Virginia State Parks recognize Earth Day with a week of events and programs

April 22 marks the 44th celebration of Earth Day, the grassroots environmental awareness event celebrated in 175 countries. To mark the occasion, Virginia State Parks will offer programs and volunteer events at all 36 state parks April 22-29. The award-winning Virginia State Parks are managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Scheduled activities include volunteer projects, educational programs on recycling and reduced footprint living, and guided and self-guided programs to get people out in nature and enjoying earth’s bounty.

Arbor Day is April 25 and some parks are offering tree and garden planting opportunities. First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach will hold its Tree Army event on April 26 to enlist volunteers to plant trees to reduce the impact of unauthorized trails. Volunteers must register in advance. Staunton River Battlefield in Randolph is asking for help to create a butterfly garden on April 25.

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, and some parks will demonstrate how easy it is to reuse items commonly considered trash. On April 26 Caledon State Park in King George will hold its annual “Trash-to-Treasure” contest where volunteers make art out of trash collected along the park’s shoreline. Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston will have a “Trash-to-Treasure” scavenger hunt on April 26.Twin Lakes State Park in Green Bay is featuring a program to develop crafts from commonly found trash each day April 22 through 29 at 4:30 p.m.

In partnership with the Northern Neck Master Gardeners, Belle Isle State Park, Lancaster, is offering a rain barrel making workshop on April 26. There is a $50 fee that covers all supplies, and pre-registration is required. Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield is offering two programs for Earth Week: “Eco-Friendly Gardening” on April 22 and “Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose” on April 24. Both programs are free but require pre-registration. 

For more information on these and others programs, search the events section of the Virginia State Parks website http://www.virginiastateparks.gov.

For more information about Virginia State Parks activities and amenities or to make reservations in one of the more than 1,800 campsites or 300 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Customer Service Center at 800-933-PARK (7275) or visit http://www.virginiastateparks.gov.