Chelsey Lewis

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

If you enjoy the outdoors, or breathing fresh air and drinking clean water, Earth Day on April 22 is a good time to show your appreciation by giving back.

The Badger State has strong ties to the environmental day, which was started by former Wisconsin governor and U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. Nelson, who grew up in Clear Lake and also was instrumental in getting the Apostle Islands recognized as a national lakeshore, originally conceived Earth Day as an environmental sit-in, similar to the Vietnam War teach-ins.

From that seed of an idea, Earth Day has grown into Earth Month, with more than 1,300 cleanups and other events scheduled around the world this April. This year's theme is Protect Our Species, with a focus on endangered species.

In Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resources will host Work Play Earth Day events at 30 properties around the state in April and May. In 2018, 950 volunteers participated in 28 events around Wisconsin.

The DNR is also recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Friends Group program.

"The program has blossomed from a few support organizations to 64 Friends Groups that provide thousands of volunteer hours and dollars to help support the mission and activities of the Wisconsin state parks, forests, trails, and recreation areas," said Janet Hutchens, volunteer coordinator for the Wisconsin State Park System, in a statement.

For Work Play Earth Day events, volunteers help with everything from removing invasive species and raking leaves to painting picnic tables.

"These volunteer events are a great way to get out in the spring and shake the cobwebs off after the long winter," Hutchens said. "When the work is done, volunteers join staff in hiking or biking park trails, visiting nature centers or interpretive displays, or enjoying any of the recreational opportunities available at the different properties."

Here are some cleanup events around Wisconsin over the next few weeks. For most state park events, volunteers do not need a state parks sticker. For more, see wiparks.net or earthday.org.

April 13

Mirror Lake State Park, Baraboo, 9 a.m.-noon.

April 20

Triangle Hill, Baird Creek, Green Bay, 8:30 a.m.-noon

Havenwoods State Forest, Milwaukee, 10 a.m.-noon

Kohler-Andrae State Park, Sheboygan, 9 a.m.-noon

Mead Wildlife Area Center, Milladore, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, 9 a.m.-noon

Perrot State Park, Trempealeau, 10 a.m.-noon

Pike Lake, Kettle Moraine State Forest, Hartford, 9 a.m.-noon

Potawatomi State Park, Sturgeon Bay, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Perrot State Park, Trempealeau, 10 a.m.-noon

Wyalusing State Park, Bagley, 10 a.m.-noon.

April 22

MacKenzie Center, Poynette, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Bayside, 10 a.m.-noon, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

April 27

Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup, 65 locations around the Milwaukee River basin including the Hank Aaron State Trail and Lakeshore State Park, 9 a.m.-noon

Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup, 62 locations around northeastern Wisconsin, 9 a.m.

Buckhorn State Park, Necedah, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Devil's Lake State Park, Baraboo, 10 am.-1 p.m.

Havenwoods State Forest, Milwaukee, 9 a.m.-noon

Harrington Beach State Park, Belgium, 9 a.m.-noon

High Cliff State Park, Sherwood, 9 a.m.-noon

Interstate State Park, St. Croix Falls, 9 a.m.-noon

Kettle Moraine State Forest headquarters, New Prospect, 8:30 a.m.-noon

Newport State Park, Ellison Bay, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Ottawa Lake, Kettle Moraine State Forest, Dousman, 9 a.m.-noon

Point Beach State Forest, Two Rivers, 9 a.m.-noon

Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Rib Mountain State Park, Wausau, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Richard Bong State Recreation Area, Kansasville, 1-3 p.m.

Stower Seven Lakes State Trail, Amery, 9 a.m.-noon

Whitefish Dunes State Park, Sturgeon Bay, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Wildcat Mountain State Park, Ontario, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

May 4

Hartman Creek State Park, Waupaca, 8:30 a.m.-noon

Havenwoods State Forest, Milwaukee, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit, Campbellsport

Merrick State Park, Fountain City, 9 a.m.-noon

Richard Bong State Recreation Area, Kansasville, 1-3 p.m.

Roche-A-Cri State Park, Friendship, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

May 11

Copper Falls State Park, Mellen, 9 a.m.-noon

Lapham Peak, Kettle Moraine State Forest, Delafield, 9 a.m.-noon.

Contact Chelsey Lewis at (414) 224-2144 or clewis@journalsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseylew and @TravelMJS and Facebook at Journal Sentinel Travel.