Michelle Bothun, a laborer for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, joined volunteers to pull weeds, rake leaves and put down mulch Saturday at Moraine State Park.

Slippery Rock University junior Jazzmin Penaskovic used her green rake to scrape golden leaves across the brown earth into a pile.

“The Earth is important,” said Penaskovic, 21. “It's important to remember there's nature, not just the city.”

Penaskovic was one of about 12 people drawn to the dirt with desire to make a difference Saturday at Moraine State Park's Spring Clean-up Day to celebrate Earth Day.

Monday is Earth Day — a global event celebrated by more than 1 billion people in 192 countries, according to the Earth Day Network website. The theme for this year's Earth Day is “Protect Our Species.”

Penaskovic thought it would be a good idea to spend the day volunteering outside.

She and other volunteers worked on the native species garden in front of the South Shore park office. They raked and mulched the garden bed and pulled invasive plants.Slippery Rock University junior Sean Glover used an edger to create a tidy curve around the plant bed.He came with a crew of co-workers from The North Face store at Grove City Premium Outlets.Although nature is not one of Glover's interests, he called Saturday's work enjoyable.“It's nice to give back,” said Glover, 20. “A lot of people don't really appreciate the Earth.”

The park has organized an Earth Day activity every year since the celebration began in the 1970s, according to Mike Shaffer, an environmental education specialist who has been with Moraine for five years. Since joining the park staff, Shaffer has always organized a clean-up project for Earth Day.The Earth Day Network lists several tips to help protect the Earth. Among the suggestions to go green and save money are to join a local park, river or beach clean-up, use environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning products, make sure to keep your tires properly inflated and change your car's air filter regularly.No matter the size of the work, even the smallest steps help the environment, Shaffer said.“Everything we get comes from Mother Earth,” he said. “We are all connected one way or another.”

Members of the state DCNR assist volunteers in clean-up activities as part of an Earth Day event Saturday at Moraine State Park. Earth Day is Monday.

Jazzmin Penaskovic, a junior at Slippery Rock University, joined a group of volunteers involved in spring clean-up efforts Saturday at Moraine State Park.PHOTOGRAPHY BY Harold Aughton/Butler Eagle