Earth Day Abstract (Part One)
-written by: John Delwiche 
44 years have past, since the first Earth Day was cast into my mind on April 22, 1970. There were 3,000 of us gathered at the Brown County Arena in Green Bay that night, when a line of severe thunderstorms came rolling trough. The violent squall line, with 6-7 embedded tornadoes, went on a destructive rampage through Brown, Southern Door, and Kewaunee Counties. One of the embedded tornadoes narrowly missed the Arena. It was an iconic event in the nationwide Earth Day celebration. It could have been a tragic event for us. The program at the arena had been billed as “Survival 70’s”. Perhaps it should have been called “survival 3,000”.
Looking back at that event, I wonder today: will mankind be around in the year 3000? My thoughts shift to Victor Yannacone’s closing remarks that night. He ended his fiery speech by saying “This land (we might say Island) belongs to the people. This land belongs to you and me. Don’t just sit there, do something.”
So, here are three things that each of us can do on this beautiful Island:
- Now that the snow has receded, we can pick up and recycle all the bottles, cans, and trash that litters our roadways. It is a simple act to clean up our environment.
- Plant a tree, or two, or more. You may want to consider it as your contribution for the next generation of Islanders.
- Read the “Gnome’s Guide to Door County Nature” in the Washington Island Observer each month. Study the drawings, and ponder what Steve Waldron has written.