Barnstable Land Trust is pleased to once again take part in WaterWORKS, a day of exploration and excitement where 400 students from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Plymouth will interact with 60+ blue economy and STEM related employers and educators. Interactive displays, fun activities, in-depth one-on-one conversations, and panel Q&A sessions leave students with a greater understanding of the career opportunities waiting for them here at home. WaterWORKS promotes blue economy businesses by providing a platform to demonstrate their work, share internships and employment opportunities, and advocate for job skills required in their fields. This year, a portion of the event to 200 additional attendees including college students of all ages, families of students, younger learners, entrepreneurs, and active job seekers.

Kick-off 2025 on the right foot with some fun activities during BLT’s First Day Open House for all ages! Explore trailside treasure hunting with local experts at our pop-up geocaching training course. Add your 2025 wish to BLT’s one-of-a kind upcycled tree branch “Wishing Tree,” and make a first day craft to commemorate the new year. To make the day extra sweet, enjoy s’mores by a roaring bonfire (weather permitting) and free giveaways (while supplies last). Thank you to Cape Cod 5 for their support of this program. We hope to see you there!

NOTE: No need to register for this drop-in event which runs from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. This event will take place rain or shine.

Ring in the New Year with a sunrise hike at Sandy Neck Beach, a barrier beach and park.  Watch the sky come alive as the world awakens to 2025 and join Barnstable Land Trust’s Director of Land Stewardship, Kelly Barber, as she guides you across smooth sand, rolling dunes, and marshland trails. This endangered area is comprised of freshwater wetlands, a salt marsh, and has been recognized by the state of Massachusetts as an area of critical environmental concern. See the new year in a new light with this hike as part of First Day Hikes Cape Cod, the region's 4th annual collaboration encouraging people to get outdoors with free guided walks and activities that explore Cape Cod’s parks, trails, and natural resources. Please note, this hike will cover 1.6 miles of moderate to difficult terrain, consisting of mostly loose sand. Please only register if you are an experienced hiker and can keep a hiking pace of 2mph on this type of terrain. Hike will last approximately 1.5 hours. Please bring layers, water, and anything else you need for a successful hike. Pre-registration is highly recommended through blt.org to be notified of cancellation in the case of severe weather. 

This event will take place rain or shine.

A unique one-day regional celebration featuring free special walks, talks, and hikes across Cape Cod providing a range of opportunities for families, children, residents, and visitors to explore nature on the first day of the new year. Spearheaded by Barnstable Land Trust, this unique collaboration representing 16 conservation groups highlighting 18 events at multiple locations across Cape Cod is the only regional celebration of-its-kind in the nation.

Join Barnstable Land Trust, Barnstable Natural Resources and Keep Barnstable Beautiful to fit in one more 2024 beach day by helping to clean-up Craigville Beach in Centerville. Just bring yourself - gloves and trash bags are provided. Pre-registration suggested but not required.

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. This program is supported in part by the Cape and Islands United Way. 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!

BLT’s Rising Waters Fish Flag project can be viewed at CARE for the Cape and Islands’ Take Care Summit.

In September 2024, Barnstable Land Trust celebrated “Environmental Awareness Month” with a month-long series of Climate Conversations featuring 15+ events and 19 community collaborators.  The Rising Waters Fish Flags that will be displayed were created by people of all ages and backgrounds, and reflect the rising waters projected for Aselton Park on Hyannis Harbor.  The flags illustrate that the mean high high tide (storm surge + sea level rise) on Hyannis Harbor will rise above ground level by 18” in 2030, 30” in 2050, and 36” in 2070 based on data collected from Climate Central using NOAA research.

Join Friends of Cotuit Library for an inspiring lunch at the Cotuit Library with Janet Milkman, Executive Director of Barnstable Land Trust, and Jack Gardner of the Friends of the Library. Learn about land conservation and community building right here in Barnstable!

Tickets are just $15 for Friends members, $20 for non-members, and include lunch! All proceeds support the library's mission.

Interested in learning more about your estate planning options?

Kathleen Fowler, Esq. is a board member of the Dennis Conservation Land Trust and a knowledgeable estate planning professional who will be offering a free workshop at the Harwich Community Center that will focus on estate planning including charitable gifts to environmental organizations. Registration can be done at events@harwichconservationtrust.org or by calling 508-432-3977.

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.

As we move into the month of shorter days and longer nights, shadows become a predominant feature of the landscape. We will go on a shadow walk and learn both the science of shadows as well as the ways they can be used in our painting, sketching, and photography to build compositions that may even border on the surreal. What better way to begin your winter months than with the time change embraced by the shadows of nature. The walk is intended to introduce participants to the science concepts through the arts as well as some techniques for capturing the best impression. The daVinci Pursuit walks are designed for artists, photographers, and families of all ages and ability levels. Each walk represents a unique perspective of Trust lands. FREE!

Join Barnstable Land Trust and Professor Gil Newton on walk through the diverse ecosystems of Crocker Neck! Gil is a local ecologist and author, who will guide us through encounters not only a beach ecosystem, but a salt marsh and an 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. ($10 members/$15 nonmembers).

Celebrate National Book Month and Sandwich native Thornton Burgess's 150 Anniversary with local author, Christie Palmer Lowrance, who will present a talk on “Nature’s Ambassador: The Life and Legacy of Sandwich’s Native Son, Thornton W. Burgess.” Discover more about the life of Thornton W. Burgess and his impact and lasting legacy. The 320-page beautifully illustrated biography lavishly details Burgess’ Sandwich childhood and his work as a respected naturalist, wildlife advocate, children’s author, and pioneer in environmental education and radio programming. This program is part of BLT's eARTh Connections series and is partially supported by grants from the Mid-Cape Cultural Council and Massachusetts Cultural Council.

BLT’s Rising Waters Fish Flag project can be viewed at Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative’s Net Zero 2024 Conference.

In September 2024, Barnstable Land Trust celebrated “Environmental Awareness Month” with a month-long series of Climate Conversations featuring 15+ events and 19 community collaborators.  The Rising Waters Fish Flags that will be displayed were created by people of all ages and backgrounds, and reflect the rising waters projected for Aselton Park on Hyannis Harbor.  The flags illustrate that the mean high high tide (storm surge + sea level rise) on Hyannis Harbor will rise above ground level by 18” in 2030, 30” in 2050, and 36” in 2070 based on data collected from Climate Central using NOAA research.

Come join us for a woodturning demonstration at BLT's Fuller Farm by members of Cape Cod Woodturners as we continue to celebrate Arts and Humanities Month. Learn about wood selection, methods of holding the wood blank, process, and form. A show and tell exhibit will allow you to see and touch a variety of kinds of wooden turned objects, both functional and more artistic. An actual piece will be "turned" - so don't miss this chance to see the process from beginning to end which then be a door prize for one of the attendees. Come and join in on the fun! (Pre-registration required.)

When we are out for a leisurely walk, are there some artistic tools and supplies that we should be carrying with us? In this art/science walk you will learn about ways to prepare and use small art kits including supplies and carrying cases. You will also learn about things you can do with your cellphone as well how to capture these quick and fleeting moments. Come explore Eagle Pond with The daVinci Pursuit during Barnstable's annual Fall Walking Weekend and help us celebrate National Arts and Humanities month. The walk is intended to introduce participants to the science concepts through the arts and are designed for non-artists and artists, photographers, and families of all ages and ability levels.

As part of BLT's eARTh Connections series, the Art Bus from Cotuit Center for the Arts, is stopping at Fuller Farm for an afternoon of nature-inspired artmaking! This family-friendly program is the perfect opportunity to creatively engage the next generation of nature-lovers. Each 45-minute session includes art-making and a short meadow hike on the trails behind the barn.

Please pre-register for this free program. NOTE: Children must be accompanied by a parent or adult.

Fuller Farm is an ideal location to study and paint the Cape Cod agricultural landscape. Betsy will talk about her painting process, while demonstrating how she combines technical skills with her expressive approach to color and design. As a lifelong educator, she welcomes the community to come and watch her paint and find out about the art of pastel and plein air painting.

Betsy Payne Cook is an avid plein air pastel painter and attributes her time painting outdoors as a key factor in developing her skills and identifying her personal vision as an artist.

Betsy is a graduate of the College of St Rose in Albany NY, having received degrees in Art Education & Special Education. After a 30-year career in education, she retired and is now a full time artist and art educator.

Please pre-register for this free program.

Join BLT, Climate Creatives, and a host of other community partners at the Hyannis HyArts Artist Shanties at Harbor Overlook for an art installation where the public can participate in creating a "Rising Waters/Fish Flags" temporary art project across the street from Hyannis' waterfront park showing rising sea levels. While this unique event has been featured in Panama, Hong Kong, and over 40 other locations, this marks the first time it is being installed on Cape Cod. Please join the Cape community in this fun and educational event as part of BLT's Climate Conversations programming.

This art installation was originally scheduled for Saturday, September 21 at Aselton Park, Hyannis and was postponed due to weather. Join us across the street at the Artist Shanties at the Harbor Overlook in Hyannis on Sunday, September 29 from 11 am to 2 pm.

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 quality and create a climate resilient landscape in the Three Bays estuary. Pre-registration is required.

Taking a little time now to prepare your soil can pay off tremendously next spring in your garden. Join Resilient Roots at Fuller Farm to learn all the tasks you can tackle this fall to save time in the next growing season and to set yourself up for a more abundant harvest.

We'll discuss cleaning up after this year's crops, growing winter cover crops to improve your soil, sheet mulching, soil testing, and adding nutrients now so they have time to be absorbed and ready for uptake by your spring seedlings. This workshop will also walk you through the process of composting with worms, an easy and effective way to create a nutrient source for your garden.

This workshop takes place at Fuller Farm, a Barnstable Land Trust property located at 995 Route 149, Marstons Mills.

Join Centerville Public Library's Becky and Cahoon Museum's Leslie Goldman to create alongside fellow craft lovers, as part of Barnstable Land Trust's Climate Conversations! In this FREE multigenerational event, learn to use recycled books and other materials to make your very own nature journal! All materials will be provided. This event is in collaboration with Barnstable Land Trust and Cahoon Museum of American Art. This event will be held in the Lower Level Community Rooms at the Centerville Public Library.

Join us at Centerville Public Library for a journey through space that teaches us the importance of taking care of our home planet!

Wall-E (2008) is a Disney/Pixar animated sci-fi movie about a robot named WALL-E, who is responsible for cleaning a waste-covered Earth. When he meets another robot and falls in love with her, they set out on a journey together that will alter the fate of mankind.

This event will be held in Centerville Public Library's Coyle Community Rooms on the lower level. Popcorn will be served.

“A town without nature: not one living tree. So what happened to them? Cue the music, let’s see.” Join Cotuit Library for a movie watch party and climate craft as part of BLT's Climate Conversations Month. The Lorax film expands on Dr. Seuss’ picturebook The Lorax (1971) by adding three additional subplots to the original story: the rise and fall of Thneedville, a teen romance that leads to regeneration of a devastated landscape, and the return of the Lorax that signals a new, sustainable future. This program is part of BLT's Climate Awareness Month series.

Join award-winning climate journalist, Meera Subramanian as she recounts stories from Americans who are experiencing the effects of climate change against the backdrop of a contentious political divide.

This event at Sturgis Library is provided in collaboration with The Barnstable Land Trust as part of their Climate Conversations Month.

Sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and coordinated by the Urban Harbors Institute, thousands of COASTSWEEP volunteers remove debris that would otherwise pollute our oceans, beaches, lakes, and rivers. Participants collect bag after bag of trash and debris, and record their findings onto data cards. The data is sent to the Ocean Conservancy and entered into a massive marine debris database. This information is then analyzed and used to identify the sources of marine debris, which helps to prevent the problem in the future. If you’re interested in volunteering, contact Donna Bragg at Sandy Neck Gatehouse at 508-362-8300 or by email. This program is part of BLT's Climate Awareness Month series.

“A town without nature: not one living tree. So what happened to them? Cue the music, let’s see.” The Lorax film expands on Dr. Seuss’ picturebook The Lorax (1971) by adding three additional subplots to the original story: the rise and fall of Thneedville, a teen romance that leads to regeneration of a devastated landscape, and the return of the Lorax that signals a new, sustainable future. This program is part of BLT's Climate Awareness Month series.

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.

This program is happily full.

Sandy Neck is a popular resting place for many migratory species on their way south along the east coast. The forested areas along the trails are made of a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees packed with high-energy food for the traveling birds.  Additionally, many migrating birds linger on Sandy Neck shores, delaying their flights south for as long as possible. These birds tend to concentrate near their favorite food source before continuing on their journey. Join us for a migration hike as we welcome fall and the migratory birds that are leaving, returning, or just passing through.  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.