By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
Learn about the importance of environmental conservation at several Earth Day events set for April 22.
The observance — which now has inspired global action — was established in 1970 to focus attention on the fight against pollution, pesticides, wildlife extinction and more.
In Amarillo, the day will be observed with a joint venture by Amarillo Zoo and Panhandle PBS, as well by Wildcat Bluff Nature Center. Amarillo residents also plan to join in the national March for Science, which will include rallies across the country that organizers hope will promote scientific studies and preserve them from threats of funding cuts.
Earth Day ... Every Day runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 22 at the zoo, 700 Comanchero Trail inside Thompson Park. Admission is free.
Zoo keepers and other staff members will provide interactive activities, scavenger hunts, animal programs and more. Panhandle PBS staffers will assist with hands-on crafts and activities, take-home materials and a PBS Kids viewing room, and Daniel Tiger will journey from his regular neighborhood for a visit.
The event also will include a partnership with the Prevention and Early Intervention of the Texas Department of Health and Human Services to promote the state's Help and Hope campaign. The campaign is committed to promoting community engagement, supporting families, sharing free resources, helping families with tips to alleviate parenting stress and linking families to local service providers. The April 22 event also serves as the kickoff to the Week of the Young Child and as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
For information, call 806-381-7911 or visit amarillozoo.org or helpandhope.org.
Earth Day celebrations will continue at Wildcat Bluff, 2301 N. Soncy Road, with a celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Participants can make seed balls and terrariums, learn about water conservation and hike around the center's trails.
Wildcat Bluff's afternoon observance was set to allow attendees to participate in the March for Science, which runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Marchers will walk from Sunset Center, 3701 Plains Blvd., to the Don Harrington Discovery Center, 1200 Streit Drive, then back to Sunset Center. Participants will hear speakers and live performers at 11 a.m. at the Discovery Center.
And finally, the Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will screen Racing Extinction, a 2015 Emmy-nominated documentary about mankind's role in the extinction of countless animal species. The film will screen at 7 p.m. April 22 at the church, 4901 Cornell St. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit Wildcat Bluff and the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
