FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     April 17, 2006

 VOLUNTEERS PREPARE FOR SATURDAY’S

EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES

            What: Earth Day community outreach projects

        When: Saturday, April 22, 2006. (Most events 9 a.m. to noon)

         Where: Eight sites around town. 

          Earth Day 2006 will feature outreach in action as hundreds of volunteers will participate in watershed work projects in Palolo, Manoa, Makiki and Waikiki on Saturday (April 22, 2006).  Most of the projects begin at 9 a.m.           

            Together, City, State Department of Land and Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will mobilize other government agencies and the volunteers to participate in projects that will include storm drain stenciling, Adopt-A-Stream/Adopt-A-Block stream and neighborhood cleanups, Adopt-A-Park mulching projects and two projects involving fish.

             Staging locations are sites that serve as headquarters for volunteers on Earth Day. Volunteers who have not signed up with a local project site can go to any of the staging locations below to learn more.

STAGING LOCATIONS

· Palolo Stream Adopt-A-Stream Cleanup:  Host:  City Department of Environmental Services (ENV).  Adoptee:  Chaminade University.  9 a.m., meet in front of St. Louis School’s Gerber Field House.

· Manoa Stream Adopt-A-Stream Cleanup: Host:  City Department of Environmental Services.  Adoptee:  Malama O Manoa.  9 a.m., meet at the Woodlawn Bridge.

· Armored Catfish Roundup: Hosts:  State Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Honolulu Aquarium Society. 10:30 a.m., meet at the East Manoa Road Bridge.

· Makiki Stream Adopt-A-Stream Cleanup: Host:  City Department of Environmental Services. Adoptee:  Makiki Stream Stewards. 8:30 am, meet at South King and Kalakaua.

· Ala Moana Beach Park Adopt-A-Park Cleanup:  Host:  City Department of Parks and Recreation. 9 a.m., meet at the Ala Moana Beach Park Diamond Head Concession.

· Ala Moana Boulevard Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup:  Host:  State Department of Transportation.  Adoptee:  Hilton Hawaiian Village. 7:30 a.m., meet at Kakaako Waterfront Park.

·  Fort DeRussy Beach Cleanup:  Host:  Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Regional Visitor Center. 9 a.m., meet on the Ewa side of Battery Randolph at Fort DeRussy.

· Moi Restocking:  Hosts:  State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Waikiki Aquarium, City and County of Honolulu. 11 a.m., meet at the Waikiki Aquarium.

For more information, go to www.cleanwaterhonolulu.com

Each volunteer will receive a free Earth Month t-shirt for participating. The City relies on volunteers and community groups for continued support of beautification efforts in our parks, streams, neighborhoods and open spaces. Individuals can make a difference.

The City Department of Environmental Services, Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Urban Forestry, and Department of Facility Maintenance support participating agencies and organizations with project coordination in the form of tools, safety supplies and information, debris disposal, water and marketing support.

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Contact:

            Iwalani Sato, City Department of Environmental Services, 692-5208

            Mark Matsunaga, Office of the Mayor, 527-5767

            Deborah Ward, State Department of Land and Natural Resources, 587-0320

            Dino Buchanan or Joe Bonfiglio, Army Corps of Engineers,  438-9862