Carkeek Park is throwing itself a big party for the 34th annual Earth Day.
Earth Day itself is on April 22, but the celebration at the park will be on Saturday, April 26. The main event is an expo in the Environmental Learning Center, 950 NW Carkeek Park Rd., from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., with representatives from: the Carkeek Park Advisory Council; the Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project; Streams, Trails, and Restoration Stewards; Friends of Piper’s Orchard; Carkeek Foresters; EarthKeepers Day Camp; the Carkeek Park Demonstration Gardens; Seattle Parks Naturalists; Seattle Public Utilities Salmon in the Classroom and Salmon Stewards programs.
Here’s the schedule events:
- 10 a.m. – Cub Scout Flag ceremony at the Environmental Learning Center
- 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Visit and feed the chum fry in the Imprint Pond.
- 10:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. – King County Wastewater Carkeek Pump Station Tours (every 45 minutes).
- 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Litter pick-up starting at the beach; sign-up in the parking lot next to the overpass.
- 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Join a STARS (Streams, Trails, and Reforestation Stewards) volunteer work party. Help with hands-on trail maintenance and forest restoration (invasive removal). Gloves and training provided. Age 13 and older. Meet in the fenced yard adjacent to the maintenance shed to sign in at 10:30 a.m.
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – EarthKeeper Explorers: Wonders of Piper’s Creek Watershed – Scavenger hunt, wetland demonstrations and creating art at the Environmental Learning Center. For ages 6-12 with an adult.
- 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Green building consultations with a Miller-Hayashi architect, designers of the ELC.
- 12-12:30 p.m. – Nature walk with a park naturalist, starting from the ELC.
- 12:30-1:30 p.m. – EarthKeeper Explorers: Wonders of Piper’s Creek Watershed – Looking at macroinvertebrates in the stream. For ages 6-12 with an adult; starts at the ELC.
- 1-2 p.m. – Guided tour of Piper’s Orchard.
- 1:30-3 p.m. – Pacific Northwest Natives & the Salmon – History, storytelling, music, and drum circle near the Wheel of Wisdom and salmon slide and in the play area.
- 2:30pm – Watershed Tour with SPU naturalist, starting from the ELC.
- 7:30-9 p.m. – Carkeek in the Dark with a park naturalist, $5 (registration required on Seattle Park’s website; search for “Explore the Park in the Dark.”)
- 8 p.m. – Salmon in the Classroom salmon fry release into Venema Creek at the Imprint Pond.
