Check out the events planned in southern New Mexico to celebrate Earth Day 2023.
LAS CRUCES – This year is the 53rd year of celebrating Earth Day and Las Cruces-area organizations have been planning special events to commemorate the environmental movement.
The first Earth Day was held in 1970 raising awareness for environmental protection and activism. This year’s theme is “Invest in Our Planet.”
Check out this list of city, village and organizational events planned for Saturday, April 22.
City of Las Cruces’ Museum of Nature & Science events
The city’s Sustainability Office, Solid Waste and Wastewater programs are joining the Museum of Nature & Science to host Earth Day activities. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., representatives will be providing information about sustainability practices in place at the city and actions people can take at home.
Demonstrations and activities will also be presented by the museum’s Nature Center, the Las Cruces Railroad Museum, the Museum of Art, New Mexico State University’s Civil Engineering Department and Doña Ana Master Gardeners. Topics include the reintroduction of the Mexican Grey Wolf, composting and temperature mapping.
All activities and admission to the Museum of Nature & Science is free and open to the public. The Museum of Nature & Science is located at 411 N. Main St.
Holy Cross Retreat Center panels, DIY activities and prayer
Holy Cross Retreat Center’s Laudato Si’ Planning Committee is organizing a full day of activities for Earth Day. Laudato Si is the encyclical released by Pope Francis in 2015 calling all people to take action to preserve the environment and planet. Presentations are free and open to the public, though donations are accepted.
Children will have the opportunity to learn how to create their own rainforest terrarium.
The Saturday schedule includes:
10 a.m. – Franciscan spirituality and care for the Earth, Fr. Tom Smith and Linda Pribble
10:30 a.m. – Ways to conserve water, Rhonda Diaz from the City of Las Cruces
11 a.m. – Amending desert soil for flowers and veggies, Master Gardner
11:30 a.m. – What to recycle and what not to, Miguel Fernandez from South Central Solid Waste Authority
Noon – Lunch, display tables and kids project
12:30 p.m. – Sustainable electrification education, Jenny Hernandez from Las Cruces Sustainable Electric Education
1 p.m. – Planting and caring for trees and bushes, Jeff Anderson or Master Gardner Extension Society
1:30 p.m. – Neighborhood recycling awareness, Linda Pribble
2 p.m. – Plant bushes around the second hermitage at Holy Cross Retreat Center, Jeff Anderson
On Sunday, April 23, Holy Cross Retreat Center will hold an ecumenical prayer service at 6:30 p.m. in the main chapel followed by three speakers.
The center is located at 600 Holy Cross Rd., Mesilla Park.
Doña Ana Village Association fiesta
The Doña Ana Village Association is hosting its annual Earth Day Fiesta Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. in the community’s plaza. Organizers wrote in a community newsletter that, “much of our unique history in Doña Ana County & the Mesilla Valley is linked to its vibrant environment. Though in the last 200 years, the ecological makeup of the valley has changed, our people’s dedication to its beauty and to restoring it has not.”
Head to the plaza to enjoy live music, vendors and local resources for area residents. The plaza is located at 5393 Cristo Rey St.
Earth Day at La Mancha
Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project is hosting a community celebration Saturday, April 22 in honor of Earth Day and the one-year anniversary of its ownership of La Mancha Wetlands. From 9 a.m. to noon, people are invited to join a volunteer cleanup, free breakfast for participants followed by a guided yoga/stretch by Desert Community Wellness.
People will learn about nearby natural resources and the importance of wetland ecological restoration practices.
The event is free and open to the public. La Mancha Wetlands Restoration is located off U.S. 70. Head west of U.S. 70 West / West Picacho Avenue, turn left onto Fairacres Road and follow the road under the bridge.
Activities at Fort Selden Historic Site
Fort Selden Historic Site is hosting special Earth Day programming from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22. Activities include making bird houses (while supplies last), flying kites and joining staff in building bat houses which will be installed on site.
Ranger Mike will present a talk on Raptors: Birds of Prey at 11 a.m. and the New Mexico Watercolor Society will be on site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for painting for children and adults. Attendees can also take part in a self-guided bird survey in the area using Fort Selden’s bird binder.
Fort Selden Historic Site is located at 1280 Fort Selden Rd., Radium Springs. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children 16 and under.
Gila Earth Day and Continental Divide Trail Days Festival in Silver City
The Gila Resources Information Project and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition is hosting the Gila Earth Day x Continental Divide Trail Days Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Silver City’s Gough Park.
This is the second annual Gila Earth Day celebration and is being combined with trail days for a larger celebration. According to a news release, over 50 organizations will be on hand Saturday with their sustainable products and services including upcycled items, a variety of seeds, native plants and fruit trees.
Information will be provided about gardening, seed saving and native plants that support pollinators.
Other activities include an Upcycled Fashion Show and “Swap ‘Til You Drop’ clothing swap, a BioBlitz scavenger hunt, kids Jump Zone and Fiddling Friends & Big Ditch Crickets.
Several conservation and environmental organizations will be on site to discuss what people can do as individuals and communities to “invest” in the planet. And Gila Friends Meeting will have a booth set up for people to write letters to congress supporting environmental legislation.
Farm fresh and healthy food and drinks will also be available for attendees.
Trail Days events will begin Friday, April 21 with a panel discussion from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Silco Theatre, 311 N. Bullard St., Silver City. Head to Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery for the kickoff fiesta from 5:30 to 9 p.m., 200 N. Bullard St.
A free community pancake breakfast will start the festivities at 9 a.m. Saturday at Gough Park, 1201 N. Pope St. Heart of the Gila will host several community hikes Sunday, April 23. A full list of activities and times is available online at continentaldividetrail.org/trail-days.
Others are reading:
River snakes in New Mexico see habitat cuts, drawing lawsuit against federal government
Giancarlo Esposito joins fans for annual Las Cruces International Film Festival
Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Check out the events in southern New Mexico to celebrate Earth Day 2023.
