Earth Day Celebration, Education, Music and More in Mount Shasta

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.” – The Dalai Lama

Earth Day, celebrated April 22 every year since 1970, reminds us that even small acts like recycling or choosing paper over plastic can make a big difference when added together. We can increase our positive effect on environmental issues by continuing to educate ourselves and our families about the natural environment and the effects our actions have on it.

Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center’s Annual Earth Day Festival

A wonderful way for families to learn more about our little blue marble and how to preserve the only home is spending Earth Day at one of the North State’s longest running and largest Earth Day events, the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center (MSBEC) Earth Day Festival, April 27 in Mount Shasta City Park.

This free, all-day event is packed with fun and engaging activities and presentations, starting with a water blessing ceremony at 11am. The festival kicks off at noon and goes until 4pm, with activities both outdoor and inside several of the park’s historic buildings where festival attendees can learn about local conservation efforts and opportunities at presentations including:

• Patty Grantham, executive director at Siskiyou County Prescribed Burn Association: What it Means to be Fire Wise
• The Pit River Tribe: Why Sáttítla Medicine Lake Highlands should be a National Monument
• Renée Camila, owner of La Yerba Buena Herbs: The Use of Sage and Appropriating Indigenous Native Plants
• Brook M. Thompson, Yurok & Karuk Native & Ph.D. student: Klamath Dam Removal & the Future of Salmon

Fun and educational Earth Day activities

Kids will have a blast with the interactive watershed model at the MSBEC Booth and can make and take home crafts created using natural materials courtesy of Regenerative Arts Day Care and Siskiyou County Arts Council. Visitors can wind their way through local exhibitor and craft booths and enjoy delicious food and drink available from local vendors.

Herbalist Cara Saunders of Bear Wallow Herbs will facilitate a 30–45-minute walk along City Park’s nature trails. She’ll talk about the beneficial uses of native plants in City Park and will invite participants to touch, smell and taste local flora.

New this year, the eco-art gallery, Conservation Through Creation, will feature artistic creations for sale inspired by stewardship of the earth and composed of recycled, upcycled or natural materials. A portion of proceeds go to support Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center.

Cap Earth Day with a rockin’ music concert in beautiful Mount Shasta

A concert fundraiser right next to the park in the beautiful trees at Spring Hill Nursery tops off the day. Doors open at 5pm and the concerts starts at 6pm with Johnny Callahan and Tristan Behm of the Sundown Poachers, followed by the ever-popular bluegrass, americana and cosmic rock ‘n roll band Boot Juice. Tickets are available on the MSBEC website and at Spring Hill Nursery.

Since 1988, the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, a community of people inspired to honor, protect and restore our world-renowned mountain environment, have been making a difference, working to preserve and keep the Mount Shasta bioregion pristine. You can help them continue this vital work by volunteering in many ways throughout the year. Volunteers are needed at the festival and other events, to help with train maintenance or trail hosting, and for work on fuel reduction, fire resiliency and in the community garden. Local vendors are welcome to register for a booth at the Earth Day Festival.