MEDIA RELEASE

PŌHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, Hawaii— The U.S. Army Garrison-Pōhakuloa Training Area invites the public to come celebrate Earth Day at PTA on Thursday, April 20, 2017.

This free event is scheduled from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., and will include ten separate stations with multiple hands-on activities, educational displays, informative briefings and live demonstrations at each station.

This year’s event will be highlighted by new additions by community partners, the Blue Planet Foundation and the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) Project, which will exhibit alternative energy options, an interplanetary rover and exciting developments in robotics.

Other popular attractions from previous Earth Day events will return. PTA’s Natural Resources team will showcase its management of threatened and endangered species with interactive displays and games. Garden tours will include rare plants, such as Solanum incompletum, one of Hawaii’s few spiked plants.

The Cultural Resources team will share and show how it manages and preserves cultural resources. Visitors can take a virtual lava tube habitation site tour, enjoy an interactive cave presentation or participate in a hands-on petroglyph activity. Other informative displays complete the experience.

PTA’s Fire and Emergency Services will exhibit its firefighting equipment, specialized vehicles and an interactive exhibit on wildland fire prevention and suppression. Other favorites also returning this year will include the ever-popular recycling, upcycling and ecology-oriented hands-on demonstrations.

This event is open to the public. Visitors must show current photo identification at the main gate. To best enjoy Earth Day at PTA, it’s recommended that visitors may want to bring a lunch. Water will be freely available, but other options for food and beverages at PTA are limited and must be purchased.

For groups of ten or more, for questions or concerns, or for assistance with special accommodations, please contact the U.S. Army Garrison- Pōhakuloa Public Affairs Officer, Eric Hamilton, at (808) 969-2411 or (808) 824-1474 (cell), or via email to eric.m.hamilton6.civ@mail.mil