From June 1 to June 4, 2013, the 9th "Care for Qinling • Clean Water Bird" Ward Large-Scale Public Welfare Environmental Protection Activity was successfully concluded in Xi'an. The event was jointly organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Spiritual Civilization Construction Guidance Committee, the Xi'an Qinling Ecological Environment Protection Management Committee, the Xi'an Municipal Bureau of Sports, the Xi'an Sports Federation, and related associations. It was hosted by the Green Ant Deep Experience Club, with nearly 100 volunteers from across the country participating in this public welfare activity. The event conducted a comprehensive sweep of garbage in the Taibai section of the Qinling Mountains, sorting and processing over 600 pounds of trash and more than 900 gas canisters.
The activity started from Zhouzhi County, passing through Dudu Gate, Laomiaozi, Paoma Liang, Daye Hai, and returning from Baxian Tai. Along the way, it crossed the Taibai Mountain at an altitude of 3,767 meters, spanning four days and three nights.
It is understood that the "Care for Qinling • Clean Water Bird" public welfare environmental protection activity was initiated in 2005 by Xi'an Green Ant Outdoor Products Store. It has been held continuously for nine years, with a total of 2,100 volunteers participating so far and over 3 tons of garbage processed, along with the recovery of approximately 18,000 gas canisters. The activity has not only received strong support from local governments and related organizations but also attracted attention from many media outlets, which reported on its efforts to "protect Qinling and care for the environment." It sparked strong repercussions in society.
"Clean Water Bird" is the theme of this public welfare activity. Legend has it that the clean water bird refers to a small bird living by the shores of Erye Hai and Daye Hai in the Qinling Mountains. It has a black back, red belly, red tail, and white head. Its scientific name is the White-capped Water Redstart, but locals call it the "Clean Water Child," "Clean Water Bird," or even the "Sacred Bird." Legend says it is the incarnation of a beautiful, kind, and pure fairy. By nature, it is immaculate and spotless. Whenever it finds leaves, fruit peels, or other debris floating on the lake surface, it uses its beak and claws to retrieve them until the water becomes as pristine as before, then quietly departs... Because its behavior aligns with and carries profound significance for the environmental protection philosophy we advocate, it has been chosen as the namesake of the event.
The Clean Water Bird large-scale environmental protection activity is not an ordinary mountaineering event, but a manifestation of social responsibility and a relay of environmental love. The organizers promote outdoor individuals to actively engage in environmental protection through forms such as outdoor scientific expeditions, exploration, mountaineering, and trekking. It is a significant environmental protection journey. Each team of Clean Water Bird activities is accompanied by zoologists, botanists, ecologists, and other experts, who share the mysteries of nature with you and protect it together.
While practicing environmental protection itself, Ward sponsors many public welfare activities with environmental significance every year. It hopes that support for public welfare environmental activities will encourage more people to join the environmental protection cause and help them sustain these efforts. It believes that more people will become "Clean Water Birds" who care for the environment.