It seemed that everywhere you looked there was an event tied to Earth Day. Many of our SCD staff participated in youth-related events.

Earth Week School Plantings

by Allison Bachner, WCC Project Intern

In celebration of Earth Month this April, Snohomish Conservation District reached out to schools throughout the county, offering assistance to plan, implement, and donate plants aimed to enhance habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife on school grounds and engage the school community in making a positive impact! This April we worked with Edmonds Heights K-12 and Evergreen Middle School to get students involved in beautifying their spaces, and helping to build an outdoor education landscape for students to come!

Evergreen Middle School:

Back in the early 2000’s, Evergreen Middle School science teacher, Chris Messina, applied for a grant to plant native trees and shrubs along the newly built and unplanted retention pond in the back of their school's property.

Just about 18 years later, in honor of this Earth Day, we brought all 6 of Mr. Messina’s 6th-grade classes out to get their hands dirty and plant an additional almost 100 native trees and shrubs around their pond and outdoor classroom.

Edmonds Heights K-12:

At Edmonds Heights K-12, science teacher Erin Zackey reached out to Snohomish Conservation District about turning their weedy school courtyard garden and raised beds into a native plant landscape that provided habitat for pollinators. This Earth Day, Erin helped recruit students and their families to plant over 70 native plants, like Red Flowering Currant, native ferns, Western Red Columbine and Nodding Onion. They also added benches and a path to improve access to their newly revamped space.

Camano Conservation Celebration

by Kathryn Wells, Outreach

On one of the first warm days this spring, Camano Island's Utsalady Elementary students hiked to the Camano Center for a fun day of Earth Day-related education and activities provided by Snohomish Conservation District, WSU Island County Waste Wise, Washington State Parks, and Friends of Camano Island Parks.

Snohomish Conservation District treated over 300 students to soil critter exploration and the ever-silly Poop Toss Game. With hand lenses, a picture guide, and help from parents and teachers, young students found and got to touch earthworms, watched springtails jump like Michael Jordan, and discovered many other tiny creatures they might not have seen otherwise. For us older students, it was a reminder of how very alive the soil under our feet is.