Celebrating the children of Bermuda and the issue of a new "Eco File'' are just two of the special events planned by the Aquarium to tie in with the 25th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22.

Mrs. Mary Winchell, education co-ordinator for BAMZ (Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo) says that Bermuda's schools will take part in what she thinks will be an unusual exhibition in the Aquarium's popular Discovery Room. This will focus on the multi-cultural heritage of the Island's children.

"As Bermuda becomes more sophisticated, we are moving away from the land and the sea, but that is the common connection with our forefathers,'' she says.

"This exhibition is about children, by children, for children. I think tourists, as well as locals, will find it interesting.'' Primary schools from all over the Island are making life-size, cut-out figures which they will then paint and mount in groups. They will have biographies of their forefathers, showing where they came from, the jobs in which they were employed, and what today's generation wants to do when it grows up.

"Until comparatively recently, Bermuda lived off the land and the sea, so many of our ancestors were farmers, fishermen, whalers, boat-builders, and so on. Some of our children,'' she adds, "come from families where their parents are still carrying on some of those traditional occupations, so we will also have photographs of children with their parents and grandparents. We will also have a large map, showing where families originally came from.'' Photographer Stephen Raynor is helping out with this aspect of the show which will run from mid-April to the end of May.

"I think the silver anniversary of Earth Day is a good time for reflecting on the past and for forward planning for the future. We're concerned that our plans for Earth Day are not just concentrating on a `one-off','' says Mrs.

Winchell.

For this reason, she says she is also excited about another major project, the Eco File.

"This will be a new publication in our Project Nature Series. We are trying to make the study of our environment easier for teachers.'' This latest issue consists of information that is not readily available in book form in Bermuda. Schools will be given a huge binder so that information can be updated on a yearly basis and, hopefully, says Mrs. Winchell, will eventually cover all aspects of the environment, such as fish, birds, reptiles, plants, and caves.

"Two of the series have been produced already. Unfortunately, we can't reproduce them in book form for sale, for copyright reasons, as the information has been gathered from so many different sources.'' The latest section, which is illustrated so that children can identify various local birds and reptiles, includes articles on such topics as "Breeding Birds of Bermuda'', "Bermuda's Terrestrial Habitats'', "A Short History of Whaling in Bermuda'', "Conservation in Bermuda'' by Dr. David Wingate, and Wolfgang Sterrer's paper on "Why Preserve the Environment?'' With all too many adults apparently indifferent to the fate of Bermuda's natural resources (as may be seen in recent controversial building projects which desecrate areas of natural beauty or destroy historical buildings), BAMZ seems to be striking the right approach in their concentration on educating Bermuda's young people.

Judging from the large numbers of Bermuda's school children who are actively involved in projects year-round, BAMZ is already making significant progress in the fight for increased awareness about conservation and preservation of the environment.

Mrs. Marilyn Starling (co-ordinator of Members' Activities for the Zoological Society) will also highlight the anniversary by arranging for children to come into the Aquarium to design special Earth Day T-shirts.

She says that other Nature Encounter programmes will include "Curiosity Killed the Cat...'', a "fun'' introduction to animal classification, "Turtle Time'', where children can help to scrub, weigh and measure the Aquarium's turtles, "Whale Watch Boat Trips'' (for adult members only) and the always-popular "Reptilemania'', when children will have another chance to see the Water Monitor out of its enclosure.

Overall, Mrs. Winchell reports that approximately 6,000 school children are involved in the Schools Programme, with primary and secondary students either attending sessions at the Aquarium or going out on various field trips.

"Our Nature Encounter Programme involves anywhere from 800 to 1,000 people, from three-year-olds to adults. But mostly, it is directed at kids from five to 12,'' she explains. "Once or twice a month we hold some event for the children.'' Mrs. Starling says that the Discovery Room, designed primarily for their education programme for schools is also available for parents and children at weekends.

"Recently, we've been having upwards of 100 people in an hour using this facility over the weekend. And visitors are always amazed and entranced when they see children painting and drawing, and so absorbed.'' Adds Mrs. Winchell, "We work very closely with the schools on this, and we've found the increase in interest very encouraging indeed. And one parent told me that this was the only place in Bermuda where young children can have fun and learn at the same time!'' Five of Bermuda's main environmental organisations have pooled their talents to encourage maximum involvement from their members in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Earth Day. Besides the Bermuda Zoological Society, these include the Biological Station, Keep Bermuda Beautiful, the Audubon Society and the National Trust.