Dear Friends and Visitors of Wild New Jersey,

We came online April 22nd, 1998 bringing you a new resource to explore your natural world and learn more about how to conserve and enjoy it. It's now our First Birthday and I've got to tell you it's been an amazing year for me, truly. I've met and interviewed some outstanding people in New Jersey who are protecting our natural habitats. Most of them don't get all the attention and congratulations they deserve. We owe them plenty.

Our birthday coincides with Earth Day. You may ask yourself, how are we supposed to celebrate Earth Day? After all, it's not that well-known compared to other holidays, it's only 29 years old and don't those tree hugging people take care of that?

Yeah, some of them take care of that, but you should know that this celebration is growing every year . . . millions of people are recognizing the value of our natural resources and giving their time or money to support and foster a green planet. A recent nationwide poll I read said 80% of you care very much what happens to the environment, I think that says a lot about all of you, so here are some Earth Day suggestions, party on.

Take a short hike outdoors at a local park and look for wildlife. It's great for kids to explore the outdoors. (Please tread lightly and try not to disturb wildlife)

Take a look at the chemicals you put on your lawn, spend a little time learning about toxic chemicals and pesticides or consult with your county agricultural agent, you can help your local biosystems with organic lawn care and gardening.

Don't use chemicals to combat ice in the drive or walkway, find alternatives like kitty litter.

Learn more about recycling, show your kids how important it is.

Check the endangered species list, is there any wildlife you can help in your state?

Even if you are not an activist, most of you out there are voters. In the coming years, keep politician's voting records in mind when you consider giving them a job, especially how they vote on preservation and conservation issues.

Consider joining or forming a Grass roots organization where you can directly impact quality of life for the better. If you can volunteer time, money or resources to any deserving organizations, that would be a great start to celebrating Earth Day.

I'd also like to suggest some great sites to visit so you and your children could learn all about preservation of habitat, wildlife and our planet this Earth Day.

For younger kids, I found an 11 page coloring book on Earth Day at www.allspecies.org/block.htm. This is a site called "Earth Day on Your Block" it's a great start for young children and a fantastic activity to get them started on the value of conservation.

Next, I found The Earth Day Network at www.sdearthtimes.com/edn/index.html. It's another site filled with great ideas for children and teachers including projects, events and a calendar.

Finally I found The Nature Conservancy's site for Earth Day at www.tnc.org/earthday98/main.html. I loved this one, it's got a trivia contest, a screen saver (for all of us who like to be reminded of what's important) and it's a great resource and gateway to other links of national organizations that celebrate Earth Day.

In my local area, the members of our neighborhood clean up their lawns, yards and common areas like our lakes and beaches in recognition of Earth Day. We live in a wooded area and almost everyone who lives here cares deeply about maintaining the quality of life, our local water supply and the biodiversity here. The clean up reminds us of how close we are to our own health and well- being. If your neighborhood or town does not celebrate Earth Day, look into it and see what you can do.

Thanks for all your support in 1998, this site was my recognition of Earth Day last year. I'm hopeful that we are able to bring lots of new and exciting stories, profiles and websites to you in 1999. I'd also like to thank all of you who write and send suggestions, I love feedback. Finally, I'd like to thank Jim Irwin, the Managing Editor of www.inthegardenstate.com who patiently listens and enthusiastically supports us with his creative talent, Tony Urgo, a Renaissance man who traveled 3,000 miles across The Plains, The Desert, over the Canyon and into the Promise Land only to find I still bother him with e-mail, Karen Siletti, who dedicates herself as a volunteer Editor helping with the media and supporting our site with her columns, and Darlene Pepper, who volunteered her time to design our new graphics, she's amazing! All of these people provide help, support and guidance to make this site all that it is.

Happy Earth Day,
Lynda

Feedback on this article, write to author at at Wildnjlhd@aol.com.