In observance of Earth Day and Arbor Day, Los Padres National Forest will be participating in two weekend events at Santa Barbara’s Earth Day festival, April 27-28 at Alameda Park; and Santa Maria’s Arbor Day observance, April 27 at Waller Park.
 
The theme for Earth Day 2024 is Planet vs. Plastics with a commitment to reduce the use of harmful plastics impacting human and planetary health. The theme advocates widespread awareness about the health risks of plastics and for phasing out single-use plastics.

Los Padres employees will attend both events to interact with visitors and share forest information on recreation opportunities, wildfire preparedness and ways to volunteer.
 
Santa Barbara’s Earth Day celebration is one of the nation’s longest-running Earth Day events and one of the largest such festivals on the West Coast.

Santa Maria’s Arbor Day event has been observed for more than a decade before being halted during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970, following several high-profile environmental catastrophes including the Santa Barbara oil spill and Ohio’s Cuyahoga River catching fire in 1969.

Earth Day is now celebrated by 1 billion people in 193 countries around the world.

The first Arbor Day was observed in Nebraska City, Nebraska, in 1872, but its origins date back to the 16th century in Spain. The event is dedicated to planting trees and conservation. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt issued a formal proclamation stressing the importance of trees and forestry management.
 
For more information on Los Padres National Forest, visit the website.