The original item was published from February 24, 2020 11:52 AM to February 26, 2020 9:54 AM
We all need trees – animals, humans and
the Earth itself.
That’s why Point Defiance Zoo &
Aquarium is celebrating trees for Earth
Days, a public event April 4-5 that kicks
off a year-long South Sound Earth Day
project to celebrate, plant and care for
trees.
And we’ll do it zoo-style, with plenty
of animals, hands-on activities and
fun. Earth Days is also free with zoo
admission or membership.
Each day in the weekend, we’ll have
special animal enrichments and
encounters, like a beaver “tree tastetest!”
We’ll have a passport scavenger
hunt to find big cutouts hidden in and
around trees at the zoo that highlight
animals that depend on trees for food,
shelter or clean water – just like humans
do. Community partners will have booths
in our plaza showing different ways you
can help plant, care for or celebrate
trees in the South Sound.
For more ways to get involved for Earth Day, visit our calendar page
We’ll also host a massive 12-foot Earth
Globe, which is traveling to tree-related
events around the South Sound through
2020 – a perfect Earth Day selfie!
But the most tree-rific thing of all will
be the Story Tree, a giant tree sculpture
under a tent on our central lawn.
Created by local artists, it comes with
thousands of laser-cut “leaves” made of
thin birch on which zoo guests can write
or draw their own personal tree-stories:
the first tree they climbed, the tree they
loved as a child, their favorite forest hike
or any other memory. It’s a bit like a tree
love-letter.
Then they can hang their story leaf onto
the tree sculpture, along with hundreds
of other South Sounders, to create a
giant, tree-shaped community artwork.
The Story Tree will stay up at the zoo all
summer long, with more and more leaf
stories added.
“We’re excited to be celebrating our
shared love of trees with our community,”
said Karen Povey, the zoo’s conservation
engagement manager. “Trees profoundly
touch the lives of people and animals.
They are more important than ever for
their vital roles in providing habitat for
endangered species, and reducing the
effects of climate change.”
For more information about Earth Days
at Point Defiance Zoo, see pdza.org/earth-days.