Kim Barraclough
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 23/99) - Yellowknife residents are celebrating the earth they live on and the air they breath this week.

School children and the workforce alike are expected to participate in a wide variety of events that have been organized for Earth Week, organized by Ecology North, April 19-25.

Many events are taking place in Yellowknife to promote a healthy environment such as nature walks, slide shows, films, a drumming session, an appearance by Tracy Riley, displays, and a coffeehouse and auction.

Some of the events, such as the nature walks, will take place during noon hour, and some will take place in the evening.

Wildlife Biologist, Marc d'Entremont, who led two nature walks on Monday and Tuesday was pleased about having a few hours outdoors during the work day to take a look at what is happening nature-wise in Yellowknife.

"It's a good time to see what's out there," said d'Entremont.

d'Entremont took time to explain what trees will soon be sprouting buds, in which places plants will soon be starting to grow, and even which birds and insects will soon be coming back to the Yellowknife area.

The nature walks started at the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre and went along the various trails surrounding the Frame Lake and Niven Lake area.

"We want to inform the community about Ecology North's goals and activities, and to get people involved and working together towards creating a healthy environment and healthy communities -- because you can't have one without the other," said Marianne Bromley, a member of Ecology North's board of directors.

Upwards of six million Canadians celebrate Earth Day each year along with people from more than 100 different countries. In some places throughout Canada, Earth Week and even Earth Month have been created to accommodate the large number of activities put on in honour of mother earth.

Earth Day began in the 1970s in the U.S. In 1990, the first international Earth Day was celebrated.