When did Earth Day stop being about the Earth?

At 6am on a Saturday, it started with a single tear falling from the corner of my eye. “I am the Lorax and I speak for the trees!” I thought.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I love the stories about ‘giving back’. I have heard heart-warming stories about how on Earth Day (and other days) people volunteer to help our war veterans and the elderly. I do love these stories. My grandfather, uncle and husband are war vets and luckily came home with few physical scars. My step-father in-law is in an assisted living home for Alzheimer’s patients. I absolutely agree with giving back and helping them. But, when did Earth Day stop being about the Earth?


On our birthdays, we celebrate our birth. We celebrate ourselves. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Veteran’s Day we celebrate mothers, fathers and veterans, right? So, when did we stop celebrating and giving back to the Earth on Earth Day?

Some people refer to me as a tree-hugger. I used to deny it. I was above all of that. After thinking about it, now I wear my Tree-hugger badge proudly. You would never know it by looking at me. I don’t wear the traditional tree-hugger garb. I am cleverly disguised as a yuppie designer chick. As a young adult, (didn't think I was young at the time) I lived in Fort Collins, Colorado. I got my degree from Colorado State University, go Rams! Formerly known as the Aggies, CSU is an agricultural school at heart. In college, in Fort Collins, Earth Day seemed to be all about the Earth. Appropriate. And why not be a tree-hugger? Someone needs to hug them, don’t you think?

I am a landscape designer by trade and I have been working on a large design that is slated to be installed this summer. It is an 8 acre Bird Sanctuary in Parker. How wonderful to have the ground-breaking on Earth Day! You would think that getting volunteers on Earth Day to plant trees would be a no-brainer. I guess despite my age, I can be naïve sometimes, still. I have been turned down more than once. Helping people on Earth Day seems to be the new trend. It’s my own fault really. I must be stressing too much the fact that, at least in my mind and heart, this isn’t for the neighborhood or the outlying community. As the saying goes, it’s for the birds! It’s for the birds, the butterflies, the bees, the deer, the bats, rabbits and foxes. It’s to put oxygen into the air, it’s habitat, it’s food, it’s shelter, it’s what I consider as truly giving back. It’s about giving back to the Earth, to the true natives of the area, the animals.

This year on Earth Day, lets make it about her. Do something for her and/or for all of her creatures.

• Plant some trees or even just one tree
• make a change in your daily routine that will continue throughout the year like recycling
• make a pledge to ride your bike one day a month or week to work or school (as weather permits)
• teach your children how to plant something and show them what the soil feels like and smells like

Become a tree-hugger! We come in all shapes and sizes and wear many different uniforms. It just means you care.


Tree-huggers unite! We are the Lorax and we speak for the trees, the butterflies and the bees!!

The Bird Sanctuary at The Pinery

Well, it finally begins! We begin installation this spring and I am so excited! This project has been my baby for a year now. I know the design will morph and change as we go along. Design is a fluid art. But I am staying involved to ensure the heart and soul of the project stays completely in tact.
The Bird Sanctuary started as an idea by The Pinery HOA. They want to use this 8.5 acre piece of land for something big. The plan? To make it a place for not only birds, but also bees, butterflies, other native critters and the residents. This will be a place to reconnect with the area's historical past, a place to educate, and a place for all to enjoy.

The Plan:
Attract native birds - provide habitat, food, water and nesting supplies
Attract native and migratory butterflies - provide habitat, food, water, minerals, and a wind break
Attract native bees - provide habitat, nectar source, mud, education
Attract and house native bats and provide education
Provide trails and shelter for people
Education - provide historical information
Provide meeting places for boy scout and girl scout troops
Bring the community together

So, the first phase, spring-summer 2010, will be Lookout Point, Pinion Peak Meadow, the History Center, and the trails associated with these areas.

Lookout Point will have a pergola shelter with benches for residents and visitors to sit and enjoy the view of almost the entire front range. There will be carefully placed trees to shade this area but not block the incredible view. A boulder will sit in the middle of the space with an inscription describing the history of the mountain range and how it was formed. The pergola will in time be covered by a flowering vine that will soften the hard lines and give a bit of color and shade. This Trumpet vine is very aggressive (not invasive) and is loved by hummingbirds and people alike.
Pinion Peak Meadow is an open area behind Lookout point that will have deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs, boulders and fallen logs. The fallen logs will act as seating and are also important for the bees. Some bees will drill a hole in a fallen log, insert their young and some food and pack the hole with mud. It is an important part of the ecosystem.
The trails will be crushed granite to keep the natural path look for the area.

Challenges so far:
This property has no electricity currently and the HOA has no plans to include it. So adding the irrigation system is challenging and a solution must be found to otherwise run the system.
Under parts of the property lies some asphalt. It is not known why it is there, who put it there, what it was for, how deep it goes, and what area it covers. We are currently searching the Douglas County archives to see if there was a previous plan submitted for this area that might give us some information.

Phase one is a go and we will be having a ground breaking ceremony on Earth Day, April 22nd, 2010.

We are connected

We are connected to this earth, our home. Periodically, it is important to reconnect. I am not talking about religion or your beliefs. Many religions, many cultures throughout time have known this. With all of our technology and 'advances', we have forgotten this oh-so-important fact. We are connected to our surroundings because we live here. Here is your neighborhood, your community, your country, but mostly here is planet earth. We will not break her, she will endure. But it is important to us down to the very ancient depths of us. So, reconnect with her.

Did your grandmother grow some of the food she ate? Did your grandfather have an orchard? Did your aunt have a cherished rose garden? What can you do to continue a family tradition?

Reconnect with your surroundings each day, week or month.

• Change with the seasons. Eat foods that are in season. Did our ancestors eat bananas in winter? It depends on where they lived.



• Pick flowers from your garden and bring them inside each season. In the winter, bring in twigs or pine cones and make an arrangement.



• Feed the birds.



• Plant roses in honor of that favorite relative.



• In the spring, get your hands dirty! Go out to your garden/yard and play in the dirt. Pull weeds, plant something, spread compost on your flower garden.



• Share stories that your parents and grandparents told you. Pass on the oral tradition of your family and/or ancestors.



• Sit outside and view the beauty of nature, even in a rain storm or a cloudy day. It is nature.

It is important for us to stay connected to all that is around us, to put down the cell phone, turn off the tv and go outside.

Enjoy and may the peace of the land be with you.

For the birds!

This time of year it's important to remember our little feathered friends. We want them in our yard because they are beautiful, we love to watch them and we love nature. Sometimes when we are locked tightly inside our homes keeping warm, we forget about the critters we enjoy.

Having a bird feeder is great in the summer, but the birds begin to depend on us as a constant source of food - year round. Just like we depend on our grocery stores to stock food for us year round. We go to the same grocery store and rely on it to supply food. The birds feel the same way. So, here are some easy tips on how to feed the birds!

Easy, inexpensive, and fun for the kids!

1. String some Cheerios on a shoelace. Spread honey on the cheerios and pour birdseed on the sticky Cheerios. Tie knots in the ends and string in the trees.

2. Make suet by combining 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup Crisco, birdseed and some flour. Warm in a pan to mix. Scoop mixture into a wire basket or in a hollowed out melon or grapefruit. You can also poke 3 holes in the fruit half and add string or wire to hang from a tree or post.

3. Take a pine cone from your yard. Spread peanut butter or honey on it and roll in birdseed. Use wire or string to hang it from a tree. Make several of these for decoration and the birds will love you for it!

Don't forget the little critters that enhance our lives.