Join the 2023 Jones County Earth Day Challenge

   The 53^rd year of Earth Day is upon us (April 22)! Join the 2023 Jones County Earth Day Challenge and make a difference in your neighborhood and community.

   Since the first Earth Day in 1970, there has been a call for action to protect our planet’s land, water, air, and wildlife. This call to action is more important now than ever!

   During the month of April, and especially on Earth Day, local communities, schools, businesses, organizations, families, and individuals around the world take part in their own way by doing something beneficial for the health of our planet. Earth Day is a reminder of what we all need to do every day!

   Each of us can make a huge difference by not littering and picking up litter wherever we find it. It’s disheartening and depressing if you really pay attention to how much litter is in our backyards, schoolyards, roadsides, and neighborhoods. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long to fill a trash bag if you are willing to lend a hand to help pick up.

   It’s easy to join the 2023 Jones County Earth Day Challenge! Just grab a trash bag and head out to your favorite public space within Jones County to fill it with litter. It could be a local park in one of our beautiful communities, one of the many special Jones County Conservation wildlife areas, parks, or river access sites, or maybe you just want to clean up the roadside in your neighborhood. It’s sad to see litter can be found everywhere, but spring is the perfect time to clean it up!

   Capture a photo of all your hard work! Pose with your filled trash bags wherever you have lent a hand cleaning up our county. Then share your photos with us by tagging us on Facebook (Jones County Conservation) or sending your photo to naturalist@jonescountyiowa.gov by midnight on April 23.

   Everyone who participates and shares a photo with us will be entered into a drawing for two nights of free camping and two 30-minute watercraft usage certificates at Central Park. Names will be drawn on April 24 with the winner announced on our Facebook page.

   Volunteers around the world will be joining their communities, schools, and organizations this month to help make our planet a better place for all and those to come. We hope you will too!