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.
Programs like these are offered free of charge thanks to generous individual support from our community. Please consider a donation here to help Barnstable Land Trust protect and steward our natural resources and provide meaningful, accessible programs for people of all ages - today and for generations to come.
Check out the calendar of more cape-wide programs offered by local conservation groups.
BLT's Marsh Madness: Where Nature Always Wins
Salt air, strong tides, and serious bragging rights—welcome to Marsh Madness, Cape Cod–style. You don’t need a basketball bracket, a whistle, or a PhD in birding to play along—Barnstable Land Trust’s inaugural Marsh Madness is officially in session from February 22 – April 6. With more than 20,000 acres, Cape Cod’s marshes are the ultimate defensive line—buffering storms, fighting sea level rise, and taking on climate change like absolute champions. But the matchup is tough: according to the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), 36% (roughly 7,000 acres) of our historic salt marshes have already been lost or severely degraded. All March long, it’s game on. Meet the marsh’s top contenders—from plants and birds to insects, marine life, and other habitat heroes (and a few notorious villains). Cast your votes, build bragging rights, score a chance at a prize package, and help crown Cape Cod’s conservation champions in this truly wild Marsh Madness match-up. Join the madness. The marsh is counting on you.
Tick Talk with Escher Cattle
Join BLT, Whelden Library, and Entomologist and Extension Educator Escher Cattle as we get ahead of tick season on the Cape with an overview of the state of ticks and tick-borne illness in Barnstable County. Learn some quick and easy measures you can take to stay safe as the weather warms up, including ways to protect yourself, your yard, and your pets from ticks!
Escher Cattle comes to his role as Extension Educator for Cape Cod Cooperative Extension fresh from his Master's Degree in Entomology at North Carolina State University, where he studied genetic markers in South American Fruit Flies. He lives on the Upper Cape with his partner and two cats, and employs his science and cartooning backgrounds to provide accessible and empowering educational materials on ticks and insects alike.
Fuller Farm Friday
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!
Dowses Beach Clean-up (Partner Program)
Join the Town of Barnstable Marine and Environmental Affairs department, AmeriCorps Cape Cod, Keep Barnstable Beautiful, Barnstable Clean Water Coalition, BARS, Barnstable Ponds Association, CARE for the Cape and Islands, the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, and BLT's volunteer teams by helping to clean-up Dowses Beach in Osterville. Just bring yourself - gloves and trash bags are provided. Pre-registration suggested but not required at www.blt.org/events. Questions? Call Barnstable Natural Resources: 508-790-6272
*Note: This program was originally scheduled for February 21, 2026 at 12 PM.
A History and A Future of Land Conservation on Cape Cod with Mark Robinson (Partner Program)
Postponed! Stay tuned for new date.
Join Centerville Public Library and Barnstable Land Trust for a talk by Mark Robinson, Executive Director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts. 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. Projected 21st century trends of sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, undevelopment, and ecorestoration will be discussed.
Nature Superstars: Stuffy Sleepover
Calling all stuffed animals for Nature Superstars: Stuffy Sleepover! Young people of all ages are invited to drop off their Stuffies (stuffed animals) to get ‘wild’ with Barnstable Land Trust and friends so that their stuffed animal friends can explore the great outdoors (and indoors) as they snuggle in sleeping bags, gather round the campfire, go on field trips, and have some amazing adventures. Human guardians and their plushy pals are invited to a special registration and drop-off “Come in Your PJ’s” event at 10:30 am on Tuesday, February 17, at BLT’s headquarters to register their stuffy with a personality card and name tag. Afterwards, BLT takes the stuffies on some epic field trips and nature adventures. Humans can pick-up their stuffy friends on Wednesday, February 18, from 10-Noon at BLT headquarters (aka Stuffy Campground).
What really happens during BLT’s Stuffy Sleepovers? Here’s a glimpse of last year’s fun– it even won a 2025 Golden Pine Cone award which is BLT’s nature version of the Oscars!
Eugenia Fortes Beach Clean-up
Join the Town of Barnstable Marine and Environmental Affairs department, AmeriCorps Cape Cod, Keep Barnstable Beautiful, Barnstable Clean Water Coalition, BARS, Barnstable Ponds Association, CARE for the Cape and Islands, the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, and BLT's volunteer teams to kick-off the the new year by helping to clean-up the Eugenia Fortes Beach in Hyannis. Just bring yourself - gloves and trash bags are provided. Pre-registration suggested but not required at www.blt.org/events. Weather permitting - no rain date. Questions? Call Barnstable Natural Resources: 508-790-6272
WaterWORKS Blue Economy Career Day
Visit the Barnstable Land Trust table at WaterWORKS, a day of exploration and excitement that is now open to the public from 1:30 - 3:30 pm. Earlier in the day, 400 students from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Plymouth will interact with 50+ blue economy and STEM related employers and educators. 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. See you then! Registration is optional.
