Get outside during Great Outdoors Month with Hike Barnstable programs
As the summer weather begins, the Barnstable Land Trust is encouraging folks to enjoy the great outdoors during its annual Hike Barnstable event in celebration of Great Outdoors Month.
Throughout June, the trust will be hosting several walks, talks and other fun events with local community partners — sponsored in part by Cape Cod Healthcare — celebrating the area's beautiful surroundings and local conservation efforts.
“The ultimate goal is no matter how you relate to your natural surroundings, hopefully, you can find something in our programs that you'll want to try and experience,” said Sue Dahling Sullivan, director of communications and programming for the Barnstable Land Trust.
Hike Barnstable returns through June 30
For its capstone event, the Trust is partnering with the Cape Symphony, Cape Cod CAN, Cotuit Library and AmeriCorps Cape Cod, to present its third Flowerpot Music Concert at 5:30 p.m. on June 20 at Ropes Field.
“It's sort of like a mini Tanglewood experience, but you're part of the symphony and music,” Dahling Sullivan said.
Guests are asked to bring their own flower pots or metal bowls to join in on the music-making on the eve of the summer solstice. Picnics are encouraged and drumsticks will be provided.
Outside of the Flower Pot concert, the trust is running several walks, talks and fun events each week. Here are some interesting ones to keep an eye out for:
Hike the historic Marstons Mills Cranberry Bogs
The Barnstable Land Trust and Barnstable Clean Water Coalition invite hikers to be some of the first to walk on the historic cranberry bogs at the headwaters of the Marstons Mills River during a bog restoration walk at 10 a.m. on June 11.
Last year, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs in support of the Marstons Mills River ecological restoration awarded the coalition a $1.6m grant for the Marstons Mills River ecological restoration project allowing it to purchase the land.
The trust holds a conservation restriction on the land, according to Dahling Sullivan, and is working with the coalition to help "rewild" the bogs and reduce nitrogen pollution in the Three Bays Estuary.
“They help to protect the water quality,” she said. “Especially (since) bogs are linked to rivers, ponds and all the rest. I think that will be … a nice, easy hike but you'll learn a little bit more about what's happening in projects like this across the Cape.”
Hiking 101 with the Appalachian Mountain Club
The trust is teaming up with the Southeastern Massachusetts Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club for a Hiking 101 walk and talk at Fuller Farm. The class will start with the need-to-knows about hiking gear, footwear and clothing followed by a guided hike on the farm's meadow trail.
The event begins at 10 a.m. on June 13 and is free to attend.
Sandy Neck Beach Walks
Two walks of Sandy Neck Beach are happening for Hike Barnstable.
At 10 a.m. on June 18, join the BLT and Sandy Neck Park staff for a walk along the beach spotting the piping plovers and their nests. During the mile hike through the dunes, guests will learn more about the adorable shorebirds and the conservation efforts being made to protect the endangered species.
Then at 10 a.m. on June 25, join the BLT and Sandy Neck Park staff for a summer flora and fauna walk through the Great Marsh and dunes and learn about the ongoing restoration and protection of the land.
Hiking boots are recommended for both hikes over the uneven sandy terrain.
Cotuit Scavenger Hunt
From June 24 to 28, pick up a scavenger hunt list from the Cotuit Library (871 Main St.)
The hunt is sponsored by the trust and library along with the Cotuit Federated Church, Cotuit Fresh Market, Barnstable Land Trust, Cahoon Museum of Art, Historical Society of Santuit and Cotuit, Cotuit Fire Department, and Cotuit Center for the Arts and covers all of Cotuit.
Barnstable Land Trust trail maps and activity pages
If you’re looking to enjoy the outdoors on your own time, the Trust has three trail maps — Barnstable, Eagle Pond and Cape Cod Pathways — available online, at select local libraries and at its office (1540 Main St., West Barnstable.) Activity pages are also available online as well.
To register for Hike Barnstable events, download maps and activities or to learn more about this month’s programming, visit www.blt.org/hikebarnstable/.
Frankie Rowley covers entertainment and things to do. Contact her at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Celebrate Great Outdoors Month with Hike Barnstable programs
