’Tis the season to celebrate planet earth, with Earth Day falling on Tuesday, April 22, and Arbor Day falling on Friday, April 25.
Earth Day has been celebrated around the world since 1970 as a day to show support for environmental protection. Arbor Day, observed internationally as a day to plant trees, originated in Spain in 1594 and has been observed in the United States since 1872.
Both offer the perfect excuse for regional environmental groups to invite the community to join them in celebration of and service to our natural world.
The Friends of Princeton Open Space, a nonprofit established in 1969 to protect natural resources and preserve open space, offers several stewardship sessions at the Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. The next session takes place Saturday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers, guided by FOPOS staff, perform ecosystem restoration and invasive species removal.
That afternoon, from 1 to 3 p.m., FOPOS hosts its monthly nature walk at Mountain Lakes. The guided walk offers a chance to explore lush trails, vibrant spring blooms, and the sights and sounds of nature as the season comes alive. FOPOS’ stewardship team also shares insights into the history of the preserve and the ongoing land stewardship efforts.
Registration is required for both events. Volunteers and walkers should wear sturdy, weather-appropriate footwear.
FOPOS also hosts an Earth Day land stewardship volunteer event on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers can sign up for a morning session from 10 a.m. to noon or afternoon session from 1 to 3 p.m. In between, volunteers can enjoy a community potluck and native plant giveaway.
Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, 20 Mountain Avenue, Princeton. For more information and to register for events, visit www.fopos.org/events-programs.
The Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands hosts an Arbor Day Celebration of Native Plants on Saturday, April 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Mapleton Preserve in Kingston.
The free event celebrates the grand opening of two Eagle Scout Projects: a 10’ x 50’ native wildflower garden, developed by Eagle Scout Hamsika Yadavalli; and two planters with native shrubs, constructed by her twin brother and Eagle Scout candidate Kartikeya Yadavalli. Attendees have the opportunity to tour the new gardens; learn the value of native plants and shrubs for your garden, invasive plants you can eat, and composting; and help plant this year’s Arbor Day tree. Refreshments will be served.
Mapleton Preserve, 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston. For more information, visit fpnl.org.
The Kingston Greenways Association (KGA) hosts two Earth Day cleanups on Saturday, April 19.
The morning session, from 9 to 11 a.m. is a cleanup of Laurel Avenue and vicinity of Rockingham Historic Site, from just north of the village of Kingston up to Route 518. Volunteers should meet at the Rockingham parking lot, 84 Laurel Avenue, Kingston.
Volunteers for the afternoon session, from 2 to 4 p.m., gather at the Mapleton Preserve at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston to pick up trash in the Preserve and along Mapleton Road.
The KGA provides grabbers, gloves, orange vests, and garbage bags. Wear sturdy clothing and boots. The event takes place rain or shine.
For more information, visit www.kingstongreenways.org.
“Party like It’s Your Earth Day” with Sustainable Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden on Sunday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Morven. The free, family-friendly event, takes place rain or shine.
Two portions of the event require advance registration:
At 11 a.m., Gemma from Gratitude Yoga offers a free all-levels yoga class held outdoors, weather permitting.
A Trashion Show — featuring original fashion designs made from items that would otherwise have been discarded or recycled — takes place at noon. Participants walk in the show, and designs will be judged with prizes awarded for each age category, as well as a “People’s Choice” award. To participate, please register by Friday, April 18.
In addition, community organizations offer ongoing activities throughout the event:
The Center for Modern Aging displays a “Found Object” art gallery.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Composting Chickens teaches the ABCs of home composting chickens and introduces a friendly flock. The Princeton Environmental Commission offers information on how to compost with food waste.
Several groups offer nature-themed crafting activities. Friends of Princeton Open Space teaches participants how to make pinecone bird feeders with sunflower butter. Teaching artist Liz Massa of the Arts Council of Princeton guides the creation of a collaborative art installation using cardboard and recycled materials to build a whimsical city of houses, people, roads, and trees. The Watershed Institute show how to make bee hotels out of bamboo. And Princeton Public Library leads a storytime and the making of nature art frames.
Morven Museum offers horticulturist-led garden tours at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m., each lasting 30-40 minutes. The museum also offers a photo booth, with printed keepsakes available in return for a small donation to Sustainable Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden.
Princeton Record Exchange explains the process of “recycling” people’s music and movies and gives away free 45s to celebrate the store’s 45th anniversary.
Bring your damaged clothing to Princeton University’s Mend for a lesson on “How to upcycle a T-Shirt” and make light clothing repairs with basic sewing skills. Student EcoReps from the university’s Office of Sustainability give out seed paper cutouts.
Road Maestro gives free bike safety inspections and diagnostics and will refill your bike tires.
Sprouts Flower Truck will be on site selling locally grown flower bouquets. In addition to flowers, attendees can buy food from vendors including the bent spoon, Alfalfa, Carlito’s Wagon, Iquisine, Nosh, and Small World Coffee.
The event is also an opportunity to declutter in a sustainable way. Bring unwanted clothing to the Helpsy clothing drive to be re-worn, reused, or recycled.
Princeton Public Schools facilitates an all-ages book swap, so bring books you no longer want to trade for ones you do.
Bring your own reusable water bottle to be filled on site as well as a blanket to enjoy a picnic lunch and live music.
Morven Museum and Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. For more information and event registration, visit www.sustainableprinceton.org.
The Pennington-based Watershed Institute hots a series of stream cleanups in various communities. Cleanups in East Windsor, Hightstown, Monroe, Pennington, and Rocky Hill take place Saturday, April 26; and in West Windsor on Sunday, April 27. Each volunteer will receive a complimentary tree sapling. Registration is required. For details on cleanup time and location in each municipality and to sign up, visit thewatershed.org/programs-events-page.
Bowman Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, Pennsylvania, marks Earth Day as part of its Thursday Night Nature series of Zoom-based presentations. On April 24 from 7 to 8 p.m. Mike Weilbacher presents “Earth Day: The History and Future of the Planet’s Biggest Day.” Registration is required. Cost: $15.
The venue describes the event and speaker as follows:
“On April 22’s Earth Day, an amazing one billion people in 190 countries will pause to commemorate the planet — planting trees, cleaning shorelines, engaging in teach-ins and sit-ins — making it the world’s largest non religious holiday. As a historian of Earth Day, Mike Weilbacher’s visually engaging lecture explores the rich and surprising history of the event, with a special focus on Philadelphia’s 1970 week of programming that garnered national attention. From the 1970’s past-event passage of a huge raft of legislation, to the birth of curbside recycling in 1990, to today’s global incarnation, Mike looks at the day’s accomplishments — and peeks into his crystal ball to predict its future.
“Writer-naturalist Mike Weilbacher is an environmental educator with 40 years of experience teaching through lectures, walks, newspaper essays, theatrical performances and radio. His first book, ‘Wild Philly,’ features 29 nature walks in the region, plus tons of additional information about nature and the environment. His article on horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds along the Delaware Bay has been recently published in Philadelphia Magazine.
“Weilbacher travels the area offering lectures, walks and other programs on nature and the environment, talking about issues like climate change and protecting monarch butterflies. He’s presented many times at Preserve. A former nonprofit executive director, he’s known to public radio listeners as ‘Mike the All-Natural Science Guy’ on the award-winning children’s radio show ‘Kid’s Corner’ on WXPN, where he has been talking to children about nature and the environment for more than 35 years. Check out his website mikeweilbacher.com for more information.”
For more information or to register, visit www.bhwp.org.
Celebrate Earth Day and the new exhibition “Ecosystems at Risk: Threatened and Endangered in New Jersey” at a family-friendly event at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The day includes hands-on activities, talks on water health and tidal marshlands, urban birdwatching (weather permitting), and more with museum staff and guests from the Tulpehaking Nature Center, New Jersey Audubon, Mercer County Master Gardeners, and New Jersey DEP Watershed Ambassador. A limited number of discounted tickets to the Planetarium show “We Are Guardians” are also available.
The New Jersey State Museum is located at 205 West State Street, Trenton. For more information, visit www.nj.gov/state/museum/index.shtml.
