Beach cleanups, film screenings and museum celebrations: Earth Day fun on Cape Cod

Frankie Rowley, Cape Cod Times
·7 min read

Here on the Cape, we're spoiled by an abundance of natural beauty. From scenic shores to secluded swamps, ponds, and fields of flowers and green, the Cape is truly a wondrous place. As Henry David Thoreau famously ends "Cape Cod," with "What are springs and waterfalls? Here is the spring of springs, the waterfall of waterfalls. A storm in the fall or winter is the time to visit it; a lighthouse or a fisherman’s hut the true hotel. A man may stand there and put all America behind him."

It's easy to take the luxury of such a place for granted, but with Earth Day approaching on April 22, it's also important to remember to give back to the planet. Whether you're grabbing a trash bag and a bucket and heading out to clean up the beach or becoming more educated through a documentary or nature walk, here are some Earth Day activities happening on Cape Cod.

The early morning sun rises over Nauset Beach, in Orleans on March 31.
The early morning sun rises over Nauset Beach, in Orleans on March 31.

Ways to celebrate Earth Day on Cape Cod

Honor the Earth Fair

In celebration of Earth Day, the Native Land Conservancy and the Mashpee Wampanoag Natural Resources Department are hosting “Honor the Earth Fair,” a full day of crafts, singing, dancing and ways to lend a helping hand to Mother Earth.

The festivities begin with an opening ceremony led by Wampanoag Chief Earl Mills Jr. During the fair, vendors will be on site selling crafts, exhibitors — such as the Barnstable Land Trust — will be discussing their work and conservation efforts, performances by Neesh La singers and dancers will be held and a cooking competition, hosted by WCAI’s Elspeth Hay, will take place.

The fair is free to attend and takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 20 at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Government Center, located at 483 Great South Neck Road in Mashpee. For more information, visit www.nativelandconservancy.org/events/honor-the-earth-fair/.

Beach cleanups

In Bourne, Cape Cod Kayak is heading to Little Bay for a land and sea cleanup at 3 p.m. on Earth Day. Kayaks are available to rent for $15 for the cleanup and participants are asked to bring their own bags, buckets, gloves and a grabber — if you have one. To reserve a kayak, call 508-563-9377. For more information, visit www.keepmassbeautiful.org/

The Center for Coastal Studies is hosting two Earth Day Cleanups: its annual cleanup with the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and one of its own with the Center for Coastal Studies Beach Brigade.

At 9 a.m., join the Center for Coastal Studies at Beach Point in North Truro for a cleanup with a trash tally starting at 1 p.m. Right after, at 1 p.m. the Center for Coastal Studies teams up with the Friends for a cleanup at Race Point Beach in Provincetown.

Sunset at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown, with Race Point Light in the background.
Sunset at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown, with Race Point Light in the background.

Along with their cleanups, the Center for Coastal Studies is hosting a whale walk at Herring Cove Beach at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at www.coastalstudies.org/.

The Town of Eastham is celebrating Earth Day and asking neighbors to do the same. For just one hour, between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon, the Chamber of Commerce, Recreation and Beach Department and Department of Public Works are asking residents and visitors alike to go clean up their little slice of paradise.

The magic low tide flats at First Encounter Beach in Eastham.
The magic low tide flats at First Encounter Beach in Eastham.

Create a team and pick a local park, landing or beach — listed on the town’s Earth Day web page — and register online for free. On the day of cleanup, buckets will be provided and collected by the DPW. For more information and to sign up, visit  www.members.easthamchamber.com/events/calendar/.

Barnstable Land Trust

The Barnstable Land Trust is hosting several events in celebration of Earth Day.

On Earth Day, join Ellen Snoeyenbos as she leads the newly established Walkers Reading Group through the poetry of Mary Oliver’s “Devotions” and along the trail of the Pogorelc Sanctuary. The reading walk begins at 10 a.m. and costs $15 for nonmembers, $10 for members. Registration is required and participants can sign up at www.blt.org/mary-oliver/.

Sue Sullivan walks along one of the trails in the Pogorelc Sanctuary in West Barnstable Dec. 22, 2022. Sullivan, the director of communications for the Barnstable Land Trust, was photographed in the Pogorelc Sanctuary which is located behind the trust's conservation center on Route 6A.
Sue Sullivan walks along one of the trails in the Pogorelc Sanctuary in West Barnstable Dec. 22, 2022. Sullivan, the director of communications for the Barnstable Land Trust, was photographed in the Pogorelc Sanctuary which is located behind the trust's conservation center on Route 6A.

The land trust is teaming up with the Cape Cod Collaborative Arts Network for a special Earth Day “Maker Monday.” During the event, participants will create nature-based art pieces to celebrate the importance of the Earth. The event will take place at 5 p.m. at the Cotuit Center for the Arts (4404 Falmouth Road) and costs $15 to attend. To register for the event, visit www.artsonthecape.org/cape-cod-can/.

Museum celebrations

The Heritage Museums & Gardens and the Cahoon Museum of American Art1 are both hosting Earth Day celebrations on April 20.

At the Cahoon, celebrations begin at 10 a.m. and include drop-in arts and crafts with recycled materials, a scavenger hunt and a special Earth Day Gift from the museum. Admission is included with a museum ticket and guests can register online at www.cahoonmuseum.org/. The Cahoon Museum of American Art is located at 4674 Falmouth Road in Cotuit.

The Cahoon Museum of American Art is celebrating Earth Day on April 20.
The Cahoon Museum of American Art is celebrating Earth Day on April 20.

At Heritage Museums and Gardens, festivities also begin at 10 a.m. with a scavenger hunt through the gardens and galleries, a lesson on the Old East Mill and windmill crafting, a "recycling relay" and other games on the Parade Field and a talk with the curator of "Charging Ahead," the museum's current exhibit on America's early electric cars. A presentation on environmental sustainability will also be given at 11 a.m.

Admission is included with museum tickets and guests can purchase them online at www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/. The Heritage Museums and Gardens is located at 67 Grove St. in Sandwich.

Truro Climate Action Committee

Looking to have Earth Day fun with the little ones in your life? The Truro Climate Action Committee and Truro Public Library are hosting a fun Earth Day reading of “All of Me is Nature: Exploring my Five Senses Outside,” by Ashley Jefferson, and a scavenger hunt created by Lili Flanders, vice chair for the Truro Climate Action Committee, based on the book.

The event begins at 10:30 a.m. on April 20 at the Truro Public Library (7 Standish Way in North Truro.) For more information, visit www.trurolibrary.org/.

Harwich Conservation Trust

Andrea Higgins, a mindful outdoor guide, leads a “mindful outdoor experience,” with the Harwich Conservation Trust at 8 a.m. on Earth Day through the D. Isabel Smith Monomoy River Conservation Lands. 

The hike is $18 per person. To register, visit www.harwichconservationtrust.org/.

Film screenings

Planet PTown Environmental Film series

The Provincetown Film Society and Center for Coastal Studies are teaming up once again for their second annual “Planet PTown '' Environmental Film Series at the Waters Edge Theater during Earth Day weekend.

“Inundation District,” a new documentary about rising tides and the city of Boston’s decision to create the Seaport District despite the threats of climate change, kicks off the weekend with a screening at 11 a.m. on April 20. A discussion with director David Abel will follow.

Michael Packard's story of surviving being in a whale is told in "In The Whale," a documentary by David Abel. The Provincetown Film Society and Center for Coastal Studies are hosting a screening of the film at 11 a.m. on April 21 as part of their "Planet PTown" film series.
Michael Packard's story of surviving being in a whale is told in "In The Whale," a documentary by David Abel. The Provincetown Film Society and Center for Coastal Studies are hosting a screening of the film at 11 a.m. on April 21 as part of their "Planet PTown" film series.

On April 21, Abel returns to the theater for an 11 a.m. screening of his famed documentary “In the Whale,” the story of how one Provincetown lobsterman survived being in a whale.

“Rescuing Our Oceans Through Recycled Art” brings us to Earth Day. The documentary, which focuses on how a group of Cape Cod artists are using trash found in their oceans and on their beaches to create a larger conversation around what we can do to save our beaches. The screening is followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and scientists from the Center for Coastal Studies.

Tickets are $20 per film and can be purchased online at www.provincetownfilm.org/planet-ptown-3/.

‘Common Ground’ screening

Starring Laura Dern, Woody Harrelson, Jason Momoa and more, “Common Ground” uses celebrities to explain the link between our soil and the issues we face in our day-to-day lives and how regenerative farming practices could be the solution.

Farming Falmouth and the Falmouth Climate Action Committee are hosting a free screening of the documentary at 6 p.m. on April 22 at the Waquoit Congregational Church (15 Parsons Lane in East Falmouth) in honor of Earth Day. The screening is followed by a discussion on regenerative practices happening in our own backyards and local farming.

To register, email FalmouthCAN@gmail.com with the subject line “Common Ground Registration.”

Frankie Rowley covers entertainment and things to do. Contact her at frowley@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Nature Walks, beach cleanups, 'In The Whale': Earth Day on Cape Cod