Fest Educates Local Residents

On Saturday, April 11, the Earth Arbor Day Festival was held at the Central Park in Santa Clarita for residents of all ages to learn about eco-friendly products, programs, and local organizations dedicated to protecting and preserving the environment.

The event not only provided the members of the community to enjoy a day at the park, but it also included educational presentations and a host of activities and also gave participants opportunities to speak with representatives from various organizations. Musicians, including the Sean Hughes Band and Adjoa Skinner, performed throughout the event while a variety of vendors from businesses around the community distributed a thousand trees and reusable bags to residents on the other side of the park. Also, an art exhibition showed creative works of art made using reusable and recycled materials as well as 96 gallon recycling carts that had been decorated creatively.

“We are trying to create awareness to residents of environmental issues related to water pollution, air quality, et cetera. We are here to address certain things that are going on around the communities, like developments involving the Santa Clarita river and issues with landfill,” said John Hall, member of Santa Clarita Organization for Planning The Environment (SCOPE), During an interview with JSR.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, the frequency of large wildfires and the total area burned have been steadily increasing in the Western United States. Thus, police officers and firefighters also participated in this event to answer any questions that the residents had about fire prevention and safety.

“The main reason we are here is for fire prevention and how a lot of these fires start has to do with carelessness.” Tom Guzman, a patrol captain of US Forest Service, told JSR in an interview. “In other parts of the country, 90% of their fires are caused by lightning. But here, 90% of our fires are human-caused. Because of that, there is a lot that people can do to prevent fires.”

Many residents participating in this event agreed that the Santa Clarita’s Annual Earth Arbor Day Festival has positively influenced the community to take action to conserve and protect the environment.

Jamie Ringpis, a student volunteer, said in an interview with JSR, “I like that you get to learn more about the environment in depth. I hope that people who visit can learn more about the severity of the drought and ways to save water.”

“I work for a nature preschool, so that’s what drew me here,” said Newhall resident Jeanne McNiff. “I like that it’s really family-friendly. I moved from New York three years ago and the culture is very different. That’s why I like coming to events like this because it really nurtures the cultures to be organic and holistic.”

For more information about Earth Arbor Day event, which takes place annually, visit GreenSantaClarita.com.