68°F
weather icon Partly Cloudy

Earth Day infuses new life into gardens

Years ago, someone gave Boulder City resident Cheryl Waites a key fob that said “Every day is Earth Day.” It’s a motto she has adopted for her life and now she’s on a mission to share her care for the land with her fellow community residents.

Starting with Saturday’s Earth Day celebration at Teddy Fenton Memorial Park Reflections Center, Waites plans to post signs and reminders daily for Boulder City residents to “reduce, reuse, recycle, conserve and just love Mother Earth.”

Waites planted flowers, herbs and vegetables in the gardens throughout the park and said she plans to restore and enhance the three registered gardens back to their original states.

Within the park there are gardens dedicated to serving as a wildlife habitat through the National Wildlife Federation, Monarch butterfly waystation through Monarch Watch and bird-watching through Cornell University’s ornithological college.

Along with the Wilbur Weed Garden Initiative, she has helped gain stewardship of the parks’ gardens.

Future plans call for the addition of heirloom hollyhocks near the flagpole and a spiral herb garden. She is working with a landscape architect to design plans for these areas.

Chilly Jilly’z is sponsoring a new garden club for children. Waites said she hopes to instill a love of plants and provide a “home base” for them to garden in the park.

She said she also would like to add geocaching to the park, bringing in eco-tourists and raising awareness of the facility.

The gardens serve as the official headquarters for the Great Backyard Bird Count, which is held annual in February.

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
Aloha From Boulder City

This past Friday, Boulder City Company Store teamed with the Las Vegas-based Manea Events to bring an authentic luau to town. The event featured music, food and entertainment from the islands. The highlight was the fire-dance performance to end the evening.

Holidays or holidazed: The season has begun

Let’s go from Halloween and pumpkin-spiced everything to a four-week stint of non-stop holidaymaking with a late Thanksgiving this year on Nov. 27, Hanukkah from the evening of Dec. 14-22 and Christmas on Dec. 25, and then we’ll ring in 2026! Whoa! Let’s catch a breath!

Community support key at Mitchell

As I am preparing to write this week’s column, I am reviewing our school calendar and thinking about our community support. I am so grateful for our traditions and community.

Popular block party moving location

It’s no secret that Boulder City residents enjoy their community events, especially in fall. One more to mark on the calendar is the annual street dance/block party that in recent years has been hosted by The Dillinger owner Grant Turner. It’s set for Saturday, Oct. 25 beginning at 2 p.m. and ending around 11:30 p.m.

King Elementary launches into learning at STARBASE

Fifth-graders from Martha P. King Elementary School recently took part in an unforgettable learning experience at STARBASE Henderson, a hands-on STEM program hosted at a Department of Defense lab.

BCR offers first-ever holiday magazine

With fall comes cooler temperatures and a crispness in the air as the holidays quickly approach.

Rating reflects teachers’ commitment and determination of students

There’s no better way to begin this school year than by celebrating a truly incredible accomplishment of Garrett Junior High School officially earning a 5-Star school rating. This distinction represents the highest level of achievement under Nevada’s School Performance Framework and recognizes not only strong academic performance, but also growth, teamwork, and a positive school culture.

Everything from A to Z available at Country Store

Whether you call it a garage sale, yard sale or tag sale, Grace Community Church’s Country Store is one of the largest of its kind in the area.

Homecoming: Small town tradition

There’s something special about Homecoming in Boulder City.

Student achievement main focus at Mitchell

Mitchell Elementary has enjoyed a great beginning to our school year as our staff continues to serve our students and families as their children learn and grow their leadership skills.