Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Naturalist John Bates gives a presentation on bird species of the northwoods at the Mercer Public Library on Saturday afternoon. This presentation immediately followed the Earth Day fair in the community center.
By MEGAN HUGHES
MERCER, Wis. - The Mercer Library and community center drew hosted an Earth Day fair on Saturday, drawing 21 vendors to speak about area efforts to protect the environment.
"This is the biggest one we have had yet," said library director Teresa Schmidt "We had 21 vendors, meaning businesses to local organizations, county conservation department and DNR. It is showing off what people are already doing in the community that has an eye toward sustainability."
One of the booths was dedicated to the Walk for Water, sponsored by the Mercer United Methodist Church. The walk aims to raise awareness of the importance of clean water, and benefits communities that have limited access to it.
The walk began at 1 p.m. following the Earth Day Fair.
Another group that made a first-time appearance at the fair was the Penokee Rangers, who were there representing the importance of getting out on the area trails, and enjoying the beauty of nature.
"There is a lot already going on in our community," said Schmidt.
She said that planning for the Earth Day Fair begins at the start of the year, and that she starts reaching out to area organizations by February. "People put a lot of thought into what they bring to the fair," she said. "It takes a while to put it all together."
Compared to the 2023 fair, which saw 15 vendors make an appearance, this year was quite a growth year with it's total of 21. Schmidt explained that it seemed like there were also quite a few more people attending as well.
Naturalist John Bates held a presentation at the event following the fair, where he discussed birds of the northwoods, specifically species of lakes and wetlands.
"The recycling seems to be going over well," she said. The library has an arrangement with Triggs Recycling Center out of Minocqua where they bring a truckload of recyclables the library collects at the fair to the center. This year, Schmidt said that toasters seemed to be particularly popular item being recycled.
This year the library is continuing to collect donations of denim for the Blue Jeans Go Green program and shoes for the Soles for Souls program. If the public was unable to attend the fair, that the library will continue to accept donations through the month of April.
