Mother Nature was in a contrary mood on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. Temperatures hovered near the 40-degree mark, and fog and drizzle covered Boothbay Harbor. But that didn’t dampen the spirits of the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library. It put on a fabulous Earth Day celebration, mostly from the bay of the Boothbay Harbor Fire Department, which had agreed to back up the library in case of inclement weather.

Joanna Breen, assistant director of the library, and Desirée Scortia, youth services coordinator, put the day together, rounding up a group of organizations noted for their commitment to the earth and its environment.

A Chalk Where We Walk sidewalk art project inspired by the late artist Jim Taliana’s Chalk on the Hill event was curtailed a bit by the rain, but colorful drawings appeared on a portion of the fire department’s floor.  

Boothbay Region Land Trust, Boothbay Railway Village, Boothbay Sea & Science Center, Chewonki Foundation, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Crow Point Yoga each brought a unique perspective.

Chewonki Science Educator Matt Weeks and his tide pool creatures fascinated a rapt audience. Weeks donned the costumes of tide pool creatures and had children identify them. He also brought containers filled with all kinds of tide pool dwellers.

Skulls, bones, antlers and other items representative of the Maine woods littered the BRLT table. Owl pellets, regurgitated from an owl’s gizzard, could be taken apart to identify what the owl had eaten.  

Boothbay Sea & Science Center presided over an activity called Upcycle, where plastic cups were changed into all kinds of creatures, using yarn, feathers, beads, and string, among other materials.

At the CMBG table, participants learned the value of diversifying types of flowers and plants to attract pollinating insects, such as bees and butterflies. Individual cups containing scent-soaked cotton balls identified which type of insect preferred which type of flower.

Boothbay Railway Village brought along heirloom seeds such as Boothby’s blonde cucumbers, and rattlesnake beans, all used in Victory gardens, planted during World Wars I and II to ensure families had enough food.

A Crow Point Yoga session, originally scheduled outside, took place with a packed crowd in one of the rooms at the library.

Earth Day activities were capped by the re-dedication of the monument to environmentalist Rachel Carson,  Southport Island summer resident and author of “The Sea Round Us” and “Silent Spring.” The monument was moved from its place of over 30 years at the First Bank to its new home on the library grounds, with the help of Boothbay Harbor Town Manager Tom Woodin and the Boothbay Harbor Public Works Department. First National Bank Vice President Brenda Blackman was also influential in making the move happen.

The Boothbay Region Garden Club commissioned the monument in 1980. At the bank, the monument was vulnerable to traffic and snow plows. The idea to move it to the library has been about five years in the making, when environmental advocate Rupert Neily suggested the move to Library Director Tim McFadden. 

Mimi O’Neill, president of the garden club, spoke about the history of the memorial.

She said, “There was a woman in town named Tess Elliot, and she was a good friend of Rachel Carson’s. She wanted to commemorate all of the wonderful work (Carson) had done. The original dedication was May 27, 1980, and Senator George Mitchell came. We believe in books, we believe in the environment, the work she did. She was not a very silent spring for the great influence that she had.”