Celebrate the Earth in Abington

Earth Day is Monday, April 22, but organizations all over the area are recognizing April as “Earth Month.” See what’s on tap locally to celebrate/help out the planet.

On Saturday, April 20 at 9 a.m., residents will be planting Sweetbay Magnolia trees in Cheltenham on the flood plain area just south of the Wyncote Post Office and north of the Washington Lane overpass along Glenside Avenue. Primex Garden Center, in Glenside, donated the trees.

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Briar Bush Nature Center will hold “EarthFest” on Sunday, April 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. This year’s theme is “Variety is the spice of wildlife.” Learn about the variety of life at the nature center through an afternoon of outdoor exploration, crafts and life animal programs.

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Volunteers from the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great, Manor College and St. Basil Academy will plant 85 native woodland trees on Monday, April 22 to celebrate Earth Day. The trees will be planted on the grounds between the Sisters’ convent and the college between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. In addition, student members of Manor’s Phi Theta Kappa honor society will sponsor an Alex’s Lemonade Stand that day, with proceeds going to the Foundation for Childhood Cancer and free lemonade donated for those volunteers planting trees.

The tree planting takes place on a 1-acre plot of land recently restored with native woodland grasses and is one phase of a larger project being funded by a Growing Greener grant the Sisters received from the Department of Environmental Protection as part of the Jenkintown Watershed Improvement project being spearheaded by the Montgomery County Conservation district.

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The Abington Environmental Advisory Council and the Abington Shade Tree Commission will hold rain barrel workshops at the Abington Township Public Safety Training Center on Florey Lane on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 1 at 10 a.m. The rain barrel workshops are free and attendees will receive a $10 coupon toward the purchase of a rain barrel. Proceeds from the sale of the rain barrels will go to support the Abington park system.

The two organizations will also hold a tree-planting event at Jackson Park on the morning of Saturday, April 27. Jackson Park is on Meadowbrook Road between Huntingdon Road and Washington Lane. For more information, click here.