On Saturday, May 6th, the Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians opened their reservation up to the community for their 7th Annual Tribal Earth Day. Surrounded by widespread expanses of rolling hills and oak woodlands, the beautiful reservation of Santa Rosa was the perfect setting for community members to come together to celebrate the theme of the event, "Looking After Our Mother." This Earth Day featured several interactive booths hosted by local businesses and environmental organizations, traditional song and dance performances, and a delicious free lunch for all attendees.
The Climate Science Alliance was grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community event. Our staff hosted an interactive booth that engaged community members on the topic of climate change by using our modules on local pollinators and carnivores. We had live insects (Painted Lady Butterflies and a Bess Bug) on the table for visitors to interact with as well as local carnivore pelts and skulls. Our booth gave kids the opportunity to become scientists for the day and complete our scientific observation guide to win a prize.
Thanks to our partnership with Earth's Birthday Project, we had live Painted Lady Butterflies on display for visitors to observe and eventually interact with. Towards the end of the event, we hosted a Painted Lady Butterfly Release for the children. We gave a group of children the experience of setting the butterflies free into their local environment. We taught the kids the importance of pollinators in our food web and the threats they face due to climate change. We also gave them ideas for how to help pollinators such as starting a garden at home.
You can view photos from the event below. To learn more about incorporating live insects into educational activities, visit Earth's Birthday Project for resources.