Celebrate Earth Day at Missouri State Capitol April 20

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State and federal agencies will come together to help educate young people about protecting the environment at the 18^th Annual Earth Day celebration. The event, sponsored and hosted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, will take place on Friday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the south lawn of the Capitol. The event is geared toward fifth-grade students, but is free and open to the public.

Earth Day 2012 will feature interactive environmental displays, educational games and entertainment. Students learn about Missouri’s energy, air quality, water quality, geology, land surveying, state parks, reclaiming minded land, recycling, conservation practices that help prevent soil erosion and protect water resources, and much more.

An “Earth Day stage” will feature several rounds of Environmental Survivor, hosted by 94.3 KAT Country personalities Kevin Hilley and Erin Hart, to test the students’ environmental knowledge. The World Bird Sanctuary will return this year, compliments of the Missouri American Water Company, and WildHeart – a musical duo with a strong science message – will perform, compliments of Children in Nature through Missouri State Parks.

The slogan for this year’s Earth Day festivities is “Hurry Out and Play at Your Missouri State Parks Today.” The slogan was submitted in the department’s 2012 Earth Day slogan contest by Delaney Miller, a fifth-grade student in Marie Ebbesmeyer’s class at Paris R-II Elementary School. Miller, daughter of Tony and Glenda Miller, will receive a certificate of appreciation from the department and a $50 gift card donated by Central Bank in Jefferson City. Her creative contribution will be recognized during the event’s opening ceremony at 10 a.m.
Thousands of students are expected to attend the Earth Day celebration. As a result, please be aware that a portion of Broadway Street will close temporarily on Friday, April 20 to accommodate the festivities. Vehicle access to Capitol Circle Drive will be blocked from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. for safety reasons. Street parking along the east side of the 200 block of Broadway Street will also be restricted.

For those who cannot make the trip to Jefferson City, a two-hour live streaming broadcast will be available on the department’s Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/vidoes/live.htm. The show will begin at 10 a.m. and include the Earth Day opening ceremonies, educational videos about the environment, and performances by the World Bird Sanctuary and WildHeart.

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