Locals pitch in, pick up at Earth Day event

Earth Day Extravaganza organizers moved their event from Sandusky Mall to Osborn MetroPark this year, hoping to get back to nature.They succeeded, although they rediscovered rain is an important part of the local environment.People who braved the rain and went to Osborn on Saturday found plenty of booths and activities.Friends of Pipe Creek, housed inside a tent, rewarded the folks who visited the booth with free redbud tree seedlings and a handout explaining how to plant it.The group also gave away sponges, magnets and copies of the Lake Erie Public Access handbook."We were hoping for a sunny day," said John Jackson, president of the group.But, he added, "It's been a steady crowd."There were 100 redbud trees at the booth when it opened; by 3:40 p.m., that was down to 25.Erie MetroParks and the Erie County Solid Waste District helped organize the event.The two groups displayed their G.R.E.E.N. Bean trailer, available as a free rental for groups organizing cleanups on public lands.Cheryl Westcott, park operations specialist, and a team of nine volunteers yanked up garlic mustard plants, an invasive species, growing in the park."We've got three garbage bags full of them," said Westcott, who said more volunteers are needed in coming weeks.Visitors inside the park's Frost Center could admire items from the "Recycled Fashion Show," including a purse that Sandusky High 12th-grader Alicia Hathorn made from old blue jeans and decorated with bottle tips, and jewelry that Sandusky fifth-grader Diavian Francois made from pop can tabs and beads.The winning entries for an Erie County poster contest were displayed. The winners were Haylee Bock, third grade, Berlin Heights Girl Scout Troop No. 385; Lauren Zimmerman, fourth grade, Woodlands Intermediate, Huron; Kailee Wennes, sixth grade, Woodlands Intermediate, Huron; Aryah Clinton, seventh grade, Adams Middle School, Sandusky; Alexis Brady, eighth grade, McCormick Middle School, Huron, and Patrick Kade Hurlburt, grade 12, Sandusky High School.