Celebrating Earth Day

Reba Mitchell

04/03/2008 - Boulder's biggest Earth Day Festival combines environment and adventure celebrating the magnificent earth and our human interaction with it. Wild Earth featuring the Dirt Day Challenge is hosted by Wild Bear Center for Nature Discovery, the Boulder Adventure Film Festival and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

  This action-packed day of hands-on environmental education and outdoor adventure is free to the public and takes place on Saturday, April 19th, from 9 am – 2 pm at NCAR's Mesa Lab, on the Walter Orr Roberts Mesa beneath the flatirons, located at 1850 Table Mesa Drive in Boulder.

  In celebration of Earth Day, NCAR opens its doors and grounds for a day of fun under the sun for all ages. Inside the Mesa Lab, engage in live animal presentations by Wild Bear Center for Nature Discovery, Laramie Raptor Refuge, BeeGuardian.org, and Perry Conway. Deepen your understanding of climate change with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, dig in the dirt and plant seeds with Growing Gardens, or engage in one of the many other hands on activities presented by Keep it Clean Partnership, Eco-Cycle, Her Feet on the Earth, Boulder Sustainability Education Center, Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative and other environmental steward organizations. Animals, even a live alligator, will be present for an up-close look at raptors, mammals, reptiles and arthropods. Environmental and adventure films will be screened throughout the day from the Boulder Adventure Film Festival's award winning selections.

  In the outdoor plaza, people can bake cookies in solar ovens; experience renewable energy demonstrations from bio-diesel to solar electric; hoop dance to the Wild Okapi Marimba Band; and attempt the action-packed Dirt Day Challenge. The all-ages sports challenge is meant to encourage outdoor recreation through sustainable, human powered fun - great for both children and adults.

  The Challenge pushes your mind and body to the limit with four stations, including: Climbing Challenge (hosted by the Spot Climbing Gym and Access Fund), Pack Trot - a timed trail run with 10% of your body weight in a pro-fitted pack (hosted by Patagonia), the tipsy and exciting Balance Challenge, and Fly Casting - for accuracy and distance (powered by Loon Brothers and the Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative). Pros in each category are on site for free all-day sport clinics and gear demos. Big prizes are presented to all age categories. Dirt Challenge footage of participants will be presented on the silver screen at the Boulder Adventure Film Festival and on the web.

  Wild Earth featuring the Dirt Day Challenge is rooted in promoting a healthy environment and mobilizing people through increasing awareness of the world around us. This celebration of the earth is sponsored by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), Whole Foods, the Camera, Patagonia, Friends of UCAR and several other important donors. KGMH (Channel 7) is the official media sponsor of Wild Earth featuring the Dirt Day Challenge.

  For more information, call 303-258-7092 x242 or visit www.wildbear.org. To find out more and to sign up for the Dirt Day Challenge, visit www.BoulderAdventureFilm.com.

About Wild Bear Center for Nature Discovery

  As the 2006 recipients of El Pomar Foundation's Award for Excellence, Wild Bear Center for Nature Discovery is known for its creative nature workshops for people of all ages. Located just below the Continental Divide, Wild Bear offers a unique opportunity to educate local and regional visitors about mountain ecosystems and alpine tundra habitats. Currently, Wild Bear offers year round programs for youth when school is not in session, school group programs, and workshops for adults and families.

About Boulder Adventure Film Festival

  Boulder's own international forum for the best and most inspiring independent films of the year encompasses all aspects of adventure, from serious exploration to environmental heroism to gripping tales from the edges of the believable. See adventure through motion pictures that span the range of human endeavor, from ocean to rock to the far reaches of the earth and mind. The Festival, a 501c3 in alliance with the Boulder County Art Alliance, hosts events throughout the year, from filmmaker workshops and keynote speakers to premier screenings. The festival strives to embody the idea of "Activism through Adventure." And by this they mean to inspire all of us to make our own legends.

About NCAR/UCAR

  For almost 50 years, NCAR has been managed by UCAR - on behalf of NSF - to address pressing scientific and societal needs involving the atmosphere and its interactions with the oceans, land, and Sun-what is now called Earth system science. For more information visit our website at www.ucar.edu.