GMCG Presents Earth Day Activities & Picnic April 20, 2019
Green Mountain Conservation Group (GMCG) invites the public to enjoy Earth Day activities and a picnic at the Blue Heron House, 236 Huntress Bridge Rd. Effingham, NH, on Saturday, April 20, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Activities include:
Trail cleanup on GMCG’s Great Blue Heron Trail
Creating recycled t-shirt shopping bags to be filled with food as part of GMCG’s Less Plastics Initiative and the End-68-Hours of Hunger program
Adopting a chair to be painted and decorated with creative nature themes in the community room
Marc Stowbridge, President of the NH Astronomical Society and solar system ambassador with NASA, will have a professional solar telescope on site for guests to take turns at safely observing the sun. Activities will be led by GMCG staff and volunteers in collaboration with the local 4-H Leadership Team and the Girl Scouts Troop 58001 from Freedom, Madison, and Tamworth. Activities will culminate with a potluck picnic.
The Great Blue Heron Trail has been built with the help of GMCG volunteers and AmeriCorps Members from the Lakes Region Conservation Corps. This trail, which is still in progress, features a vernal pool, up-close encounters with the Ossipee River, and unique wildlife and plant habitat. Volunteers of all ages can help with spring clean-up efforts along the length of the trail.
This Earth Day GMCG is also promoting the use of alternatives to single-use, disposable plastics as part of a Less Plastic Initiative. Participants can create and decorate their own recycled t-shirt shopping bags at the Earth Day event. Additional t-shirt bags will also be made for the End-68-Hours of Hunger program and filled with food for local students who experience food shortage during the 68 hours between leaving school on a Friday and returning on a Monday. GMCG will also be distributing these t-shirt bags at this year’s Funergy Festival on April 28th in North Conway.
Students from Carroll County, NH and Oxford County, ME can also take part in the ‘Less Plastic Challenge’ this spring to create a way to reuse plastic pellet or feed bags. Submissions are due April 12th and winners will be announced at the Earth Day Event, with first place receiving $50 and two runner-ups receiving $25 each. Please visit gmcg.org for contest details and rules.
Please join GMCG in celebrating Earth Day on Saturday April 20th for a free, fun-for-all-ages event. Hot dogs, veggie dogs, iced tea, and lemonade will be provided. This is a great way to support GMCG as a local environmental non-profit. Please dress appropriately and bring any landscaping tools or gloves you may have if you would like to assist with trail-work! Event will happen rain or shine! FMI, call (603) 539-1859.
