By Mike Kesselring
April 22 is designated as Earth Day 2023. Hello, Mike Kesselring here and you might see me as an unlikely observer of such an annual event, in fact, dating all the way back to 1970. I know, like you, that there are a number of questionable and politically manipulated uses of Earth Day and all that represents. Having said that, I choose to set the B.S. aside.
April 22nd, Earth Day 2023. There are any number of just excellent ways, causes and programs that one can participate in all through the year in support of protecting the environment. And for those that live in downtown, uptown or crosstown apartments who rarely leave the city, I think the match is good. But for folks like us, who have never lived anywhere but ranch or farm country, Earth Day is every day.
Many of the most remarkable folks that I have seen attending to the benefits of the land, rivers and sky are those who live and work on them. The country folk; who all work to control erosion, understand the protection of both surface and groundwater and have learned better ways to handle trash. I see it and I know you see it. This year, I’ve decided to focus in on two areas in my life that could use a little tuning up; curtailing plastics and getting in on some area tree and shrub planting.
Plastics; at this time there is no way to remove plastics from our lives, and I don’t know if we would want to but it is also true that plastic bottles are choking the system. Clogging it up. I don’t know if we can ever go back to glass bottles that we reused over and over again, but I have dedicated the next year to seeing what I can do to cut down on the use of plastic bottles in my life and when I do use them, how am I disposing of them and how does SWANN dispose of them. I’ll get back with you next April on this.
Trees and shrubs; Nebraska is the Arbor Day state …. for good reason. Our parents and grandparents did a heck of a job planting trees and putting in shelter belts, but they tended to use a lot of Chineses Elm that grows fast and dies young. I’m the last person who should give advice on maintaining or re-establishing shelter belts but the folks at the Upper Niobrara White NRD know about such things and they are eager to lend a hand with recommendations and cost sharing measures. For the little projects, the ones I mostly find myself involved in, I find the NRD is a great resource along with the area plant shops who have narrowed their offering to trees and shrubs that will do well in this high Ph, alkali ground. To my promise, I have ordered a significant quantity of “Burning Bush” shrubs from one of the area shops.
April 22nd, Earth Day 2023. I’ve never gone to an event or rally on Earth Day but I have watched you and those like you all my life care for the land, water and air. Thanks and I’ll do my best to model my efforts after a long line of folks just like ya.