Earth Day Activities From Salamanders To ‘Seed Dating’

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Today is Earth Day, but many people got a head start helping the planet with a variety of activities over the weekend.

Some of the earth day events on Saturday and Sunday addressed the harm that’s already been done to nature. Those events included trash pick-ups along rivers and trails and a nature walk at the Schlitz Audubon Center in Bayside, where conservation director Don Quintenz talked about an experiment that will provide data on the potential decline of amphibians like salamanders.

“Amphibians need two different habitats, minimally, in their life cycle, so when we break up and put barriers between different types of habitat or reduce its size, these are all things that reduce the population of amphibians.”

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Quintenz also told his fellow hikers about the potential harm that climate change could be doing to bird migrations. Another weekend activity had a bit of whimsy thrown in.

A band played at the Polish Falcon bar in Milwaukee, as people sat at tables and exchanged plant seeds and tips about gardening. Organizer Tess Kenney of Milwaukee Urban Gardens called the event ‘seed dating’: a way to meet other gardeners and discuss the environmental pluses of locally grown food.

“This is right in your backyard. Think about the carbon footprint difference that you’re making by growing your own food. It’s incredible.”

And Kenney says when people come together to talk about gardens, it offers some healing from hearing about the planet’s tragedies.