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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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).

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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).

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.

Join avid birder Dr. Peter Crosson in the search for owls under the night sky. We'll learn about what makes owls so special while keeping our eyes and ears peeled for them and other nocturnal creatures. Owls are not guaranteed, but a lovely, nighttime walk sure is! Walk will start at BLT's Conservation Center but be prepared to car pool to nearby special locations. We recommend bringing a flashlight or headlamp with you. While we'll try not to use them to avoid scaring away any owls, it's best to have some for safety. Registration fee: $10 Member / $15 Nonmembers.

For 2-hours a 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. Monthly volunteer projects include trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, pollinator garden weeding, and other miscellaneous projects as they arise. Registration is required for each 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 seeing you to help with the ongoing stewardship of this community gem!

Kick-off 2024 on the right foot with some fun, family-friendly activities during BLT’s First Day Open House! Add your wish for 2024 to BLT’s first “Wishing Tree,” have fun exploring nature through special games and activities, and enjoy s’mores by a roaring campfire (weather permitting). This program is supported in part by Cape Cod 5.

Discover the two newest geocaches on Cape Cod! Meet Liz and Cassie, two Cape Cod champions who will share how they play the Geocaching game with their own families while exploring nature trails across the Cape. We recommend downloading the app (AppStore here or Google Play here) and creating a user name in advance so they can show you how easy - and fun - it is to log your first 'find' of the new year! Rain or shine, this dynamic duo will guide you through an interactive exercise so that you can be among the first to discover Fuller Farm’s newest ‘hidden treasure.’ This program is supported in part by Cape Cod 5.

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 get outside and explore on the first day of the new year. Spearheaded by Barnstable Land Trust, this unique regional collaboration representing 15 conservation groups is the first-of-its-kind in the nation which launched in 2022.

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 2024 and join Barnstable Land Trust’s Executive Director, Janet Milkman, 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 third 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 to claim your spot. 

Join the Town of Barnstable Natural Resources division and BLT's volunteer brigade to fit in one more 2023 beach day by helping to clean-up Craigville Beach in Centerville. Just bring yourself - we'll provide the gloves and trash bags. Pre-registration suggested but not required.

Visit us at the Hyannis Village Main Street Stroll to pick up your limited edition BLT glass leaf ornaments representing the four seasons crafted by local glass artist, Michael Magyar of The Glass Studio in E. Sandwich. Limited to 200 of each seasonal design, your purchase supports the nonprofit mission of Barnstable Land Trust in protecting the natural spaces and places for present and future generations.

Find us at the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum’s outdoor Courtyard, 397 Main St, Hyannis, MA 02601

Pop-in to the Barnstable Land Trust Conservation Center beyond normal business hours to pick up your limited edition BLT glass leaf ornaments representing the four seasons crafted by local glass artist, Michael Magyar of The Glass Studio in E. Sandwich. Limited to 200 of each seasonal design, your purchase supports the nonprofit mission of Barnstable Land Trust in protecting the natural spaces and places for present and future generations.

Join Barnstable Land Trust and Professor Gil Newton on a walk through the diverse ecosystems of Crocker Neck! Gil is a local ecologist and author, who will guide us through 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.

Join Barnstable Land Trust and Cape Cod Mycological Society’s Wesley Price for a fun and educational walk at Eagle Pond, a sanctuary with wide paths and a topography that is suitable for all ages, to learn about mushrooms. $15 registration fee. Limited to 25 pp.

This event is happily full. Please email info@blt.org to be placed on the waitlist.

Did you know that Henry David Thoreau was baptized David Henry Thoreau? Did you know that he willingly spent a night in jail in July of 1846 but had to be kicked out the next morning?  Join us for a 90-minute, two-mile walk where we will visit some of the places that were significant during Thoreau’s life and discuss the principles he lived by.  We will begin where Henry taught school after graduating from Harvard College and where he spent a night in jail.  We will visit his gravesite on Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where you will learn about his family and his famous neighbors.  If time allows, we will walk past the house where Henry lived the last 12 years of his life.  We will also visit the Concord Public Library to view photographs and sculptures of Henry Thoreau.  The tour will conclude with tea at Barrow Bookstore.  Our guide will also suggest other sites important in Henry’s life that you can visit on your own.  Please note that due to time and distant constraints this tour does not go to Walden Pond. Call 978-318-3061 or email visitors@concordma.gov to schedule your tour or click below to register.

This program is associated with BLT's Thoreau's Cape Cod Readathon, a 2-day live event sponsored by Rockland Trust to be held at Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills on October 7 & 8.