Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center

From the Education Desk

May I be the first to wish you a very Happy Easter! Along with Spring came the first real snowstorm of the year. Today the sun is out and the sky is a brilliant blue. I do love Colorado!

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment.

To mention just a few accomplishments that have happened over the years:

1970
Congress amends the Clean Air Act to set national air quality, auto emission, and anti-pollution standards.

In 1972, only 36 percent of the nation's assessed stream miles were safe for uses such as fishing and swimming: today, about 60 percent are safe for such uses.

1982
Congress enacts laws for safe disposal of nuclear waste.

1992
EPA launches the Energy Star® Program to help consumers identify energy-efficient products.

In 1996, the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list, reflecting its recovery since the 1972 DDT ban.

2006
WaterSense is launched to raise awareness about the importance of water efficiency, ensure the performance of water-efficient products and provide good consumer information.

We will be celebrating Earth Day on Sat. April 18^th. The Colorado Springs Utilities will be at the museum between 11:00 a.m. & 4:00 p.m. to give a presentation on Natural Gas and Fossil Fuels. This will be an educational and fun day for the whole family. The program even has an exploding house. The CSU will be on hand to answer all your questions and give pointers on how to keep your family safe. We will also be giving out 6” Lodge Pole Pine trees, (1 per family), until gone. Join the 5,000 others in Colorado who annually plant seedlings to benefit the environment, themselves and their neighbors.

On Sun. April 19^th we will be celebrating Arbor Day. At 2:00 p.m., Andy Pascarella, from the Forest Service, will do a power point presentation on the Lodge Pole Pine and answer any questions you have on this or any other tree. Again, we will be giving out trees for you to take home and plant. Everyday, more demands are placed upon our land and natural resources. You can help lessen the impact of these demands through tree planting. Following at 3:00 p.m.. Tonja Sharp, from the Department of Wildlife, will speak on “Living and Gardening with Wildlife” and will answer any questions you might have on this topic.

Some food for thought: A high-tech new way of wood burning holds great potential to save energy, cut costs, and even fight global warming, a new study says. Not all wood has to come from forests. U.S. cities produce about 30 million tons of wood from trees that have been trimmed or otherwise removed every year. This debris could be fed into power plants instead of being mulched or sent to landfills. St. Paul, Minnesota, for example, already heats and powers much of its downtown by burning about 250,000 tons of wood collected each year from city trees. Large amounts of wood can be harvested from forests, as long as the forests are managed correctly. If wood harvesters leave nutrient-rich leaves and needles on the forest floor and return leftover ash to forest soils, then "we're not endangering the productivity of the forests," the study adds. Trees suck CO2 out of the air as they grow and then release roughly the same amount of CO2 when they're burned in the advanced power plants. So the process of growing, harvesting, and burning wood is close to carbon neutral. The power plants also have filters that remove many of the small particles that come from burning the wood, greatly reducing pollution By switching to advanced wood power, "we have a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions," the study concludes.

We do hope to see you at both of our Earth and Arbor Day programs. They are going to be interesting, informative and fun for the entire family. What could be more important than taking care of and learning about our Earth. I know we all want to leave future generations something they can be proud of! Come celebrate with us

NO MATTER HOW LONG THE WINTER, SPRING IS SURE TO FOLLOW

Regards,
Geri LeBold
Education Director
geri@rmdrc.com