For the Birds--and Maybe for Keeps

IRVINE — Against a backdrop of glistening ponds and swooping birds, Eduardo Mendoza pauses to think about pollution.

He’s not convinced the world--or even Orange County--will be a better place for his children. It could be worse, he said. Just think of the people who do things like pouring toxic waste into rivers. And if polluting were to continue until his children are his age, “Orange County would look like a junkyard.”

With Earth Day just days away, this is the season for long-winded pundits and activists to editorialize about the environment.

But Eduardo, an 11-year-old from Santa Ana, looks at an Irvine marsh and sees not politics and cost-benefit analyses, but a black-necked stilt sailing above the water. He picked the bird to study in school because he liked its looks, its gangly reddish legs. Not until this morning has he seen the bird alive and in flight.

His advice to today’s policy makers: “Not to pollute the Earth, because something may happen to it--and we won’t live anymore.”

The second generation of Earth Day is upon us. The parents of many children today were among those pamphlet-bearing protesters who rallied worldwide in April 1970 in a massive outpouring that created the environmental movement.

On the eve of the 28th Earth Day on Wednesday, the politics of ecology may seem less black and white, the costs and trials associated with saving Mother Earth more complicated than those first organizers ever fathomed.

But through the eyes of many children, the notion of protecting nature has a simple certainty to it.

“We shouldn’t just, like, kill the Earth,” said Makenzie Kim, 6, of Newport Beach. “Earth will kill us back.”

On the same day that Eduardo toured the marsh, the Southern California Assn. of Governments approved a major transit program that anticipates 6.7 million more people in the region by the year 2020. Planners point out that equates to adding two cities the size of Chicago.

In 2020, Eduardo will be 33, and Makenzie will be 28. They and other children interviewed last week spoke about saving the environment matter-of-factly, many discussing the problems of growth and pollution, as they studied at two well-known Orange County nature enclaves.

Eduardo and 60 classmates from Madison Elementary School in Santa Ana visited the Audubon House at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine for a class in wild birds and their habitat, run by the Sea & Sage Audubon Society.

Makenzie was among the children attending a weeklong nature class at the Environmental Nature Center, a 2 1/2-acre nonprofit preserve tucked behind homes and offices in Newport Beach.

Students in both groups knew about Earth Day, whether from their teachers, parents or from watching “The Big Help” public service show on Nickelodeon. Some called it a day to celebrate the Earth or simply to remind people about ecological values.

“Sometimes people recycle,” Makenzie said, “and sometimes they don’t.”

She and her friends hiked along the preserve paths, pointing to one phenomenon after another--a hummingbird sitting on a nest full of eggs, a flurry of butterflies, a bluish flower that when rubbed between the palms with water is transformed into a natural sudsing agent.

“See, look at the soap!” said Amanda Green, 9, holding up her blue-flecked palms.

In their world, people should be able to live at peace with their surroundings. If we protect plants, for example, the plants give us oxygen, or even soap.

These children have already seen their surroundings altered as Orange County grows and more new homes ring Newport Bay. Green describes seeing more trash on the water.

These children’s views have obviously been shaped by ecology-minded teachers or families. And teachers note that their passion may ebb in later grades, when they may be concerned less about the birds they see on a nature walk than which classmate they get to sit with on the bus.

But when they learn about nature firsthand, the more they understand how people affect the planet, said Bo Glover, the nature center’s administrator.

In fact, more and more Earth Day events are focused on children, said Wendy Wendlandt, director of Earth Day Resources, a national clearinghouse that assists Earth Day events across the country.

“The kids themselves are interested, and there’s a sense from adults that we need to start young,” Wendlandt said. “These are baby boomers remembering Earth Day and bringing up their kids.”

At the same time, the day has lost much of its political edge and novelty. After a wave of 20th anniversary fervor in 1990, plans for a gala 25th Earth Day unraveled amid disagreements over corporate sponsorships. And in the eyes of some environmentalists, the event has turned into a vehicle for corporate self-congratulations, or a “feel good” day with little impact.

Certainly, Earth Day has a more mainstream feel. It may be telling that this year, for the first time, Hallmark Cards is offering electronic Earth Day greetings to be sent to a friend or relative’s e-mail address. “We have actually been getting quite a bit of traffic,” a Hallmark spokeswoman said.

But for some children, the meaning of the day is immediate--and urgent.

“A lot of birds are getting extinct, because different countries are killing them,” said Daniel Hernandez, 10, after a walk through the bird-filled ponds near Audubon House.

“In the place I live, I see very few birds,” said Daniel, “because so many cars go by, and they give off smoke.”

Still, many of the children remain confident that things will work out, that pollution will lessen and the birds will survive.

Daniel is intrigued with the promise of solar-powered cars. Ulysses Escalera, 11, wants to be a scientist who discovers new animals and conserves their habitat.

“I think everything’s going to work out OK,” he said, “now that people are working to clean up the Earth.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Earth Day Events

Several Orange County organizations will sponsor Earth Day events today through April 26. Call the information numbers for reservations, required clothing, equipment and other details. Most of the events are free.

TODAY

COSTA MESA

* Talbert Nature Preserve Hike

What: Five-mile walk to the ocean featuring urban grasslands, alluvial woods, sand dunes, wetlands and vernal pools

Where: Fairview Regional Park, between Placentia Avenue and the Santa Ana River

Time: 8 a.m.

Sponsor: Sierra Club, Orange County Group

Information: (714) 963-1658

* Earth Day Festival

What: Music, entertainment, henna painting, psychic readings, massage, environmental information and products

Where: The Lab Anti-Mall, 2930 Bristol St.

Time: Noon-5 p.m.

Sponsor: The Lab Anti-Mall

Information: (714) 966-6661

NEWPORT BEACH

* Back Bay Earth Day Celebration

What: 5K Run, educational games, music, food, informational displays, guided canoe, kayak and walking tours

Where: Shellmaker Island

Time: Races begin at 8 and 9:30 a.m.; other events, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sponsor: Upper Newport Bay Naturalists

Information: (714) 640-6746

WEDNESDAY

FULLERTON

* Earth Day at Fullerton College

What: Entertainment, music, food stands, raffles, information booths

Where: Fullerton College, 321 E. Chapman Ave.

Time: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sponsor: Fullerton College Sage Club

Information: (714) 990-9379

SATURDAY

ALISO VIEJO

* Aliso Creek and Woods Canyons Trail Maintenance Day

What: Clean up Aliso Creek, remove nonnative plants

When: 8 a.m.

Where: Aliso and Woods Canyons Regional Park, off Alicia Parkway near Aliso Creek Road

Sponsors: County of Orange, Trails-4-All, Sierra Club

Information: (714) 834-3136

FULLERTON

* Fullerton Arboretum Green Scene

What: Plant sale and fund-raiser

Where: Cal State Fullerton Arboretum, Associated Road at Yorba Linda Boulevard

When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sponsor: Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum

Contact: (714) 278-3579

HUNTINGTON BEACH

* Bolsa Chica Conservancy Cleanup Day

What: Monthly cleanup event

Where: Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center, south parking lot at Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway

When: 9 a.m.-noon

Sponsor: Bolsa Chica Conservancy

Information: (714) 846-1114

LAGUNA BEACH

* March for Parks: Laguna Canyon

What: Guided hikes through Little Sycamore Canyon

Where: Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Canyon Road at El Toro Road

Time: 8 a.m., 8:45 and 9:30 a.m.

Sponsor: Laguna Canyon Foundation and Laguna Greenbelt

Reservations required: (714) 855-7275

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA

* O’Neill Park Trail Project

What: Rebuild El Nino-damaged trails at O’Neill Regional Park

Where: O’Neill Regional Park, 30892 Trabuco Canyon Road

When: 8 a.m.-noon

Sponsors: County of Orange, Trails-4-All, Equestrian Trails Inc.

Information: (714) 834-3136 or (714) 223-4486 SAN CLEMENTE

* San Clemente Beach Cleanup and Celebration

What: Clear litter from San Clemente State Beach, Native American celebration

Where: Campfire Center, San Clemente State Beach

When: Cleanup, 8 a.m.-noon; celebration, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sponsor: California State Parks Foundation

Information: (714) 366-8594 SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

* Nonnative Plant Clean-Up Day

What: Remove nonnative vegetation from conservancy land

Where: Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy, Ortega Highway, 5.1 miles east of the Santa Ana Freeway

Time: 9 a.m.-noon

Sponsor: Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy

Information: (714) 489-9778

SANTA ANA

* Santiago Creek Clean-up

What: Creek clean-up, trail maintenance and irrigation work

Where: Santiago Park, 2535 N. Main St.

When: 8 a.m.-noon

Sponsors: Trails-4-All, City of Santa Ana

Information: (714) 997-4446 (

* Santa Ana Zoo: Conservation Day

What: Educational event featuring information on recycling, worm farming, butterflies, hummingbirds and water conservation

Where: Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park, 1801 E. Chestnut Ave.

Time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sponsor: Friends of Santa Ana Zoo

Information: (714) 953-8555

SEAL BEACH

* Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge Trail Construction

What: Trail construction from Sunset Aquatic Park to Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge

Where: Sunset Aquatic Park, 2901 Edinger Ave.

When: 8:30 a.m.

Sponsors: Sierra Club, Friends of Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, Trails-4-All

Information: (562) 430-8495

SUNDAY, APRIL 26

ANAHEIM

* Let’s Make a Difference Environmental Faire

What: Rock climbing wall, rope contests, music, food

Where: Peralta Canyon Park, 115 N. Pinney Drive

Time: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sponsor: City of Anaheim and Oak Canyon Nature Center

Contact: (714) 998-8380 FOOTHILL RANCH

* Whiting Ranch Live Oak Trail Hike

What: Three-mile hike in the backside of Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park

Where: Whiting Ranch Regional Park, parking lot at Glenn Ranch Road, Foothill Ranch

Time: 10 a.m.

Sponsor: Sierra Sage

Information: (714) 768-3610

FULLERTON

* Fullerton Arboretum Green Scene Garden Show

What: Plant sale and fund-raiser

Where: Cal State Fullerton Arboretum, Associated Road and Yorba Linda Boulevard

When: 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

Sponsor: Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum

Information: (714) 278-3579

Source: Individual cities; Researched by JOHN CANALIS / For The Times

Los Angeles Times