Boots in the Basin: Celebrating Earth Day

^{Are you starting to see how these species interact? Watch for them in undeveloped open spaces!}
^{friendsofmcrwr.org/education}

The celebration of Earth Day at the REACH Museum brought together so many approaches to how we think about, and act upon, our human impact on this planet. Talking with visitors as they browse through tables and activities always challenges me to translate my own priorities into accessible language to spark interest.

I created this 37”× 29” topographic model of a ravine system, made entirely of repurposed materials, to generate conversation about how runoff from farmlands and neighborhoods drains into the river, carrying the chemical waste of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and leaky equipment.

We’re each responsible for what we flush, pour, dump, and leak, whether it’s into plumbing or onto open ground. The river is our water source. Let’s think about how we can collectively clean up our act year ‘round.

— Jenny Rieke, Section Editor

Boots in the Basin is a collaborative project made possible by the cooperation of multiple local environmental organizations. It was born when Jenny Rieke asked the question: “What if together we shared cultivation of the pipeline for stewards of our precious environment?”