Waukegan Park District to celebrate Earth Day by cleaning up ravine

The Waukegan Park District will be celebrating Earth Day with a cleanup from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, April 22, at Washington Park, 15 S. Park Ave., Waukegan.

Volunteers must check-in at the parking lot on the northwest corner of West and Water streets in Downtown Waukegan.

The park cleanup will target the ravines that are part of the Waukegan River Watershed. Many parks in Waukegan are connected through ravines with streams that flow into Lake Michigan.

According to the Library of Congress, Earth Day was first observed on April 22, 1970, when an estimated 20 million people attended the inaugural events at thousands of sites across the country.

Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, an ardent conservationist, promoted Earth Day, calling upon students to fight for environmental causes and oppose environmental degradation.

Gloves, supplies, lunch, and water will be provided by the Waukegan Park District. All volunteers are required to submit a completed volunteer agreement form.

Additional information, including the volunteer agreement form, is available at waukeganparks.org/earthday.