extinction. She accused the chemical industry of spreading disinformation, and public officials of accepting industry claims uncritically. The public concern with pesticides was raised by Carson’s book and it helped facilitate the U.S. ban of DDT in 1972. However, DDT is still commonly used on food crops in many countries.

Rachel Carson was attacked by the chemical industry and some in government as an alarmist, but she courageously spoke out to remind us that we are a vulnerable part of the natural world and subject to the same damage as the rest of the ecosystem.

In 1969, Time magazine wrote about a river on fire. It was the story of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland that had burned frequently since the turn of the century. Fires were caused by industries’ oily sludge that floated on the river. Started by sparks from passing tug boats, the fires became commonplace, even accepted. Many were devastating, causing loss of both life and resources; it was the smaller fire of 1969 that burned for only 20 minutes that actually caught national attention from the Time article.

By 1970 the EPA was established. The Clean Water Act was signed by Richard Nixon in 1972, with the mandate to make all waters “fishable and swimmable.” Although the rivers don’t catch fire any longer, many would question whether we have reached the goal set 35 years ago. Certainly many Indiana waterways are not yet clean enough to meet that standard.

Much is left for us to do. Take action by participating in local Earth and Arbor Day events. Learn, act and appreciate nature. April is a good month to begin.

Lynn Jenkins is a Zionsville resident and publisher of a new magazine, Indiana Living Green. E-mail her at Lynn@IndianaLivingGreen.com.

        

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