Olean Meditation Center Hosts Earth Day Event
Olean Meditation Center Hosts Earth Day Event
OLEAN MEDITATION CENTER INVITES COMMUNITY TO EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
OLEAN - The Olean Meditation Center (OMC) will host a World Earth Day Celebration: Think Globally, Act Locally, from 10:30am-12:30pm on Saturday, April 26th at 2275 Dugan Rd., Olean. The Guest speaker will be Marcus Rosten, WNY Land Conservancy’s Wildway Director. The WNY Wildway is a long-term project to protect and connect the largest of our region's remaining forests as part of the Eastern Wildway project, extending from Canada to Mexico.
The “Wildway” work allows plants and animals to roam across the land as they once did, to move as climate changes, and expand their ranges and ensure their survival. This project also allows us to be acting locally while thinking across borders.
Marcus Rosten, WNY Wildway Director
Marcus is a Buffalo native with a degree in Environmental Education and has experience as an interpretive park ranger, fish and wildlife technician, and environmental educator. He is a “30 Under 30 Awardee” (2020) from the Association for Environmental Education and has been featured nationally on PBS nature, NPR's BirdNote, Scholastic News, etc.
The half-day event offers an opportunity for hands-on participation to help make nature more personally meaningful. Following the presentation, participants will engage in a guided nature walk through Windfall Gardens at OMC.
The 11-acre Windfall Gardens feature walking trails, a 70-foot labyrinth, and two peaceful ponds in a beautiful, natural landscape that offers the perfect setting for contemplative walks. The purpose of the guided nature walk is to practically demonstrate how nature can be its own form of healing medicine for the soul.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED BY LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS: To continue the impact of Earth Day, environmental volunteering opportunities in Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties will be highlighted by Cornell Extension staff and Ellicottville’s Nannen Arboretum. Local environmental organizations are in urgent need of volunteers to support their work by assisting with habitat restoration (tree planting and wetland restoration), wildlife conservation, environmental monitoring, trail widening and environmental education.
FREE TREE SEEDLINGS: Another way to continue the impact of Earth Day is to take home a free tree seedling which is sponsored by the Department of Environmental Conservation. Knowing that a single mature tree can sequester and store 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year in its wood, branches, leaves, and roots helps us know that each tree seedling can make a small difference.
Interested persons are asked to pre-register to attend this free community event; donations are welcome. After the tree planting, we will have coffee/tea and conversation for those who wish to linger a bit longer. This is a rain or shine event so if the weather is inclement, we will revise the outdoor activities to a similar indoor activity.
For more information including a schedule of the day’s activities, check out the website at www.oleanmeditation.org.