Happy Earth Day

There's been some hand wringing over whether or not to celebrate Earth Day over at Worldchanging and elsewhere. But my family couldn't resist celebrating our favorite planet yesterday at a local nature center, the Howard County Conservancy.

It was especially festive at the Conservancy because we were also celebrating Rachel Carson's upcoming Centennial birthday. Volunteers, including my daughter, Sarah, read from Carson's work (The Sense of Wonder and The Lost Woods). We also saw a film produced by high school student Kristen Cronon, Taking a Stand in History: Rachel Carson's Silent Spring which was part of the 2006 American Conservation Film Festival.

Then we went outdoors for our own Sense of Wonder walk. One of our number looked up and noticed, among a gathering of soaring vultures, a bald eagle. Its brilliant white head and tail were unmistakeable against the blue sky, making it an easy first eagle for several in our group, and a cosmic coincidence to spot while celebrating Carson's role in protecting birds of prey from DDT. Just as poeticallly, the kids celebrated along the way by shucking off shoes and splashing in the Conservancy's cool streams.

Back home again, I couldn't resist one final Earth Day celebration, heading into the woods to read just a bit of my favorite Almanac. Happy Earth Day, everyone!