Earth Week calendar loaded with events

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By Pauline Benetti

Special to The PREVIEW

The Earth Week calendar is loaded with events to celebrate Earth Day 2017.

The Southwest Organization for Sustainability (SOS) has been in overdrive encouraging individuals, organizations and businesses to come forth with the event or activity that they would like to sponsor during this week, as well as organizing an Earth Day Fair and a March for Science.

We offer these events as our antidote to feeling powerless in the face of the monumental task of ensuring that our planet remains a healthy home for all of us now and long into the future.

April 22 is the 47th celebration of Earth Day, which began in 1970 with a demonstration by 20 million Americans and has resulted in the passing of legislation. The Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts all came out of this effort.

Here’s a recap of just some of the events. For more events with specific details about time and place, please go to the SOS website (www.sospagosa.org), where you will find links to detailed schedules.

Schedule of events

All week: Free recycling at the Archuleta County Transfer Station and displays at the Ruby M. Sisson Library.

Monday:

• 9 a.m.: UU Fellowship trash pickup meets at Pagosa Brewing and Grill parking lot at 9 a.m.

Tuesday:

• 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership dome tour and plant sale, Centennial Park.

Wednesday:

• 10 a.m.-noon: Mountain High Gardeners Plant Sale and Garden Expo at Extension building.

• 5:30 p.m.: “Watershed,” a film, at the Liberty Theatre sponsored by San Juan Water Conservancy District and SOS.

Thursday:

• 8:30 a.m.: Audubon Society Bird Walk and Identification meets at Four Mile Ranch guest house.

• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Loaves and Fishes share a community meal at the Parish Hall on Lewis Street

• 5:30-7 p.m.: Lifelong Learning Series, “Climate Reality Project: Meeting the Challenge Head on,” by Holly Metzler, at the Sisson Library.

Friday:

• 9:30 a.m.: Tree planting, everyone welcome, at Yamaguchi Park. Hosted by the Pagosa Springs Parks and Recreation Department.

Earth Day, April 22, is bursting at the seams with activities:

• 8 a.m.: Audubon Bird Walk and Identification River Walk meets at the Community Center.

• 9 a.m.: Step Outdoors 5K Trash Walk meets at the Archuleta County Fairgrounds.

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: SOS Earth Day Fair supporting Environmental and Climate Literacy with seven speakers, 16 informational booths, science experiments, kids’ activities, food and music at Pagosa Springs High School.

• 2:30 p.m.: March for Science — part of the International March for Science — meets at the Ross Aragon Community Center.

Speakers

Earth Day speakers will run from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the half hour and include: Tom Dahmer, wildlife biologist in China; Addie Deupree, high school science teacher; Matt Tuten, U.S. Forest Service forester; Bill Trimarco, FireWise county coordinator; John Scahill, Department of Energy scientist; and Herb Grover, professor of environmental science.