Happy Earth Day

Forest and Bird, Volume 21, Issue 3, 1 August 1990, Page 7

Happy Earth Day

EARTH DAY leapt to the nation’s attention on April 22 with many Forest and Bird members and branches taking part. Manawatu, Southland, Mid-North and South Canterbury branches got their hands dirty cleaning up piles of rubbish from streams, estuaries and beaches, with South Canterbury branch collecting a skip full of plastics, iron and household rubbish. Tauranga branch created a 100-metre long plastic dragon which snaked its way to the Tauranga Milk Treatment Centre's plastic recycling plant. West Coast branch members helped celebrate Earth Day by attacking old man’s beard growing on the outskirts of the Barrytown Scenic Reserve. More than 30 Kiwi Conservation Club members and families from the Te Puke branch arrived at Rotoehu Village reserve for a sausage sizzle and planted trees. The children came dressed as birds, insects and trees. Other branches had fun while they raised awareness of environmental issues. Wellington branch held an Earth Day dance, while Auckland, Wairarapa and Lower Hutt branches organised Earth Day festivals attended by thousands of people. And will there be an Earth Day next year or will we have to wait another 20 years? Watch this space.

Wildlife on the island includes little blue penguins, blue reef herons, variable oystercatchers, spotted shags, the rare green spotted skink, the common skink, the copper skink and the common grey gecko.