Alaska National Guard hosts first Earth Day celebration

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON — Over 100 students from Orion and Aurora Elementary Schools visited Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s Camp Denali for the Alaska National Guard’s first annual Earth Day event, Monday, April 22.

According to a recent press release, this event was designed to teach military children and their families how to protect natural and cultural resources in Alaska.

They participated in a trail clean-up and visited informational booths across a two-mile stretch at Camp Denali

They also explored ways to support the environment on and off military installations

“I love the nature and the heat from the sun,” fifth-grade student Savannah Stoner stated in the press release. “Our earth is important, and we need to keep it healthy so wildlife will survive.”

Alaska Air and Army National Guard, Coast Guard, National Park Service, JBER Fire Department and other Department of Veterans and Military Affairs divisions representatives shared information with participants about their respective fields and how they relate to protecting the environment.

“I’m going to be extra aware that every single piece of trash matters. It’s important to keep our planet healthy because we don’t know how long it will survive if we don’t,” fifth-grade Orion student Gabriel Pioocurama stated in the press release.

Alaska National Guard Chief Environmental Branch lead Richard Barth oversaw the Guard’s first Earth Day event and expressed excitement over the opportunity to educate participants about the importance of environmental awareness, particularly within the state.

“Protecting Alaska’s cultural and natural resources is a fundamental component of military readiness,” Barth stated in the press release. “Protecting our water, air, land and wildlife is directly tied to our resiliency as a state. Environmental outreach and education are directly tied to our mission.”

According to the press release, Barth claimed that his department is often misunderstood and emphasized how important it is to destigmatize the misconceptions.

“Our environmental policy acts are sometimes seen as something that slows operations or trainings down,” Barth stated in the press release. “However, we’d like the public and our service members to know we try to resolve issues in a way that benefits everyone and helps us conduct ourselves in a way that promotes longevity and conservation while also getting the job done.”

Earth Day was established in 1970 and it's considered the world's largest environmental movement. According to the press release, the Alaska National Guard aims to expand their efforts celebrating Earth Day over time.

“This was a collaborative event, and we’re grateful for participation from some of our partner agencies and especially our aviation unit for putting together a helicopter exhibit for the kids,”Alaska National Guard environmental compliance lead Alyssa Murphy stated in the press release. “We’re also incredibly grateful that Orion and Aurora Elementary Schools were on board to come out and participate. We all worked together to put on what was a fun and productive event.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com