Crowds plant, perform for Earth Day
Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/64384/
A patch of south Fayetteville land spared from development became the center of a local Earth Day celebration Sunday sponsored by the Town Branch Neighborhood Association and the Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology.
The two groups organized the celebration at the World Peace Wetland Prairie, a small nature park in the 1100 block of South Duncan Avenue.
Its our fourth year of acquiring the land, Lauren Hawkins, Town Branch Neighborhood Association member, said.
The area is only about two-anda-half acres. The entrance is being developed into a three-part garden area, while the back area of about two acres is being restored as a natural wetland with native plants.
One celebration attendee, Sara Milford, described the event as music and friends and good times taking care of our precious resources.
Don Bennett said he saw the event as a celebration of the Earth and recommitment to each other.
What a marvelous event, said state Rep. Lindsley Smith, D-Fayetteville.
Musicians affiliated with the Omni Center played music while others helped plant new plants and flowers.
The garden areas include a butterfly garden, a peace garden and a soil section where participants planted new daffodils. An old concrete slab was offered as a place where children could write peace graffiti.
An Indonesian student with the University of Arkansas who helped plant the daffodils said the work helped her get over a fear of worms.
The peace garden is set up with rows of stone benches, and the ultimate goal is that it will look like a peace symbol when it is finished, neighborhood resident Jennifer Creel said.
Its just good to plant something in the ground, said Erin Bennett, who helped add plants to the peace garden.
There has been a long war on the planet and the species, said Dick Bennett, no relation to Erin or Don. It must stop.
Although there was little lecturing about global warming, Bennett said he saw the event as an opportunity for people to help take a stand against carbon emissions with Earth-friendly activities.
People are here because they understand how our planet will be if we dont stop CO 2, he said.
Par ticipants came and went throughout the afternoon with attendance at around 75 people at any one time.