National Earth Day is April 22.
The celebration was founded in 1970 by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin as a grassroots movement to raise awareness about environmental issues. The founding of National Earth Day ultimately inspired the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and key environmental laws.
At the local level, Milledgeville’s Lockerly Arboretum’s mission is to provide environmental education to its visitors. In honor of National Earth Day, this reporter talked with Kensey Amerson, director of Education at Lockerly, about the historic property, Earth Day and Lockerly’s efforts to encourage conservationism.
Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Amerson: I’m originally from Atlanta, Georgia, and I’ve been the Director of Education at Lockerly Arboretum since August 2024.
Q: When was Lockerly Arboretum established?
Amerson: Lockerly was established as a nonprofit arboretum in 1965 by E.J. Grassman, an executive for a Washington County- based kaolin company. While Grassman originally used the historic Rose Hill home on the property as an executive retreat, he donated the surrounding land to support his passion for horticulture and to provide a community space for people to enjoy nature.
Q: What is the purpose of Lockerly Arboretum?
Amerson: Today, Rose Hill is a part of Lockerly Arboretum, so we serve as both a public garden and a historic home museum. The grounds are open to the public for free. We also offer guided tours of Rose Hill for $5 per person on Saturdays. Beyond public access, Lockerly provides educational experiences for all ages.
Q: Why is working at Lockerly important?
Amerson: Educating people of all ages about the environment is incredibly important to me. Ecological connections extend everywhere, and you don’t have to be an outdoorsy person to appreciate and value nature. For example, if you like having clean water from your tap, then you benefit from Georgia’s wetlands, even if you never visit them. Understanding these connections is crucial, and I love helping people realize how nature impacts their daily lives.
Q: What are these educational experiences?
Amerson: Our Woods Museum features a small collection of reptiles used for educational purposes and exhibits on Georgia’s geology and soils, which directly impact ecological interactions and tree diversity.
Q: What does Earth Day mean to you?
Amerson: Earth Day serves as a reminder that our world hasn’t always been cared for properly, and it is our responsibility to be the best stewards we can be of this one planet we’ve been given. I am grateful for the conservationists before us who took the initiative to protect our rivers, streams, and natural spaces.
Q: Does Lockerly do anything special for Earth Day?
Amerson: Our annual plant sale, which requires months of preparation, will fall around the time of the holiday.
Q: Do you offer events that align with Earth Day’s mission?
Amerson: Absolutely. While the plant sale is certainly connected to Earth Day, all of our educational programs align with its mission.
Q: Do you think Earth Day is an important holiday?
Amerson: Yes, but I hesitate to call it a holiday, or something to celebrate. Yes, we should celebrate our successes in conservation and the beautiful world we live in, but I often feel like holidays are viewed as a reason to take a day off because of something that happened in the past. Earth Day isn’t like a former president’s birthday or an explorer who has come and gone and we stop to celebrate what they’ve done.
Earth Day isn’t past; it is very much present. We still need to continue protecting beautiful places and natural resources. I think it is so incredible that Milledgeville, in a county of a little more than 40,000 people, has a 50-acre free, public garden to access. That is extremely rare. It makes me proud to be a part of a community that values natural spaces, and I hope to find inspiration from Earth Day to continue trying to connect every Baldwin County resident to Lockerly.
To learn more about Lockerly Arboretum, visit www.lockerly. org. Lockerly is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturdays.