Celebrate Earth Day at Koreshan
by Lisa Marlene
A
fter nine years as the coordinator for Earth Day activities at Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero, the only detail Bobbie Lee Gruninger recalls about the day she assumed the responsibility is a statement she made at the Sierra
Club Calusa Group. “At a March 2001 meeting, I suggested that our club do something for the upcoming Earth Day, and 30 days later we had nearly 20 groups and organizations signed up to participate.” Five hundred people attended Koreshan’s first Earth Day celebration and
each succeeding year, the attendance has risen. In 2009, park attendants counted 3,000 people. “Our biggest problem is parking,” notes Gruninger. Concerned that the festival may outgrow Koreshan, Gruninger muses that if celebrants consider carpooling and Lee County allows their hybrid tram to make a special stop at the park on Earth Day, parking won’t be an issue for many years to come. Gruninger views the park, halfway between Naples and Fort Myers, as the
perfect venue for Earth Day festivities. “Even with 3,000 people moving about, it never feels crowded,” she advises. A $6 fee for parking also allows everyone to experience environmental presentations, explore the beautiful Estero River and enjoy free concerts, starting at 10:30 a.m. According to Gruninger, many individuals attend to learn about green,
sustainable practices and what they can do to protect the environment. “All our Earth Day volunteers work diligently at educating the public in fun and interesting ways,” explains Gruninger. Other attendees come to have a good time, eat, listen to live music on the green and check out local artists who display and sell their work.
Gruninger’s environmental learning process began when the Imperial River
flooded its banks in 1995. A resident of the river’s upper reaches, Gruninger as- sumed that the Southwest Florida Water Management District knew best when it proposed removing the river’s oxbows to prevent future flooding. After she and her husband learned that this would flush water directly into the Gulf of Mexico and kill off fish hatcheries, they contacted the Sierra Club Calusa Group to assist them
Bobbie Lee Gruninger, at Naples Pier
in opposing the attempt. Six months later, she was serving on the nonprofit’s board.
“We need more people to be ac-
tive,” says Gruninger, “because out of our 2,000 local members, only 30 or so are really involved. We always hope that a percentage of those who attend Earth Day will be inspired to become new members.”
Celebrate Earth Day on April 24 at Ko- reshan State Historic Site, 3800 Cork- screw Road, in Estero (I-75 exit 123). Festivities start at 9:45 a.m.; live music begins at 10:30 a.m. A drum circle is open to the public from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Earth Day is co-sponsored by the Sierra Club Calusa Group and Happehatchee Center. See ad, page 16.
18 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
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