City event to celebrate Earth Day this weekend

MILTON, Ga. — The City of Milton welcomes the community to come out April 22 to celebrate Earth Day and with it, some of the animals, flora and much more that makes the planet so special.

The event will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Milton City Park and Preserve. Most activities will center around the Community Center as well as the grassy area behind it overlooking the 137-acre property’s nature trail.

In addition to strolling the trail at this year’s Earth Day event, attendees can:

• Meet live rescue animals, such as owls and snakes, brought by the AWARE Wildlife Center, as well as get ideas from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on how best to resolve conflicts with wildlife.

• Join in on a beekeeping session with members of the Milton Bee Club.

• Take a guided bird tour/field trip around Milton City Park and Preserve led by an expert volunteer from Georgia Audubon.

• Learn at a special demonstration led by North Fulton Master Gardener members.

• Explore the world of trees and the city’s tree planting initiative, Plant! Milton.

• Better understand the “circular economy” of donating, reusing, and then some as articulated by North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC) sustainable thrift shop. NFCC is also asking people to bring fruit cups to Milton’s Earth Day celebration for those families in need as part of the non-profit’s summer food drive.

There will also be several handson activities geared toward children, such as creating magical fairy gardens alongside Milton’s own Love GOGA/Mindful Seeds team, earththemed face painting and putting together Home Depot toolboxes.

This event will cap an Earth Week that starts with a planned “Seed Bomb” activity on Monday, April 17, at the Milton Library. Two days later, Fulton County Public Works will run “Adopt-a-Stream” chemical monitoring classes at Milton City Park and Preserve’s Community Center.

Milton encourages its residents to take good care of the environment every day. Ideas can be found on the city’s sustainability webpage at miltonga.gov/ sustaintability. To learn more about the Earth Day event or Milton’s environmental initiatives, contact Environmental Program Manager Emily Groth at Emily.Groth@ miltonga.gov.