Best Earth Day ever

HURON — The earth could not have provided a better day to celebrate itself at Osborn MetroPark on Saturday. The sun was shining bright on the hundreds that visited the park for a day of environmental exploration at the Osborn MetroPark Earth Day Extravaganza. The event, hosted by Erie County Solid Waste Management, Erie MetroParks and Barnes Nursery was offering kids and parents a chance to get up close and personal with Ohio's plants and animals. Mike Hensley, a naturalist with Erie MetroParks, had a table full of insect collections so kids could get a good look at the area's bug population. The most popular bug on the table however was Grandma Rita, a Chilean Rose Tarantula. Even though she's not an Ohioan, she certainly drew a crowd. "She can tell when other people are nervous, so we'll probably leave her in the tank for now," Hensley said. Hensely also runs outdoor recreation programs for the Erie MetroParks, including the popular summer nature camps. The camp is offered to kids ages 6-12 and starts June 6. "We do a lot of really fun stuff," Hensley said. "We do guided kayaking trips, hikes and archery." Kids may sign up for one week of camp or several. The nature camp schedule can be found at eriemetroparks.org/camp. Another big hit at Earth Day Extravaganza was Back to The Wild's "Birds of Prey" exhibit. Kids and parents were mesmerized by the five owls perched in one of the activity rooms. The wildlife rescue even brought a bald eagle who sat on a wood stand keeping tawny hawk eyes on everyone as they touched snakeskins and inspected turtle shells. Back To The Wild staff manager Sammie Villa said the Castalia-based organization started as a way to rescue a large number of abandoned turtles. "It all started with turtles," Villa said. "The most rescued animal is turtles, they are a lot of upkeep and people aren't aware how much work they will be so they will just release them into the wild." It's illegal to keep wild animals as pets. Villa said that it's an issue because the spread of diseases among pets can be fatal and extensive upkeep and proper care for amphibians and reptiles is required to keep them healthy. The event was closed out with an award ceremony for the winners of the Earth Day art show. Erie County MetroParks received 219 entries for The Ohio Wildlife Youth Art Contest. The contest was open for students pre-K to seniors, art pieces came from 20 different schools as well as some homeschool entries. All of the art was presented at the park on Saturday. The best of show award went to Thomas Murray, a 9th grader from Huron High School for a drawing of a Kirtland's Warbler.