Earth Day

Huntington Beach residents Hector, Carolina and Matias Madariaga participated in the April 23 beach cleanup at Huntington state beach. In recognition of Earth Day, the Gas Company sponsored the cleanup, which drew an estimated 100 volunteers who collected more than 50 bags of trash. Hector Madariaga is the director of Environmental Solutions for the Southern California Gas Company. The Orange County League of Conservation Voters is honoring the Orange County Conservation Corps with the Environmental Education Program of the Year for its work at the Shipley Nature Center in Huntington Beach.

Hot enough for you? This past Sunday and Monday were record-breakers in the heat department. Vic and a lot of other people braved the heat to attend the Centennial Earth Day Celebration at Rainbow Disposal on Sunday. Dozens of booths presented environmental information of all kinds. The city had displays on water conservation, surface water quality, and city planning. Rainbow had a variety of booths explaining various aspects of recycling. And many environmental groups were there with their own booths to inform, cultivate good will, and recruit new members.

Eron Ben-Yehuda HUNTINGTON BEACH -- One of the country's largest environmental groups is likely to file a lawsuit to stop a developer from destroying a tiny wetland by Beach Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway where it intends to build luxury townhomes. The board of directors for the Los Angeles chapter of the Sierra Club is expected to vote Sunday on whether to take legal action, chairman Gordon Lebedz said. The board will almost surely give its approval, he said.

ON THE AGENDA These are some of the items that the Huntington Beach City Council will consider at its next meeting: MAIN STREET CLOSURE City Council members Dave Sullivan, Pam Julien Houchen and Gil Coerper want the council to close the first three blocks of Downtown on a trial basis. Those who support the street closing think it will benefit residents and tourists by freeing up walking space and reducing gas fumes and noise in Surf City's Downtown strip.

The Huntington Beach High School Foundation will hold a golf tournament at 11 a.m. March 12 at the Seacliff Country Club, 6501 Palm Ave., Huntington Beach. Proceeds will benefit athletic and student programs. There will be an opportunity to win a new Toyota for a hole in one, as well as a silent auction. Registration opens at 9 a.m. the day of the tournament. Fees are $195 including a dinner at 5 p.m. For the dinner only, tickets are $50. The event is sponsored by Toyota of Huntington Beach.

Send DATEBOOK items to the Huntington Beach Independent, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; fax to (714) 966-4667; call (714) 966-4610 or e-mail hbindependent@ latimes.com. Submissions must be received two weeks before publication. FRIDAY A Friday Night Funtime Dance for developmentally disabled teenagers and young adults will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Edison Community Center, 21377 Magnolia St. The dance is sponsored by the city and the Kiwanis Club.

Coral Wilson Students at Ralph E. Hawes elementary school were awed at the notion that cars could run without gas. Their teachers told them about electric vehicles, but they couldn't believe it until they saw one. Driving up to the school in the electric Nissan Hypermini, Stephen Thomas, parent and principal engineer for Nissan North America, Inc., told the students that electric vehicles may be in their future....

Lauren Vane First-graders at Hope View Elementary School celebrated Earth Day by sharing a special piece of earth with family, friends and classmates. Teacher Nancy Schager and her students invited everyone to experience the wetlands that the class created on a small plot of land inside a school atrium. With the help of a Toshiba America Foundation grant received earlier this year, the first-graders used water, natural plants and life-size papier mache replicas of native birds to bring a piece of the wetlands right into their school.

Lauren Vane Students from Sun View Elementary School went on an interesting field trip in April, tracking a piece of garbage from the trash can all the way to the landfill. Although the journey was imaginary and the students didn't have to dig through a dumpster, they were taken on a magical tour into the world of recycling. They learned that with a little magic of their own, they can recycle old products into new. Magician and educator Jerry Hart presented the Timothy Wenk "Magic of Recycling" show to Sun View students last week in an assembly that coincided with Earth Day celebrations.

Paul Clinton A second-grade class at Ralph Hawes Elementary School worked on a familiar Huntington Beach problem -- cleaning up the beaches. Taking their science lesson to a new level, children dabbed up oil with cotton balls, hay and other items to learn how to accomplish the task. Divided into three tables, the children dipped the items into an aluminum pan filled with water and oil. "Try to soak up the oil spill," said Cynda Jennings, the teacher.