Celebrating Earth Week, Local Organizations Plan Cleanups, Educational Events And More April 21-26

Earth Day has its origins in the late 1960s with the growing environmental movement. After a devastating oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif. in 1969, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin was inspired to create Earth Day after seeing the oil slick from the air. Initially Earth Day was held on the first day of spring, but was later moved to April 22; it has become a day to celebrate the natural environment.

 The celebration has since grown into a week-long series of events in some locations. On the Lower Cape, a number of organizations will sponsor education talks, films screenings, nature walks and beach and roadside cleanups to mark Earth Week.

The Chatham Conservation Foundation, working with a number of other local organizations, has a week-long roster of events planned for Earth Week with walks, a lecture, film screenings and a town-wide cleanup. Most events are free but some require registration; visit www.chathamconservationfoundation.org/earth-day-arbor-day for information and to sign up.

Monday, April 21, begins with a 10 a.m. trail walk along Frost Fish Creek with guide Tom Walker. On Tuesday, April 22 — Earth Day — Association to Preserve Cape Cod Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb will give a keynote presentation on “Water Quality and the Town of Chatham” at 4 p.m. at the community center, addressing efforts required to preserve the town’s waters.

On Wednesday, April 23, the Friends of Chatham Waterways will sponsor a screening of “Saving Our Ponds” at the Chatham Orpheum Theater beginning at 10 a.m. Following the videos from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, there will be a panel discussion featuring Kristin Andres of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod; Susan Bauer of Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage; Chatham Shellfish Constable Renee Gagne; and the town’s Department of Public Works Director Rob Faley. FCW board member Natalie Coleman-Fuller will be the moderator. The screening is free and will include the official launching of the group’s Water Pledge program (see separate story in section 1).

Also on Wednesday, the Creative Arts Center and the Eldredge Public Library will sponsor “Printmaking with Recyclables” for kids at 11 a.m. at the Main Street library.

On Friday, April 25, Cinder and Salt at 645 Main St. will sponsor an art supply swap. 

Saturday, April 26, will be the town-wide cleanup sponsored by the Conservation Foundation. Meet at the Mayo House at 540 Main St. to get assignments; there will be two shifts, at 9 and 11 a.m. Trash bags, gloves and trash grabbers will be provided. Cleanup routes will be one to two miles in length.

At 1 p.m. on Saturday the Friends of Sylvan Gardens will sponsor a guided walk through the 10-acre conservation property off Old Main Street, where daffodils are in bloom. Rain date is Sunday, April 27 at 1 p.m.

The Friends of Monomoy will host a bird walk at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge on Morris Island at 8 a.m. Bring binoculars!

 Friends of Trees is sponsoring a seedling giveaway to celebrate both Earth Week and Arbor Day. On Friday, April 25 — Arbor Day — the group will give out seedlings at the community center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Mayo House on Main Street. Swamp white oak, American linden and tupitree are some of the bareroot seedlings that will be available at no cost.

 Friends of Trees will also sponsor two walks highlighting significant trees in town. A jaunt through Chase Park will happen Tuesday, April 22, and the Old Village will be the scene of the second walk on Thursday, April 24. Both begin at 10:30 a.m. and are free.

 The 13th annual Beautify Brewster Day will be held on Saturday, April 26, from 9 a.m. to noon. Sponsored by the Brewster Ponds Coalition, the event involves local folks cleaning up roadsides. After the event, volunteers will be treated to a luncheon at the Brewster Baptist Church. To learn more and sign up, visit www.brewsterponds.org/newsevents. Rain date is Sunday, April 27. 

 The Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) will hold several programs during Earth Week. They include Newbies in Nature, bird identification and behavior classes, and Connecting with Nature through QiGong. Visit harwichconservationtrust.org/walks-events/ for information and to sign up.

 HCT and the town of Harwich join together for the 10th annual Tour de Trash town-wide cleanup on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to noon. Gather at the community center to receive trash and recycling bags, reflective vests, pickers and gloves. Run by the town’s conservation department and HCT with assistance and support from AmeriCorps Cape Cod, the Harwich Police and Harwich Highway Department, the event covers roadsides, woodlands and beaches around town. Last year, 500 pounds of garbage was removed from these locations. 

Volunteers are asked to dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Visit harwichconservationtrust.org/tour-de-trash-2025/ for a link to register and choose a clean-up route. Event sponsors include Cavossa Disposal, Agway of Cape Cod, Harwich Paint and Decorating Center, George’s Pizza House, The Seal Pub and Cafe, Shaw’s and the Cape Cod Lavender Farm.

 The Orleans Pond Coalition marks Earth Day with its Celebrate Our Waters event on Saturday, April 26. This year’s theme is “Our Power, Our Planet.”

The day-long celebration begins with a town-wide beach cleanup starting at 9 a.m. Volunteers will fan out to remove trash and debris from 17 town landings and beaches. To find a location and sign up, visit www.orleanspondcoalition.org/posts/2025-celebrate-our-waters-earth-day/.

Other events on April 26 include a Nauset Beach scavenger hunt for kids from 9 to 11 a.m., a Cape-friendly lawn demonstration at 8 Crystal Lake Dr. at noon, and “Zen and the Art of Water Cycle Maintenance” at Church of the Holy Spirit at 2 p.m. All are free of charge, with more information available at the Coalition website.