Today is officially Earth Day, an event first held in 1970 that promotes environmental consciousness and year-round action worldwide to promote environmental awareness.

Finntan Mangalam, pictured, shows off his best frog impression using a party favor in place of a tongue while attending the 2008 Earth Day celebration Sunday at the Sequoia Park Zoo.

This year’s Party for the Planet theme was “Year of the Frog,” a campaign promoted by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Zoo staff and volunteers spent the day playing educational games and activities with children visiting the zoo.

Beneath the carnival atmosphere of face painting and prizes, each game carried an educational message about the habitats and diversity of amphibians locally and abroad.

For more information on the Year of the Frog, visit www.aza.org/YearoftheFrog.

To contact the Sequoia Park Zoo Education Department, phone 707-441-4217. Daniel Solomon/The Eureka Reporter