“Hey ho, ho hey, don’t defund the EPA! Hey ho, ho hey, don’t defund the EPA!” The chant rang out over the crowd. People young and old waved signs and posters. Dogs weaved in and out of the group, eagerly pulling on their leashes. Excited children ran ahead of their parents. The march was underway.

The March for Science in Oklahoma City at the Capitol building celebrated scientific inquiry and called upon the government to implement more science in its decision-making. Science supporters from around the state came together to support STEM education and environmental awareness.

Kodi Fisher, an Oklahoma City resident, said he believed we should be taking steps forward.

“We should live in facts,” Fisher said. “We need to be moving forward with those things, not denying or ignoring facts.”

Norman High School student and speaker at the event, Daniel Alguindigue, said the march was trying to communicate support for environmental awareness.

“There has been a lot of state legislation that hasn’t exactly been environmentally friendly,” Alguindigue said. “Recent scientific bills have not been on par and we just want to get our point across.”

The march, fittingly held on Earth Day, was a satellite march to the March for Science in Washington, D.C. More information can be found on the organizer’s Facebook page.