Celebrating Earth Day At Phinizy Swamp
Earth Day usually comes around before I realize it’s near. I’m not the most eco-friendly person but I do love this giant blue marble that we call home and I…
My obligatory “I’m at Earth Day” selfie!
Kris Fisher/ BMGEarth Day usually comes around before I realize it’s near. I’m not the most eco-friendly person but I do love this giant blue marble that we call home and I enjoy a day of celebrating our Earth. This year, I had it circled on my calendar… mostly because Phinizy Nature Center hired me to DJ and emcee their Earth Day event. But, it was circled, nonetheless.
Phinizy Swamp Is Perfect For Earth Day
I was excited to be there to celebrate our planet. It seemed like the perfect sort of place to do so. Afterall, the Phinizy Nature Center is, basically, itself a celebration of all things Earth. You can find all kinds of things in this little 1,100 acre swatch of land off of Lock & Dam Rd., things that fly, crawl, slither, waddle, bite, sting, swim, eat bugs, eat grass, eat people… well, you get the idea.
I’m embarrassed to say that I had never visited the park until I was an adult. Even now, I still have a lot of park left to explore. And, that’s saying a lot because I got some serious steps in during their recent Earth Day event.
A Saturday At Phinizy Swamp Is Time Well Spent
A quick visit to Phinizy Swamp Nature Center's website will show you that there is so much to see! You can literally accomplish several things at once: time with the fam, exercise, get some time out in the sun, fresh air, all while learning about not just the park, but information about the eco-system that includes the entire CSRA. You can even bring your dog or, as you'll see in the gallery, other pets.
Kris Fisher/ BMGIt was a fun day of exploring at Phinizy Swamp Nature Center
Kris Fisher/ BMGKim Dillard is the Park and Volunteers Director and is a very hard working woman!
Kris Fisher/ BMGThe "Cat Tail Trail" starts at the front parking lot and leads to the nature center's picturesque boardwalk, through some of the swamp and up to the main campus.
Kris Fisher/ BMGI learned that Spanish moss isn't Spanish, nor is it moss. It's actually a flowering plant, closely related to the pineapple! French settlers called it Spanish because it resembled the beards of the Spanish conquistadors.
Kris Fisher/ BMGSome people brought pets to the swamp
Kris Fisher/ BMGThose that didn't could find a new furry family member as the City of Augusta Animal Services had a few pets looking for a loving family at the event
Kris Fisher/ BMGOur Mayor, Garnett Johnson, even came out to visit the park's celebration
Kris Fisher/ BMGThe kids had plenty to do at the Children's Playspace. Many of these activities are there every day
Kris Fisher/ BMGThe Army Corps of Engineers was on hand to remind us to wear our life jackets while on the water this summer. They also had some skulls from animals that call our area home.
Kris Fisher/ BMGThe Savannah Riverkeeper brought out some flowers that you could buy to plant around your home. I took home some Marigolds and a Black Eyed Susan and they're not even dead...yet.
Kris Fisher/ BMGThese silos date back to the 1950's when the Nature Center's land was used as a cattle farm.
Kris Fisher/ BMG"The Trolls of Amsterdam" had a really fun performance on the Earth Day stage!
Kris Fisher/ BMGThis artwork "expresses the swamp eco-system and the water's life-giving and life-sustaining properties' as it welcomes visitors to the park.
