Upcoming Events
Questions about programs or events? email info@blt.org
Some programs and events require registration which usually opens 2-3 weeks prior to the event.
Birding with BLT
Join Barnstable Land Trust with walk leader and ornithology educator, Tommy Burgess, to explore a local birding spot and take in the fresh morning air. This is on an easy trail that is about ¼ mile in length, and will include a number of stops and starts to listen and look for birds. Please bring binoculars. Event will be cancelled in the case of rain or severe weather. Registration is required, and there is a limit of 10 participants. $10 members/$15 nonmembers.
Hike Barnstable
Hike Barnstable returns this June in celebration of Great Outdoors Month: a nationally recognized celebration of America's public lands and waters and the many ways to enjoy them. Sponsored in part by Cape Cod Healthcare, this month-long celebration encourages people of all ages and abilities to get outside, get some fresh air, and explore the Town of Barnstable’s natural spaces through a wide range of activities, hikes, talks, and walks. With over 20 programs to chose from, Hike Barnstable offers lots of different ways to experience nature.
Lady Slipper Hunt at Crocker Neck
Celebrate International Trails Day and join Barnstable Land Trust and Professor Gil Newton on walk through the diverse ecosystems of Crocker Neck in search of spring's most glamorous flower: the pink lady slipper! Gil, a local ecologist and author, will help us search for these delicate wild orchids that thrive in pine and pine/oak woodlands, while also exploring the wonders of a salt marsh and estuary as well. Learn all about these ecosystems and the flora and fauna that thrive here. This trail is about 1.5 miles long and classified as easy based on a generally flat, wide trail. Location provided to registrants, event will be cancelled or postponed in the case of rain or severe weather. This program is part of Hike Barnstable Month and supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare.
Beauty in Unlikely Places with The daVinci Pursuit
It’s International Trails Day! What better way to get outdoors and “Hike Barnstable” than with this discovery walk with The daVinci Pursuit. Sometimes beauty hides waiting for us to discover it in some of the most unlikely places. This free walk is intended to introduce participants to the science concepts through the arts as well as some techniques for capturing the best impression. Designed for artists, photographers, and families of all ages and ability levels, this walk represents a unique perspective of Trust lands. This program is part of Hike Barnstable Month and supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare and the Mid-Cape Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Weeding Wednesday
Calling all green thumb gardeners, weed whackers, and pollinator plant proponents! For 2-hours this month, you can join BLT’s Weeding Wednesday crew at the BLT Office and Conservation Center on Route 6A to help maintain our native landscape gardens. Weeding Wednesday projects might include invasive plant removal, pollinator garden weeding, seed saving, and general property maintenance projects. Note: Registration is required for each individual Weeding Wednesday project. Volunteers should be prepared for physical activity including lifting, kneeling, digging, and cutting brush. BYO water, work gloves, kneeling pads (if preferred), and wear pants and closed-toe shoes. Training will be provided. Limited tools will be provided although you can also bring your own. Project Leader Kelly Barber, Director of Land Stewardship, will send out specific project details the day before the volunteer day.
Celebrating World Environment Day with Ed Yong's “An Immense World”
Stroll together with Ellen Snoeyenbos, founder of the Walking Readers Group, through the natural world of Eagle Pond in Cotuit for this unique opportunity to blend literature and nature during World Environment Day, designated by the UN to encourage worldwide awareness and action for environmental protection. The group will walk and pause along the trails of Eagle Pond to read selections from Ed Yong's An Immense World and animal perceptions of the nature world. This is the second of four nature/literature walks under BLT's new eARTh Connections programming which is supported in part by a grant from the Mid-Cape Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. It is also part of Hike Barnstable which is supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare. Books are also available for purchase at Titcomb's Bookshop in Sandwich. $10/Members; $15/Nonmembers.
AMC Hike at Eagle Pond
Come learn some easy tools to jump start our month-long Hike Barnstable celebration. As a BLT partner, Appalachian Mountain Club’s Southeastern MA chapter will be doing a brief tutorial and 4 mile hike in the Eagle Pond conservation area in Cotuit. This FREE event will be approximately 2 hours in length. The tutorial will provide an introduction on how to use a trail map and/or trail app to map out a hike or keep track of where you are from the start of the hike. If you plan to use an app, please download AllTrails on your phone prior to the hike. After the tutorial, we will take a hike around Eagle Pond and a white cedar swamp which will allow participants to use their new skills. The hike will be on flat wooded trails with lots of uneven terrain. Participants must wear sturdy shoes/sneakers or ideally hiking footwear, no sandals. Hiking poles will be useful but not required. Bring fluids for hydration. This is a registration required event limited to 20 participants. To register for this hike just click the Register Now link on the posting which will be active two weeks before the event. You will have to create a username and password if you do not have one. This program is part of Hike Barnstable which is supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare. NOTE: You do not need to be an AMC member to participate.
First Friday at Fuller Farm
For 2-hours this month, you can join BLT’s “green team” by volunteering at Fuller Farm, a 22-acre signature property with a short woodland loop overlooking cranberry bogs and an open meadow trail following the field edge of a former dairy farm. The volunteer project might include trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, pollinator garden weeding, and something related. The program this month is part of Hike Barnstable which is supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare and United Way Cape and Islands. Note: Registration is required for each individual First Friday project. Volunteers should be prepared for physical activity including lifting, kneeling, digging, and cutting brush. BYO water, work gloves, and wear pants and closed-toe shoes. Training will be provided. Limited tools will be provided. If you prefer to bring your own – shovels, loppers, hand saws, and/or rakes are recommended. Project Leader Kelly Barber, Director of Land Stewardship, will send out specific project details the day before the volunteer day. We look forward to your help in stewarding this community gem!
Partner Program: Planting Native Pollinator Beds
We’re so pleased to have Kristen Andres, associate director for education and informational services at the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), presenting this workshop! She’ll cover not only which insects we should be trying to attract to our gardens but also which plants to include to attract those garden helpers. The insect world includes specialists and generalists that together form the foundation of our food web, and by helping them, we also help ourselves by ensuring better food production and more beauty in the garden.
This workshop takes place at Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills, a Barnstable Land Trust property that hosts the Resilient Roots demonstration garden (995 Route 149).
Hike Barnstable Open House with Eastern Mountain Sports
Join Barnstable Land Trust and Eastern Mountain Sports for a special open house event in Hyannis that celebrates Hike Barnstable and Great Outdoors Month! Receive special discount coupons, and hear a talk on what to look for when purchasing hiking gear and accessories. Learn about the differences in hiking footwear, outdoor clothing, tips to stop ticks, and more! Talk scheduled at 1 PM.
No preregistration required.
Bog Restoration Walk
Join Barnstable Land Trust and Barnstable Clean Water Coalition (BCWC) staff on a tour of BCWC's historic 1800's cranberry bogs at the headwaters of the Marstons Mills River. Learn about BCWC's ongoing wetlands restoration work to remove nitrogen flowing downriver through 64 acres of bogs and how this bog system provides an opportunity to improve water quarlity in the Three Bays estuary. This one hour program is part of Hike Barnstable which is supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare. Pre-registration is required.
The Pollinator Pathways of Cape Cod Project
Join BLT, Pollinator Pathways of Cape Cod, and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod for this Cape-wide program. Learn pollinator basics, how and why the Pollinator Pathways Cape Cod initiative came into being, and the steps that you, your business, and your organization can take to be part of the pathway creating safe pollinator habitat across cape cod. This presentation is by Kristin Andres from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, and Stephen O'Grady of the Orleans Conservation Trust.
Bug Out with BLT: Mosquitos, Greenhead Flies, and other Biting Bugs
Get the latest buzz about the blood thirsty bugs who want to take a bite out of your summer fun. Join Gabrielle Sakolsky, Superintendent of the Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project, and CCMCP entomologist, Aubrey Paolino, about the historic origins and current thinking surrounding this buggy battle that includes insights about the Cape's mosquito, greenhead fly, and deer fly populations. This program is part of Hike Barnstable which is supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare.
Registration Coming Soon!
Hiking 101 Talk and Walk
Celebrate Hike Barnstable and learn from trained and certified hike leaders from the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Southeastern MA chapter, one of BLT’s community partners, on how to prepare for different kinds of hiking with tips about footwear, clothing, and gear. Suitable for hikers of all experience levels, the 45-minute program will be held in the Michael R. Kramer Center, a new post and beam barn, and include information about AMC courses, classes, and outdoor activities. Afterwards, there will be a short guided hike on Fuller Farm’s beautiful meadow trail. This program is part of Hike Barnstable which is supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare.
Registration Coming Soon!
Sandy Neck Beach Piping Plover Walk
Discover hidden Piping Plover nests along the front beach with Barnstable Land Trust and Sandy Neck Park staff on a one-mile hike through the dunes of Sandy Neck. Explore barrier beach ecology. Learn about the Piping Plover’s life-cycle and conservation measures being taken to protect these endangered shorebirds. Wear hiking boots for sand/uneven terrain. For more information call the Gatehouse: 508-362-8300. This hike is free. NOTE: All Sandy Neck hikes are considered strenuous in difficulty because this includes walking on loose sand.
Registration Coming Soon!
Flowerpot Music Concert
Celebrate the Solstice on Cape Cod with a free community event that will be music to your ears as the summer officially kicks-off. In a unique collaboration between Barnstable Land Trust, Cape Symphony, Cape Cod CAN and the Cotuit Library, the community is invited to bring a picnic and their own flower pots (BYOFP) to BLT’s Ropes Field conservation property in Cotuit for a participatory percussion concert that is also part of the international Make Music Day and National Pollinator Month festivities! Pollinator arts/crafts tables will be hosted by the Cotuit Library from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Free Vic Firth mallets available while supplies last. Bring your chair or blanket, and a small to mid-size pottery or ceramic flower pots (metal mixing bowls also work). Let us know if you are thinking of coming by registering below. This program is part of Hike Barnstable which is supported in part by Cape Cod Healthcare.
Ropes Field is located at 58 Putnam Ave, Cotuit, MA 02635. Free parking is available a short walk away at Lowell Park (10 Lowell Ave, Cotuit, MA 02635).
Sandy Neck Beach Summer Flora Fauna Walk
Hike 1.5-miles through Sandy Neck’s Great Marsh and sand dunes to explore barrier beach flora and fauna with Barnstable Land Trust and Sandy Neck Park Staff. You’ll learn about ongoing efforts to protect and restore these and other sensitive natural communities. Wear sturdy hiking boots to walk over sand and uneven terrain. For more information call the Gatehouse: 508-362-8300. This hike is free. NOTE: All Sandy Neck hikes are considered strenuous in difficulty because this includes walking on loose sand.
Registration Coming Soon!
A History and A Future for Land Conservation on Cape Cod
Barnstable Land Trust, Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, and Sturgis Library partner with Mark Robinson, long-time director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, who will present a lively presentation on the “A History and A Future for Land Conservation on Cape Cod.” This presentation will provide an overview of themes driving efforts to preserve the Cape, from early philanthropic gifts and civic beauty efforts, to the powerful rise of land trusts and municipal programs beginning in earnest in the 1980s. There will be a focus on Barnstable projects. Projected 21st century trends of undevelopment and ecorestoration will be discussed.
Mr. Robinson has served as director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts since its founding in 1986. He has assisted Cape towns and land trusts in preserving more than 15,000 acres of land as open space since then, including those of the Barnstable Land Trust. The Compact represents 32 local and regional nonprofit land trusts and watershed groups operating on Cape Cod. Mark has served on the board of the Mass. Land Trust Coalition and is a regular lecturer at the national conference of land trusts.
Partner Program: Children's Summer Garden Party with Resilient Roots
For kids ages 7-11. Sign up for all eight sessions, or for four Tuesdays or four Thursdays with Resilient Roots. We’ll explore a different theme each week, from growing plants from seeds to understanding the importance of pollinators. We’ll spend most of our time exploring outside, and the program includes games, science activities, and art projects. Snacks will be provided. Rain or shine at Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills, a Barnstable Land Trust property.
Birding with BLT
Join Barnstable Land Trust with walk leader and ornithology educator, Tommy Burgess, to explore a local birding spot and take in the fresh morning air. This is on an easy trail that is about ¼ mile in length, and will include a number of stops and starts to listen and look for birds. Please bring binoculars. Event will be cancelled in the case of rain or severe weather. Registration is required and is limited to 10 participants. This free walk is part of the Town of Barnstable Open Space Committee's Spring Walking Weekend.
Partner Program: Indigenous Speaker Waban Webquish
Join Waban Webquish for a discussion on the ways that indigenous peoples’ reciprocal relationship with the land supports an optimal environment for all Earth’s creatures and plants. This relationship is rooted in mutual respect and gratitude and comes from being in tune with the cycles of the seasons and the moon.
Waban provides guided walks and seminars on the traditions and history of his Wampanoag/Nipmuc culture and creates and distributes handmade Wampum jewelery as well as culturally sustainable foods. You can learn more about Waban’s work at his Wampanoag Shells website.
This event takes place at Fuller Farm, 995 Route 149, Marstons Mills, which is a Barnstable Land Trust property. Waban will speak for about an hour and take questions afterward.
Partner Program: How Healthy are Cape Cod's Waters?
How Healthy are Cape Cod's Waters? A presentation by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director, Association to Preserve Cape Cod. State of the Waters is a project by the Association to Preserve Cape Cod . This annual water health report provides an assessment of Cape Cod’s water quality and is designed to help everyone understand the water quality problems that the Cape faces, and the actions that we need to take to improve and protect our waters.
Sandy Neck Spring Flora & Fauna Hike
Hike 1.5-miles through Sandy Neck’s Great Marsh and sand dunes to explore barrier beach flora and fauna with Barnstable Land Trust and Sandy Neck Park Staff. You’ll learn about ongoing efforts to protect and restore these and other sensitive natural communities. Wear sturdy hiking boots to walk over sand and uneven terrain. For more information call the Gatehouse: 508-362-8300. This hike is free. NOTE: All Sandy Neck hikes are considered strenuous in difficulty because this includes walking on loose sand.
Partner Program: Growing Solar, Protecting Nature with Mass Audubon
CANCELLED - Sorry, this program has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
Massachusetts needs to build more solar energy to clean up our dirty power grid. But that energy shouldn't come at the expense of forests, farmlands, and biodiverse habitats -- natural and working lands absorb one tenth of Massachusetts' greenhouse gas emissions each year.
To protect nature and expand solar energy, Mass Audubon teamed up with researchers at Harvard Forest to conduct a statewide study that proves we can build most of the solar we need on rooftops, parking lots, and already developed lands-with the right policy changes: massaudubon.org/growingsolar. Barnstable Land Trust is pleased to partner on this program where Mass Audubon's Vice President for Policy and Advocacy, Michelle Manion, will discuss this important research with recommendations for how Massachusetts can responsibly meet its solar energy goals. Free! Pre-registration is required.
Birding with BLT
Join Barnstable Land Trust with walk leader and ornithology educator, Tommy Burgess, to explore a special birding spot at Meadow Point in Cotuit. This will include a number of stops and starts to listen and look for birds. Please bring binoculars and wear waterproof footwear as we will be walking around salt marsh areas. Event will be cancelled in the case of rain or severe weather. Registration is required to receive parking instructions, and there is a limit of 10 participants. $10 members/$15 nonmembers.
Weeding Wednesday
Calling all green thumb gardeners, weed whackers, and pollinator plant proponents! For 2-hours this month, you can join BLT’s Weeding Wednesday crew at the BLT Office and Conservation Center on Route 6A to help maintain our native landscape gardens. Weeding Wednesday projects might include invasive plant removal, pollinator garden weeding, seed saving, and general property maintenance projects. Note: Registration is required for each individual Weeding Wednesday project. Volunteers should be prepared for physical activity including lifting, kneeling, digging, and cutting brush. BYO water, work gloves, kneeling pads (if preferred), and wear pants and closed-toe shoes. Training will be provided. Limited tools will be provided although you can also bring your own. Project Leader Kelly Barber, Director of Land Stewardship, will send out specific project details the day before the volunteer day.
First Friday at Fuller Farm
For 2-hours this month, you can join BLT’s “green team” by volunteering at Fuller Farm, a 22-acre signature property with a short woodland loop overlooking cranberry bogs and an open meadow trail following the field edge of a former dairy farm. The volunteer project might include trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, pollinator garden weeding, or something related. This program is supported in part by the United Way Cape and Islands. Note: Registration is required for each individual First Friday project. Volunteers should be prepared for physical activity including lifting, kneeling, digging, and cutting brush. BYO water, work gloves, and wear pants and closed-toe shoes. Training will be provided. Limited tools will be provided. If you prefer to bring your own – shovels, loppers, hand saws, and/or rakes are recommended. Project Leader Kelly Barber, Director of Land Stewardship, will send out specific project details the day before the volunteer day. We look forward to your help in stewarding this community gem!
Birding with BLT
Join Barnstable Land Trust with walk leader and ornithology educator, Tommy Burgess, to explore a local birding spot and take in the fresh morning air. This is on an easy trail that is about ¼ mile in length, and will include a number of stops and starts to listen and look for birds. Please bring binoculars. Event will be cancelled in the case of rain or severe weather. Registration is required, and there is a limit of 10 participants. $10 members/$15 nonmembers.
Partner Program: Starting the Veggie Garden
Get your veggie garden off to a good start in this workshop! You'll learn about ways to build your soil fertility, plan your crops, benefit from companion planting, use vertical and other space-saving techniques, make plant and compost teas to keep plants healthy, and much more. Come to be inspired for a new growing season and to gain new skills that will help you grow an abundant, healthy garden full of vegetables this year.
This workshop takes place at Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills, a Barnstable Land Trust property that hosts the Resilient Roots demonstration garden (995 Route 149).
Trees are Key: An Arbor Day Talk and Walk
Turn over a new leaf and celebrate Arbor Day with BLT and Bartlett Tree Experts at its historic Fuller Farm property in Marstons Mills. Learn about Bartlett’s tree-related research, as well as tree tips and up-to-date solutions in caring for trees on this special tree talk and walk which includes a seedling thank-you. Bartlett Tree Experts was founded in 1907 by Francis A. Bartlett and is the world's leading scientific tree and shrub care company with over 100 offices worldwide, including one in Osterville. They are also working with BLT on the nearby Wheeler Holly Preserve property which abuts Fuller Farm. Pre-registration is required for this program which is part of BLT’s Earth Month celebration. FREE!
Birding with BLT
Join Barnstable Land Trust with walk leader and ornithology educator, Tommy Burgess, to explore a local birding spot and take in the fresh morning air. This is on an easy trail that is about ¼ mile in length, and will include a number of stops and starts to listen and look for birds. Please bring binoculars. Event will be cancelled in the case of rain or severe weather. Registration is required, and there is a limit of 10 participants. $10 members/$15 nonmembers. This program is part our Earth Month Celebration.
Earth Day Maker Monday
Celebrate Earth Day with BLT and its community partner, CapeCodCAN, for a special Maker Monday art studio experience. Participants will create a nature-inspired project that celebrate the earth and the importance of protecting our environment. CapeCodCAN provides opportunities for inclusion and active participation in the arts for people with disabilities on Cape Cod. Limited enrollment plus fee; register at CapeCodCAN.
Celebrating Earth Day with the Poetry of Mary Oliver
Stroll together through the natural world with the words of poet, Mary Oliver, echoing in our minds. Join Ellen Snoeyenbos, founder of the Walking Readers Group, for this unique opportunity to blend literature and nature. The group will walk and pause along the trail at Pogorelc Sanctuary to read poems from Oliver's "Devotions" collection and reflect on what her poetic images mean.
This is the first of four nature/literature walks under BLT's new eARTh Connections programming which is supported in part by a grant from the Mid-Cape Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Books are also available for purchase at Titcomb's Bookshop in Sandwich. $10/Members; $15/Nonmembers. Registration is required.
Partner Program: Growing Shiitake Mushrooms on Logs with Resilient Roots
Learn how to grow healthy, delicious shiitake mushrooms on logs at this hands-on workshop. You will learn all the necessary steps for growing shiitakes yourself, such as what type of logs are used, when to harvest them, how to inoculate the logs, and where to store them. We will provide the instructions, materials, and tools you need. You will get hands-on experience inoculating one log to take home, included in the fee.
This workshop takes place at Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills, a Barnstable Land Trust property that hosts the Resilient Roots demonstration garden (995 Route 149).
Honor the Earth Fair
Earth Day 2024 – Honor the Earth Fair: BLT is honored to be an exhibitor at the Native Land Conservancy and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Natural Resources Department's Honor the Earth Fair, an event to celebrate the tributes of the earth from the indigenous perspective and demonstrate the best practices for living in balance with nature including rescuing, preserving, and protecting our shared home. The event is free and open to the public and will feature traditional indigenous craft vendors, traditional cultural performances, speakers, children's activities, and a Taste of the Earth cooking competition.
Partner Program: Growing Shiitake Mushrooms on Logs with Resilient Roots
Learn how to grow healthy, delicious shiitake mushrooms on logs at this hands-on workshop. You will learn all the necessary steps for growing shiitakes yourself, such as what type of logs are used, when to harvest them, how to inoculate the logs, and where to store them. We will provide the instructions, materials, and tools you need. You will get hands-on experience inoculating one log to take home, included in the fee.
This workshop takes place at Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills, a Barnstable Land Trust property that hosts the Resilient Roots demonstration garden (995 Route 149).
Celebrate Earth Month: Hunt for Poetry
Celebrate Earth Month with Barnstable Land Trust and Cotuit Library with the first ever Hunt for Poetry. Let’s get kids outside, reading, and celebrating Poetry Month at the same time! The Hunt for Poetry is a new team based game where groups of all ages will search to find parts of their team’s color coded poem in Ropes Field. Once you find your poem, teams will set up a temporary poetry walk on poles as their final task. The first team to finish will win a prize. The poetry featured will include classic writers such as Shel Silverstein, Dr.Suess, and even the Cotuit Library's founder, Lucy Gibbons Morse. Preregistration is suggested.
Celebrate Earth Month: Upcycled Bead Bracelets
Celebrate Earth Month with Barnstable Land Trust and Sturgis Library by making your own beaded bracelet using beautiful beads made from upcycled glass! Ages 7 and Up. Registration required at sturgislibrary.org/events.
Celebrate Earth Month: Garden Party Storytime
Join us at Sturgis Library for this Special Edition Storytime where we will be talking about ways we can help the planet! Kiddos will have the opportunity to write their wishes for the Earth and tie their wish to BLT’s Wishing Tree! Free.
No registration required.
Partner Program: Fairy House Building with Resilient Roots
This special event is perfect for kids who love fairy tales and nature. We invite kids ages 7-11 to this fun hands-on event.
Spend a morning creating a magical Fairy House. We will provide some building materials. We’ll also go into the forest together to collect more materials, and then we’ll come back to the barn to construct our houses. You can bring some supplies if you like, but remember when collecting to take only items that have fallen to the ground, not ones that are currently attached to plants or trees.
Refreshments will be provided. Come dressed to be outside. Rain date April 18th.
This workshop takes place at Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills, a Barnstable Land Trust property that hosts the Resilient Roots demonstration garden (995 Route 149).
Weeding Wednesday *CANCELLED
Sorry, this program has been cancelled. Please join us for next month’s Weeding Wednesday on May 1, 2024.
Calling all green thumb gardeners, weed whackers, and pollinator plant proponents! For 2-hours this month, you can join BLT’s Weeding Wednesday crew at the BLT Office and Conservation Center on Route 6A to help maintain our native landscape gardens. Weeding Wednesday projects might include invasive plant removal, pollinator garden weeding, seed saving, and general property maintenance projects. Note: Registration is required for each individual Weeding Wednesday project. Volunteers should be prepared for physical activity including lifting, kneeling, digging, and cutting brush. BYO water, work gloves, kneeling pads (if preferred), and wear pants and closed-toe shoes. Training will be provided. Limited tools will be provided although you can also bring your own. Project Leader Kelly Barber, Director of Land Stewardship, will send out specific project details the day before the volunteer day.
First Friday at Fuller Farm *CANCELLED
Sorry, this program has been cancelled. Please join us for next month’s First Friday at Fuller Farm on Friday, May 3, 2024.
For 2-hours this month, you can join BLT’s “green team” by volunteering at Fuller Farm, a 22-acre signature property with a short woodland loop overlooking cranberry bogs and an open meadow trail following the field edge of a former dairy farm. the volunteer project might include trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, pollinator garden weeding, and something related. Note: Registration is required for each individual First Friday project. Volunteers should be prepared for physical activity including lifting, kneeling, digging, and cutting brush. BYO water, work gloves, and wear pants and closed-toe shoes. Training will be provided. Limited tools will be provided. If you prefer to bring your own – shovels, loppers, hand saws, and/or rakes are recommended. Project Leader Kelly Barber, Director of Land Stewardship, will send out specific project details the day before the volunteer day. We look forward to your help in stewarding this community gem!
Celebrate Earth Month: Wish Tree Storytime
Join BLT at Stugis Library for this special edition storytime where we will talk about ways we can help the planet and then add a wish to the Wish Tree. Free!
No registration required.
Celebrate Earth Month!
Celebrate Earth Month with Barnstable Land Trust and Sturgis Library with special events and programs all month long! Start by visiting the library and add your Earth Month wish to BLT's Wish Tree. Handcrafted by Kelly Barber, BLT’s Director of Land Stewardship, this natural sculpture represents 10 different types of woods from 5 different BLT properties. Then pick up an Earth Month Bingo Card featuring recommended books and hiking trails to check off to be eligible for special prizes. Scroll down for the full calendar of events including special hikes, lectures, and activities.
Kalmus Beach Clean-up
Join BLT and its partners for a little spring cleaning at Kalmus Beach in Hyannis. While Barnstable’s Marine and Environmental Affairs team gets ready for piping plover season, volunteers from BLT, Cape Cod Maritime Museum, Save Our Sound, and Keep Barnstable Beautiful are invited to help make sure these beachfront nesting grounds are ‘move-in’ ready. Gloves and trash bags will be provided as well as a thank you gift. Please dress accordingly for the weather. Rain date is Thursday, March 28, 9:30 - 11:30 am. Come join the fun! Pre-registration is suggested.
Winter Book Club: Gaia’s Garden
Gaia’s Garden has sparked the imagination of home gardeners the world over by introducing a simple message: working with nature, not against her, results in more beautiful, abundant, and forgiving gardens. We will be reading and discussing Chapters 1–5 and Chapter 12. This discussion will be led by Kristie Kapp, founder of Resilient Roots.
First Friday at Fuller Farm
For 2-hours this month, you can join BLT’s “green team” by volunteering at Fuller Farm, a 22-acre signature property with a short woodland loop overlooking cranberry bogs and an open meadow trail following the field edge of a former dairy farm. The volunteer project might include trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, pollinator garden weeding, and/or other miscellaneous tasks. Note: Registration is required for each individual First Friday project. Volunteers should be prepared for physical activity including lifting, kneeling, digging, and cutting brush. BYO water, work gloves, and wear pants and closed-toe shoes. Training will be provided. Limited tools will be provided. If you prefer to bring your own – shovels, loppers, hand saws, and/or rakes are recommended. Project Leader Kelly Barber, Director of Land Stewardship, will send out specific project details the day before the volunteer day. We look forward to your help in stewarding this community gem!
Winter Book Club: Braiding Sweetgrass
A New York Times & Washington Post Bestseller
Named a "Best Essay Collection of the Decade" by Literary Hub
Join BLT's Fuller Farm partner, Resilient Roots, for their Winter Book Club. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert).
A History and A Future for Land Conservation on Cape Cod
Barnstable Land Trust and Cotuit Library partner with Cotuit’s own Mark Robinson, long-time director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, who will present a lively presentation on the “A History and A Future for Land Conservation on Cape Cod.” This presentation will provide an overview of themes driving efforts to preserve the Cape, from early philanthropic gifts and civic beauty efforts, to the powerful rise of land trusts and municipal programs beginning in earnest in the 1980s. There will be a focus on Barnstable and Cotuit projects. Projected 21st century trends of undevelopment and ecorestoration will be discussed. Mr. Robinson has served as director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts since its founding in 1986. He has assisted Cape towns and land trusts in preserving more than 15,000 acres of land as open space since then, including those of the Barnstable Land Trust. The Compact represents 32 local and regional nonprofit land trusts and watershed groups operating on Cape Cod. Mark has served on the board of the Mass. Land Trust Coalition and is a regular lecturer at the national conference of land trusts. Email eosteen@clamsnet.org to register.