Earth Day weekend offers flurry of activities, events
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 20, 2022
The Olympic Peninsula is a fine spot to celebrate Earth Day, with a number of groups hosting or partnering to host nature-themed events and activities for all ages.
Here are a few activities to celebrate the day:
Studium Generale speaker
Peninsula College’s Studium Generale welcomes Dr. Corey Larson, professor in the Native Pathways Program through the Evergreen State College, at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21. In a lecture and slideshow titled “Outbreak at Sequalitchew: Colonial Implications and Sovereign Expressions during the 1836-1837 Epidemics,” Larson will discuss how present circumstances often influence the way that we interpret the past.
Join the Zoom meeting at pencol-edu.zoom.us/j/88082575506 (meeting ID: 880 8257 5506).
Annual conservation breakfast
The North Olympic Land Trust’s 14th-annual Conservation Breakfast is set for 9 a.m. Friday, April 22, on Zoom. Cost is free (donations accepted).
The featured speaker is famed lepidopterist, Dr. Robert Michael Pyle, who will focus his discussion on ways to observe butterflies and moths in all their life stages. Bertha Cooper, author and Sequim Gazette featured columnist, will lead the audience and Pyle in a Q&A.
A highlight of the breakfast is awarding a local citizen or group with the Land Trust’s “Out Standing in the Field” award. This award, which recognizes locals who are preeminent in their respective field and make big differences in the community for conservation, goes this year to local photographer John Gussman.
To register, visit northolympiclandtrust.org.
Earth day rhymes, songs
The North Olympic Library System (NOLS) is partnering with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Library and the North Olympic Land Trust to celebrate Earth Day. Catch a series of Earth Day-themed rhymes and songs featuring early literacy tips for little learners on nols.org/early-learning-songs-and-rhymes and on the NOLS YouTube channel.
Grab a Salmon Life Cycle Take and Make beading project kit at any North Olympic Library System branch.
Earth Day celebration at the pier
Join in a free Earth Day Celebration from 11 am.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at he Port Angeles City Pier
The event includes music from Olympic Peninsula favorites The Lost Trio, playing blues and Americana. Principal speakers include Clallam County commissioner Mark Ozias, who will address the climate crisis, and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe chairman W. Ron Allen, who will speak on critically endangered salmon and orcas.
The event will also include an exhibition of locally-owned electric vehicles (owners will be present to talk about their experience) and a presentation at 1:15 p.m. about electric vehicles by Olympic Climate Action’s Tony Billera, in the Fiero Marine Center, 315 N. Lincoln St.
Save Our wild Salmon representatives note that more than a dozen groups and organizations will have informational tables at the event.
Scavenger hunt at the Lyre
On Saturday, April 23, stop by the Lyre Conservation Area for a group scavenger hunt from 10:30-11 a.m. Registration is required. The group will gather at the trailhead and leave at 10:30 a.m., following the trail toward the beach and stopping along the way to use their senses to explore plants, animals and insects. Self-guided exploration can continue at the end of the trail.
Between 10:30 a.m.-noon at the trailhead, snacks will be offered and copies of the scavenger hunt can be picked up during this time for a self-guided exploration of the Lyre Conservation Area at your own pace.
A trail guide including detailed information on trail conditions, elevation changes, getting to the site, wheelchair access, and other factors of accessibility can be found at DisabledHikers.com.
The Lyre Conservation Area is located on Reynold Road off U.S. Highway 112, about 4 miles west of Joyce. A printable map of the area can be found here. The Earth Day activities are recommended for youths and families ages 6 and older; youth 12 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Participants need to sign a waiver at the trailhead to join the guided scavenger hunt walk.
The Earth Day Scavenger Hunt at the Lyre includes a flat, 1-mile trail to the beach (2 miles round-trip back to the parking area).
The Lyre Conservation Area has one port-a-potty located at the end of the 1-mile trail near the water. The conservation area is pack-it-in/pack-it-out and trash bags will be available at the trailhead for this event.
Washington Coast Cleanup
Washington CoastSavers and local partners offer the Washington Coast Cleanup, beach cleanups across the North Olympic Peninsula along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean coastline.
Sign up for a beach and time to volunteer at coastsavers.org.
A beach cleanup is set at Harborview Park in Ediz Hook. Event registration starts at 1:30 p.m. with the cleanup beginning at 2 p.m.
“We’ll have basic supplies available at the registration station but encourage participants to bring any reusables they may already have such as buckets, gloves, grabbers and a water bottle,” said Joseph Stride of the Surfrider Foundation. “Also, don’t forget to layer up for ever changing spring weather and wear comfy, sturdy shoes. Hope to see you there!”
