FORT DRUM — The post will celebrate Earth Day on Friday with a fair, and the public is invited to join the festivities.

It will be the ninth Earth Day fair on post.

This year's theme will be "Sustaining the Environment for a Secure Future"; the event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Remington Pond.

Heather C. Wagner, Fort Drum's Public Works Environmental Division public relations outreach coordinator, said the event will show people how they can become more environmentally conscious.

"Really small details of how you go through your day-to-day lives can make a big difference," she said.

The event will include talks and displays about bird-watching in Northern New York; historic LeRaysville; counting and identifying fish, green living and environmental conservation at Fort Drum.

There will be forest walks and the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park will show off some of the area's native animals.

"It'll be a little more interactive than it has been in the past," Ms. Wagner said.

Although Earth Day officially is Tuesday, the post decided Friday would be a better date because it leads into the weekend, and most students in the area are off on vacation this week.

The fair is co-sponsored by the Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation program and Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes, which is building 845 new homes on post that will be up to Energy Star specifications.

According to Ms. Wagner, last year's event drew about 300 families, most of them military or civilian employees at Fort Drum.

"We've always had a really positive response to the Earth Day fair," she said.

Civilians who want to attend the Earth Day fair must stop and sign in at the North Gate off Route 11 or the Oneida Avenue gate.

They also need to bring identification, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.

For more information on the fair, call Fort Drum media relations officer Benjamin E. Abel at 772-8286.