Tunes, Bugs, and Balloons with the Don't Move Firewood booth
by Ariel Kirk
The Don’t Move Firewood summer education booth spent a great weekend in Greenfield MA at the Green River Festival for the 4th summer in a row! This year we were stationed on the lower field with a beautiful, open area reaching all the way to the river. It was great to feel that breeze off the water occasionally and use our handy Don’t Move Firewood fans to battle the summer sun. Our neighboring booth, Deerfield River Watershed Alliance, told us that there were even shuttles available to festival-goers that would take them for a dip in the river.
Our booth was hopping with all the interested people checking out our emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle specimens. Many of the patrons were familiar with us from past years and were excited to see us back. Some had new questions or were concerned with how far the invasive species, specifically the emerald ash borer, have been spreading. It was great to interact with so many people and to continue to spread the word about how damaging non-native insects can be to our native forests.
This great site also gave us perfect seats after-hours when the hot air balloons began to rise into the air. Folks could choose to go on a hot air balloon adventure, a la Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, or stay affixed safely to the ground by a giant rope but still have a great view from the basket of the floating balloon. Watching people unfurl the balloons and seeing them rise in the air was a great sight and one of my favorite experiences at the Green River Festival.
