File photo courtesy of AFFEW, A Few Friends for the Environment of the World, Ludington.
From staff reports
Invest In Our Planet (And Build a Prosperous and Equitable Future) is this year’s Earth Day theme, and two area nonprofits plan to observe the event with activities held April 22-23.
Earth Day celebrations kick off in Manistee County with a family-friendly, free event at 6 p.m., April 22, hosted by Spirit of the Woods Conservation Club at its nature preserve on Coates Highway, one mile west of Brethren. (Look for the sign and access road on the south side of Coates.) A Blessing of the Rods for area anglers will commence at 6:30 p.m. Music and snacks will be provided. See updates: https://www.facebook.com/pg/SpiritoftheWoodsConservationClub
On April 23, AFFEW (A Few Friends for the Environment of the World) will host its annual Earth Day event, a day-long series of free programs at the United Methodist Church of Ludington, 5810 E. Bryant Road. Doors will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Attendees of Saturday’s event may choose one of two hour-long programs offered at 11 a.m.: “Green Investing” with Tanya Lesinski and Mike Heckman or “Meet the Grand Slam of Michigan Turtles” with biologists Jim and Carol McGrath of Nature Discovery in Williamston. They plan to bring all 10 species of turtles found in Michigan.
Tours of the U Dig It Community Garden will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.. A guided 40-minute hike with Dave Dister, area birder and biologist, begins at 12:15 p.m. Scheduled programs for 1-2 p.m. are “Building a Bluebird House” and “Vermicomposting for Your Garden.” Local ukulele group, the String-A-Longs, will perform for one hour, beginning at 2 p.m. Two programs follow at 3 p.m.: “Green Burials” and “Energy Transition and Solar Power for Your Home.”
Ludington pastel artist Marie Marfia will be working on a landscape painting throughout the event, and a silent auction of her completed work will be held.
Informational booths will be available all day. For details about the event or more about AFFEW, visit www.affew.org.
