For Immediate Release Contact: Wendy Fox
April 13, 2007 617-626-1453
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION
TO HOLD EARTH DAY EVENTS
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will be celebrating Earth Day with numerous events held at its properties throughout the Commonwealth. Activities range from volunteer clean-ups to hikes, live animal demonstrations and music. All are welcome to attend!
Earth Day events will start in the week leading up to Earth Day (Sunday, April 22), and will continue through the month of May.
Earth Day began in 1970 as a nationwide public demonstration and “teach-in” on the environment. It has become a worldwide event, both a celebration of the environments in which we live, and a day to reflect on the delicate balance of nature. Grassroots organizations use the day to raise awareness, organize participatory events, and educate people on environmental issues.
A complete list of events is attached
April 16 to April 20 (School Vacation
Week)
SCA MassParks AmeriCorps Nature Camp
Kenneth Dubuque State Forest
Rte. 8A, Hawley ~ 413-339-5504
Day camp focusing on
exploring the natural world, for local children from grades K-8. Must call to register
(413-339-6631). The SCA MassParks AmeriCorps program is
sponsored by DCR and the Student Conservation Association.
Kids Spring Vacation
Activities
Tuesday,
April 17 – Friday, April 20, 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Middlesex Fells Reservation
Stoneham ~ 617-727-1199
Kids with interest in nature
are invited to spend vacation mornings with DCR Staff who will assist
participants with 4 out of 8 activities. Take-home activities will be given to those
wishing to complete the program, but you may come for as few or as many
projects as you wish. Geared to ages
8-12, but friends and siblings are welcome to help out. Adults, please plan to spend the first and
last 10 minutes with the group. Kids,
dress for the weather. Held at the Botume
House Visitor Center.
Saturday, April 21
Eighth Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Charles River Reservation
Boston, Cambridge
This is the largest Earth Day
event in Massachusetts, attracting approximately 1,500 volunteers, who pick up
trash and clean the riverbank. DCR
Acting Commissioner Priscilla Geigis will take part in the speaking program
(9:00 – 9:30 a.m.) at the Hatch Shell.
DCR co-sponsors the event, which is organized by the Charles River
Watershed Association, MassPIRG, the Charles River
Conservancy, The Esplanade Association, Charles River Stream Team, the City of
Newton and Senator Steven Tolman’s Office.
Annual Spring Cleanup of Hemlock Gorge
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Hemlock Gorge Reservation
Needham ~ 617-333-7404
Sponsored
by DCR and the Friends of Hemlock Gorge. Help beautify this 23-acre
woodland nestled along the banks of the Charles River. Meet at the Hemlock Gorge parking area on
Hamilton Place in Needham. Refreshments will
be provided.
Harbor
Cruise to Thompson Island
Boston Harbor
Islands National Park Area
617-727-5290
Celebrate Earth Day with a trip to beautiful Thompson
Island. The island's natural features
include woods, open fields, a pond, and fifty acres of salt marsh to
explore. Co-sponsored by
the Volunteers and Friends of Boston Harbor Islands. The cruise departures from
both Quincy Shipyard and Central Wharf in Boston. From Quincy: 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; From
Boston: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Tickets
and reservations from Harbor Island Express (617-222-6999): $19 for adults; $17
for students, seniors and Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands members; and,
$15 for children 3-11. Children under 3
are free.
DCR Ranger-Lead Hike
Breakheart Reservation
Forest Street, Saugus ~ 781-233-0834
Join a DCR Ranger in hiking
Breakheart Reservation. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center, 177 Forest
Street, off the Lynn Fells Parkway in Saugus. The hike will be moderate, lasting 2 hours,
traversing a route over Breakheart Hill and the Saugus River, and through Camp Nihan.
Story Time at Breakheart
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Breakheart Reservation
Forest Street, Saugus ~ 781-233-0834
Join us for a nature themed story,
snack, and craft for preschool- and kindergarten-aged children. The free program will be held at the fully
accessible Christopher P. Dunne Visitor Center, 177 Forest Street, off the Lynn
Fells Parkway in Saugus.
Five Mile
Hike
11:00 a.m.
Borderland
State Park
259 Massapoag
Avenue, Easton / Sharon ~ 508-238-6566
Join Clare Braye for this
five-mile hike throughout Borderland’s trails.
Wear sturdy footwear, bring water and a snack. Baby strollers are not recommended. The hike is co-sponsored by DCR and the Friends
of Borderland. $2
parking fee.
Pilgrim Sands Trail Riders Annual Trail Clean-up Day
Freetown-Fall River State Forest
Slab Bridge Road, Assonet ~ 508-644-5522
On this annual clean-up day,
projects typically include sprucing up the main area and roadsides of
trails. This year, a new and improved
self-interpretive trail will be introduced. Co-sponsored by
the Friends of Freetown-Fall River State Forest.
Earth Day Cleanup
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State
Park
287 Oak Street, Uxbridge ~ 508-278-7604
The Blackstone
Valley Youth Leadership Academy (twenty-five tenth and eleventh graders from
various high schools throughout the region) will be sprucing up the
Canal towpath, assembling of an osprey nesting platform, and other chores as
their community service teamwork project. The Southern New England Geocachers community will also be doing trash and
roadside cleanup from each of the various trail heads within the Heritage
State Park. Both groups will gather together for a lunch in the
afternoon.
Vernal Pools Field Work
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Willard Brook State Forest
Rte. 119, Ashby & Townsend ~
978-597-8802
Get
vernal pools certification experience.
Come and explore vernal pools, searching for egg masses, fairy shrimp
and tadpoles. Help gather the evidence
to certify and protect more vernal pools. Some waders will be available, but bring your
own if you have them. Meet at Memorial
Hall parking lot in Townsend center. Carpools
to the vernal pool sites will depart from there. Sponsored by the Friends of
Willard Brook State Forest.
Earth Day Service Event
8:15 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Stony Brook Reservation
Turtle Pond Parkway, West Roxbury/Hyde
Park ~ 617-333-7404
This
beautification effort will include clean-up, walking trail rehabilitation, and
painting fire gates. Be sure to wear
sturdy footwear, layers, long sleeves and pants. Bring water, sunscreen, and rain gear; work
gloves will be provided. Co-sponsored by DCR, City Year, the Dancing Deer Bakery, and the
Timberland Company.
Sunday, April 22
Fells Invasive Species
Days
11:00 a.m.
Middlesex Fells Reservation
Stoneham ~ 617-727-1199
Help DCR eradicate invasive
plants like garlic mustard, knotweed, bittersweet, etc. Meet
at the Botume House, 4 Woodland Road in Stoneham.
Earth Day Geology Hike
10:00 a.m.
Borderland
State Park
259 Massapoag
Avenue, Easton / Sharon ~ 508-238-6566
Join Bill Hocking for this ramble through Borderland
to see glacial erratics, bog iron, volcanic rock and
more. Co-sponsored DCR
and Friends of Borderland.
NEMBA Trail Project
Harold Parker State Forest
1951 Turnpike Street (Rte. 114), North Andover ~
978-686-3391
The New England Mountain
Biking Association (NEMBA) will sponsor a trail maintenance project on the
Upper Terry Trail.
Saturday, April 28
Big Bearhole Pond Annual
Cleanup
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Massasoit State Park
Middleboro Avenue, Taunton ~ 508-822-7405
The Big Bearhole
Association will perform their annual cleanup of the area surrounding Big Bearhole Pond in Massasoit State Park.
Saturday, May 5
Wake Up the Earth Festival
Southwest Corridor Park
Jamaica Plain ~ 617-727-0057
This multicultural
festival, now in its 29th year, is a celebration of what can be
accomplished when people of all traditions, cultures, ages, and beliefs come
together. The festival will include
performances, food, arts & crafts vendors, a parade, and more. It will be held near the Stony Brook MBTA
station.
Saturday, May 12
Annual
Merrimack River Shoreline Cleanup
9:00 a.m. –
2:00 p.m.
Maudslay
State Park
Curzon Mill Road,
Newburyport ~ 978 465-7223
This year, the annual cleanup event will include cutting
back some brush to reopen lost vistas near the prominent house sites and tree
plantings. Free refreshments and
seedlings will be provided for volunteers.
Saturday, May 26
WBOS Annual Earth Fest Concert
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Hatch Memorial Shell, Esplanade, Boston
This popular annual Earth Day
concert and celebration features entertainment and Earth Day-related
informational booths sponsored by a variety of agencies and non-profit
organizations.
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