Chemeketa College Celebrates Earth Day

A live alligator on the grass might have been mistaken for a prop...

Video and photos by Jerry Freeman Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem-News.com spends far more time covering genocide and war and suffering, than simple important subjects like Earth Day, which happens once each year, but of course should be observed 365 days a week.

The Chemeketa Community College campus was the setting for a beautiful Earth Day celebration Thursday. The sun was out and the sky was blue and people had an interesting event to explore while gaining important information about the earth and nature and taking care of this precious planet we call earth.

Possibly the most fun part of Earth Day at Chemeketa was something people rarely see, particularly in this type of setting.

A live alligator on the grass might have been mistaken for a prop, that is until it moved and allowed the crowd to see that it was right there with them.

A snake and other fantastic educational tools were also on hand to help people understand how amazing some of the earth's living creations.

Jerry Freeman is part of a new generation of dedicated news photographers who entered the Internet news industry as a second career. He shares in common with many people who fulfilled their life dream of becoming a visual journalist. Joining the Navy at an early age, and the Oregon Army Guard a few years later, Jerry has a wide range of life experiences. He describes himself as “a truck driver with a new found passion to bear witness to the world’s events.” Teaming up with Salem-News.com he embarked on a new career as a video news photographer and reporter. Jerry's quick exhibition of natural talent and ability to shoot breaking news led to his becoming a published member of the Salem-News.com team.