Wednesday, April 22 marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, and though daily life is different than usual, there are still plenty of ways to get outside and enjoy nature.
The Township’s parks – North Boundary, Graham and Community – remain open under social distancing guidelines. Cranberry Highlands Golf Course has also been opened to walkers, joggers and hikers, giving residents plenty of places to safely enjoy the Great Outdoors.
The Township’s Parks and Recreation Department encourages several activities, including:
- Do a “green” art project with your kids. Collect leaves, pinecones, sticks or anything you can find in the yard and create a masterpiece.
- Watch a nature video or movie. Plenty can be found on the internet, cable station or Netflix. Watch the Peregrine Falcon Cam located on the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh Campus at http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam1.
- Take a walk together in our parks. Environmental interpretive signs are located along the Brush Creek Trail through Graham Park. Additionally, with spring trees in bloom, resources are available to identify and learn about them at Tree Pittsburgh https://www.treepittsburgh.org/ or the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/
- Pull out the binoculars for bird watching. Visit Audubon of Western PA at http://www.aswp.org/ or Cornell Lab of Ornithology https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/ for great resources and identification apps.
- Whether going on a run, a walk, or bird watching, bring a garbage bag and gloves to clean up the trails or neighborhood.
- Write a story or make a journal of “What Earth Day Means to Me.”
- Make a photo album of nature found on Earth Day. Find different plants and trees, animals, streams and other nature features to make a picture book.
- Plan a trail hike. Pennsylvania is home to over 12,000 miles of trails. Visit https://trails.dcnr.pa.gov/ to plan future hikes.
- Plant a garden. A limited supply of hummingbird and butterfly wildflower seed packets have been provided by Pashek+MTR, a landscape architect, community planning firm and designer of the Miracle League and Crocodile Cove playgrounds. The seed packets will be available on Earth Day beginning at 9 a.m. at the Brush Creek Trail Head in Graham Park (closest to the main entrance). For more ideas on how to create a garden for wildlife visit National Wildlife Federation at https://www.nwf.org/garden-for-wildlife.
We want to hear and see how you celebrated Earth Day! Share your photos and stories by emailing ParksAndRec@cranberrytownship.org