Despite storms, peace doves flew in Frazier Mountain Park on Earth Day, and across the mountain Earthlings of all ages did their bit to show appreciation for Mother Nature.

An Earth Day Celebration at Frazier Mountain Community Park was a collaboration between Ruth Handy, founder of the Jizo Peace Center in Pine Mountain and Lockwood Valley artist Michelle Nosco of Arts For Earth Foundation in Frazier Park. After inspecting a gallery of original paintings by Nosco, 17 children learned how to create their own paintings while listening to Alan Salazar’s Chumash stories about wildlife living in our mountain home.

The TriCounty Watchdogs took a party of 18 (including four children) to spend a day cleaning up around Quail Lake (off Highway 138). They filled 25 trash bags.

Matthew Lowe made a puppy dog out of clean trash for an Earth Day recycling assignment in Mrs. Penner’s kindergarten class at Frazier Park School.

Girl Scout Troops 134 and 404 spent a fun and beautiful spring day on Sunday, April 25 picking up trash on Snowbunny Hill and practicing "Leave No Trace"- leaving an area better than you found it. The girls have been cleaning up the hill for the last several years. Pictured with their haul, are Amy, J.J., Emily, Jaslynne, Brianna, Rachael, Natalie and Britney. Ranger Ian Lauchlin gave a safety talk.

This is part of the April 30, 2010 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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