Earth Day Celebrates its 50th Anniversary
|
|
Last Wednesday, April 22nd marked the 50th celebration of Earth Day!
Although Monroe County's Annual Earth Day Celebration at NCC had to be cancelled this year due to the impacts of COVID-19, the efforts made by our community to preserve, restore, and celebrate the planet Earth have never been more significant.
Join us now in a journey through time, as we explore the history of Earth Day and
celebrate some of our community's greatest environmental accomplishments.
|
|
|
|
Earth Day was established on April 22, 1970 as a grassroots movement to raise awareness about environmental issues. Rallies were held in most major cities in America, and important improvements such as the Clean Air Act and the Water Quality Improvement act were passed within the following decade.
|
|
|
|
In the early 1960s, Nancy Shukaitis and the Delaware Valley Conservation Association began their long grassroots fight against the Tocks Island Dam Project. The 72,000 acres originally condemned for the dam were granted federal protection in 1978, and are preserved today as the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PHLT was formed in 1984 by a small group of concerned citizens with a mission to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Poconos. Today, PHLT protects over 4,400 acres and continues to engage the community in exploring, caring for, and enjoying the natural world.
|
|
|
|
In 1998, Monroe County voters passed a $25 million referendum to help protect the county. These funds were matched two-to-one by state and other funding sources, totaling an incredible $75 million in funding for the preservation of approximately 18,000 acres of open space. Monroe was one of the first counties to pass an open space referendum, and its success has served for many years as a model for other counties in the state of Pennsylvania.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First held in 2016 with over 1000 in attendance, the Monroe County Earth Day celebration was a combined effort from over 30 community groups to provide environmental information to the citizens of Monroe County. Featuring speakers and booths, entertainment, children’s activities, an electronic and tire recycling program as well as a “Give and Take" exchange program, this event continues to be hosted for free each year by the Monroe County Conservation District and NCC-Monroe to celebrate and educate the connection between the environment and our community.
|
|
|
|
Currently underway in our area are many local and regional trail planning efforts. From the Stroud greenway which connects to our Pomeroy preserve, the proposed trail from our ForEvergreen preserve to Cresco train station, as well as the Shepherd's/Oak senior living trail which, when complete, will connect Upper Paradise/Nothstein to our Fieldstone Farm preserve. These trail connections will help secure a sustainable future by providing a safe place to exercise, experience the outdoors, and access a natural network for travelling from place to place.
|
|
Pomeroy Preserve (Photo by Ray Roper)
|
|
|
|
Wandering the Woods
Natural Observations with Stewardship Manager Matt Schultz
|
|
Toxomerus is a large genus of hoverfly (syrphid flies) that are widespread, common, and harmless. Most are small, less than 1 cm long, but their abdomens are strikingly colored with beautiful patterns, hence the common name - calligrapher flies. You will find these flies in your backyard, collecting pollen from garden plants and weeds in your lawn.
|
|
Found: Eastern Calligrapher (Toxomerus germinatus) on round-lobed hepatica (Hepatica
americana) observed on a protected property in Price Township alongside the Brodhead Creek.
|
Hepatica is a pretty wildflower that we do not come across too often in the Pocono Region. We believe that this is our first record on any of the Pocono Heritage Land Trust properties.
Spring is an exciting time of year to observe wildflowers that take advantage of the period of time when the weather is warm but trees have not yet leafed out, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. Spring ephemerals, as this group of wildflowers is known, have very compressed lifestyles: growing, budding, flowering, getting pollinated, producing fruit, and dispersing seeds in only a few months.The diversity and ever-changing mix of wildflowers, present at different stages of their accelerated life cycles, allows one to visit the same patch of woods repeatedly over the course of spring and see different wildflowers in bloom each time.
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
Notice: All Pocono Heritage Land Trust events have been post-poned.
Events scheduled for March, April and May will be rescheduled
and dates will be announced at a later time.
Public health and safety are a top priority and our organization is following state and national guidelines as we make these decisions.
Thank you for your understanding.
|
|
Pocono Heritage Land Trust | phlt.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
