NOTE TO EDITORS AND NEWS DIRECTORS: You are invited to cover Earth
Day 2002 events, including a bird hike photo opportunity, a street
fair and talks about ‘green’ building construction and ‘green’
purchasing at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., from
Tuesday, April 23 through Thursday, April 25. To reach Ames, take the
Moffett Field exit from Highway 101, drive east to the main gate and
the visitor badging office to get maps and directions to Ames Earth
Day events. U.S. media representatives must have valid picture ID in
order to enter Ames. Foreign media representatives must be escorted,
if cleared for entry.

Hiking to see some of the many birds that live near south San
Francisco Bay, a street fair and lectures about ‘green’ home building
and ‘green’ purchasing are a few of many activities in which
employees can take part to celebrate Earth Day during the week of
April 22, at NASA Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

The theme of Earth Day this year at NASA Ames is ‘Sustainable
Communities by the Bay.’ Although Earth Day is Monday, April 22,
Ames’ events during that week begin on Tuesday, April 23.

“We want to sustain environment0Fuality, health, economic growth
and prosperity by encouraging a life style that will decrease human
use of Earth’s resources,” said Julie Quanz of Ames, who helped
organize Ames’ Earth Day events. “At our street fair there will be
people representing alternative fuel vehicle companies, local
environmental educational groups, municipalities,
pollution-prevention programs, the San Francisco Bay Trail and
various Ames organizations.” The street fair with about 25 exhibitors
will take place on Durand Road at Ames from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., PDT
Tuesday, April 23.

Also on Tuesday, Ames wildlife biologist Chris Alderete will lead two
bird-watching hikes for employees and reporters. “During the walks,
there’s a good chance to see the burrowing owl, which is listed as a
California species of special concern, a status that has legal
implications,” Alderete said. He expects that bird watchers could get
as close as 50 feet to an owl. The morning hike will be from 9 a.m.
to 10:30 a.m. PDT, and the afternoon hike will be from 3 p.m. to 4:30
p.m. PDT. Both hikes will start at the soccer field next to Bldg.
N245. Reporters may leave the walks early.

“The western burrowing owl population has been in serious decline
over the past few decades in California. We have upland grassland
habitat where 18 to 27 breeding pairs of owls live each year,”
Alderete explained. The small birds live in ground squirrel burrows
and have long legs, buff white breasts and lemon-yellow eyes.

“We also might see golden eagles, red tailed hawks and loggerhead
shrikes,” Alderete added. “We have wetlands where four endangered
species live, including salt marsh harvest mice, and three types of
birds — California clapper rail, California least tern and snowy
plover.”

‘Green Building Demystified,’ a talk by Darren Bouton, ‘green’
building coordinator for the city of San JosŽ’s Environmental
Services Dept., will begin at 12:15 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, April 24,
in the second floor auditorium in Bldg. N245. The city of San JosŽ
defines a ‘green’ building as any building that is sited, designed,
constructed, operated and maintained for the health and well-being of
the occupants, while minimizing impact on the environment.

‘Green’ buildings promote resource conservation by including design
features that encourage energy efficiency, use of renewable energy
and water conservation, according to the city’s Web page. More
information about the ‘green’ building program is on the World Wide
Web at:

http://www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/esd/gb-home.htm

‘Green Purchasing at Ames,’ a one-hour presentation by procurement
specialist Shannah Trout of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida,
will start at 10 a.m., PDT Thursday, April 25, in Bldg. N239, room 39.