From the Director
Earth Day is a tradition that began in 1970 when a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin organized a national demonstration to raise awareness about environmental issues. By the end of that year the government had created the Environmental Protection Agency. By 1990 Earth Day was celebrated in more than 140 countries around the world on April 22.
Here at the Columban headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, we decided to celebrate it with some students from our local parish school, St. Mary’s. They have a “Budding Botanists” Club that we tapped into. I had seen an article in the local newspaper where the Natural Resources District was offering various tree seedlings to farmers and local people who had some land where they could grow. We have 24 acres around us and have been losing trees every year to age, wind, and insects. What a great opportunity to replace some of them with new trees! After talking with the school principal and coordinator of the Club a plan began to form. So, I ordered 30 red oaks, some Douglas Fir, Black Gum, Allegheny Serviceberries, Persimmon, Pear, American Hazelnut, and Apple trees, 70 trees total.
On Saturday, April 25, at 9 am, ten families from the parish school came to our place. We began with a simple prayer that they had prepared, a reading from Genesis on creation—God formed all the lands, seas, sky, rain, sun, seed-bearing plants and animals and us humans “and saw that they were all very good.” Then we went outside and put together growing tubes that would cover our trees to keep the rabbits and deer from eating them. We had marked the spots where the tree seedlings would go. With shovels we dug holes deep enough for the roots and planted for about an hour and a half. We had bamboo stakes to hold the tubes upright. We watered the new trees and put mulch around them. We finished planting around 11:30 am and enjoyed some cookies and fruit drinks.
God created so many kinds of plants and animals, soils and waters, and they all interact with each other.
The object was to give the children the opportunity to get their hands dirty, smell soil, touch worms, and be part of a whole system of new life growing in our yard. The kids ranged in age from four years old to 13 years old, working with their parents and priests and workers who are here. That evening it rained a little, so God was taking care of us.
One of the main focuses of the Columban Fathers at this time is “protecting biodiversity.” As we keep using the word “biodiversity” I am seeing that it carries a lot more meaning. God created so many kinds of plants and animals, soils and waters, and they all interact with each other. They are all necessary in the way they relate with each other. Take one away and the whole system is weaker.
Here at St. Columban’s we planted oak trees for woodpeckers and acorns for deer and turkeys and squirrels to eat, fruit trees for us and birds and deer and bees, flowering trees for bees and insects and butterflies. Nature is not just around us; we are part of nature and we have to do our part to help it to thrive because we have the power to do so. Please God, our young people who worked on this little project learned a little how to live in harmony with our fellow creatures, respecting them, valuing them, and enjoying them.
