Once again, the Chautauqua-Wawasee booth will feature lessons about the monarch butterfly. Photo by Pam Schumm.

By Mary Hursh
Guest Writer

SYRACUSE  — A free hot dog, a bag of chips and a bottle of water. What could be better to enjoy at the Earth Day Festival at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation?

This popular event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6. The foundation is located at 11586 N. SR 13, Syracuse.

The wetlands, woods and the lakeshore of Lake Wawasee will be open to all who attend the sixth annual Earth Day Festival, whose theme will be “Invest in our planet: Take care of our Earth by taking care of our ecosystem.”

Twenty white tents will dot the large front lawn of the foundation during the day. “Usually over 200 people enjoy this event each year. Because the mission of WACF is to preserve and protect our watershed for future generations, many of the activities are geared toward this goal,” said Pam Schumm, education officer.

Worm composting, monarch butterflies, native and invasive plants and geocaching are among the many featured interactive activities. Those in attendance will learn about the watershed, how to load a muzzle, flint napping, bird migrations and fish spear lures. Other topics include the changing topography of the area, the trails, wood carvings and waterfowl identification.

This event is free and open to the public. Some items from vendors will be available for sale. An on-site parking attendant will direct people to park in the grass along SR 13.