Hello RVA Families, Students, and Staff:
It was the greatest nationwide street demonstration that the country had seen since the end of WWII. On April 22nd, 1970, more than 20 million Americans took to the streets to hear politicians, educators, and activists join in a chorus of concerns for the Earth, which had been reeling from decades of environmental disaster and general neglect.
Sewage floated in Chesapeake Bay
Los Angeles was suffocating in smog
The Everglades were dying of thirst
Oil blanketed the beaches of Santa Barbara
The Cuyahoga River started on fire
April 22nd, is the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day which was started by Wisconsin’s very own, Senator Gaylord Nelson. The movement spawned the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and dozens of other groundbreaking environmental actions.
Show your support for clean air and water, unspoiled wilderness, wildlife, and sustainability by recognizing Earth Day with the RVA at the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo! Aldo Leopold, an author, ecologist, forester, and nature writer is considered the “godfather of wilderness preservation and established the Department of Game Management at the University of WI-Madison. He eventually purchased an abandoned and degraded farm in Baraboo and began his project in ecological restoration with his family. The Aldo Leopold “shack and farm” led to many of his ground-breaking observations and philosophies as outlined in his famous collection of essays A Sand County Almanac. His formulation of the “Land Ethic”, gave us a new way of looking at our position in the natural world. One that places us not as a conqueror of the land, but merely another member of the land community.
Our day will be an “open house” event in which families participate in a self paced trails and stations scavenger hunt. Each station will have a stamp for families to collect on their trails and stations scavenger hunt. Upon finishing, each family will be awarded a tree sapling! Primary stations include:
Welcome Table (parking lot) - check in and get your Earth Day scavenger hunt and map
Nature Journaling (visitor center lawn) - decorate and create your own nature journal to collect your observations for the day and beyond
Open house (Leopold Shack and Farm) - explore the historic “shack” and trails with interpretation from Aldo Leopold Foundation staff
When - Friday, 4/22/22 (11:00 - 3:00)
Where - The Leopold Center - E13701 Levee Rd, Baraboo, WI 53913 Directions
Lunch - bring your own lunch for a picnic, pack it in/out items are strongly encouraged
Planning to Attend:
Click here to RSVP
Environmental Alliance Advisor: Quinn Robinson
quinn.robinson@ruralvirtual.org
I hope you are able to attend this awesome opportunity; let me know if you have any questions!
