Phinizy Swamp & Nature Park hosted its annual Earth Day Augusta event, Saturday morning.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the park welcomed visitors—mostly families—to participate in a variety of activities encouraging environmental awareness and science education.
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Alongside hayrides, face painting, bouncy houses and live music, attendees could explore a colorful encampment of tents ranging from food vendors to green local businesses.
This year marked Paige Brockmeyer’s second time setting up at the Earth Day fair on behalf of the Columbia County chapter of the Climate Citizens’ Lobby, a national grassroots organization seeking to raise awareness of, and to lobby for, issues regarding climate change.
Drawing passersby with a cardboard booth offering “Climate Change Counsel” in the style of the “psychiatric help” sign from Lucy in the “Peanuts” comics, Brockmeyer welcomed conversations and offered resources about climate change solutions—along with free cookies.
“I feel like I’ve learned so much just about communicating in general, especially with people who share my prerogative on things,” she said.
One of the attractions, a stamping poll at the Climate Citizens’ tent, was based on a 2021 survey by the Yale Center for Climate Change Communication, sampling various public attitudes regarding the issue, ranging from “alarmist” to “dismissive.”
“Basically, we’re having people stamp, ‘how do you feel about climate change right now?” said Brockmeyer.
Jesse Kamps, a biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, manned a display of real furs of animals—such as bobcats, coyotes, river otters and even skunks—to give onlookers, primarily children, a chance to see up close, and even touch, the kind of wildlife present on the Phinizy property.
“It’s one thing to see a bobcat from 100 yards away,” Kamps said. “It’s another to be able to hold the bobcat skin, feel it, say, ‘Oh, it is really big,’ or ‘it’s not as big as I thought.’ That way, kids just get a better idea of what the wildlife around them is.”
Kori McDonald and Tam Truong, both scientists with the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), held a display on behalf of the CSRA chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which promotes education and professional interest in chemistry.
“Our national theme for Earth Week is ‘Get a charge out of chemistry,” said Truong, explaining the ACS display, which included a simple battery made with a lemon, another with nickel and tinfoil, and a water electrolysis demo. “So we’re highlighting some of the science behind batteries and electricity.”
The Phinizy Center’s own booth, enjoyed a sizable turnout, said Lesley Yarnell, a local science teacher and volunteer, as visitors could stop by and learn about composting.
“We’re teaching people about what compost is and also what kinds of critters live in the compost,” she said. Trays of compost teeming with life—mostly burrowing insect larvae—sat beside microscopes for curious observers. “So we are letting the kids just kind of people just kind of dig through here and see what they can find.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
