Earth Day 2021 Stewardship Opportunities

Event Details

Join the more than 1 billion people worldwide that are celebrating this year’s global Earth Day theme of “Restore Our Earth” by improving local wildlife habitat in our community on April 22, 23 or 24. Restoring and enhancing habitat attracts birds, butterflies, and other pollinators, beautifies our neighborhoods, and improves air and water quality, which benefits everyone in the community. The City is offering several options to get involved in habitat restoration while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines. Learn more below.

1. Attend a Community-Led Work Party in your Neighborhood

Find a date and time that works for you to volunteer for a few hours between April 22 and April 24. Volunteers will remove invasive species, spread mulch, care for gardens and more.

Work parties will be held at the dates, times and locations below. Group size is limited and registration is required. It is free to register! To register, click a link below for an event you are interested in and follow the instructions. You can also find the full list of events by searching “volunteer” on ActiveNet.

Thursday, April 22

9 a.m. to noon	1 to 4 p.m.	5 to 7 p.m.
Big Rock Garden Park	Connelly Creek Nature Area (North – near Joe’s Garden)	Railroad Trail at Pacific St.
Little Squalicum Park	Connelly Creek Nature Area (South – near Donovan Ave.)
Samish Crest Trail	16th St. Trail by Knox and Mill Ave.
Whatcom Falls Park	Railroad Trail at Niagara St.
	Railroad Trail at Vining St. and View Ridge Dr.

Friday, April 23

9 a.m. to noon	1 to 4 p.m.	5 to 7 p.m.
Harriet Spanel Park	Railroad Trail at Niagara St.	Squalicum Creek Park (Willow Spring)
Whatcom Falls Park	Railroad Trail at Vining St. and View Ridge Dr.	Railroad Trail at Pacific St.
	Cornwall Park (South entrance)

Saturday, April 24

9 a.m. to noon

Julianna Park

Sehome Hill Arboretum

Squalicum Creek Park (NW Corner)

Squalicum Creek Park (Willow Spring)

Interurban Trail at Lindsay Ave. (cancelled)

Larrabee Ave. and 21st St. Right-of-Way

Lower Padden Creek Trail (10th St. and Donovan Ave.)

Railroad Trail at Vining St. and View Ridge Dr.

Big Rock Garden Park

Connelly Creek Nature Area (North – near Joe’s Garden)

All ages and abilities are welcome! Tools, gloves, and direction provided. Masks are required and COVID safety guidelines must be followed.

2. Stewardship in your Backyard

If you can’t join a work party, you can still be a part of the global effort to “Restore Our Earth” by creating wildlife habitat in your own backyard. See our Backyard Habitat Restoration website for tips and ideas created and compiled by City staff. Spring is an ideal time to apply mulch, remove invasive plants, and add features to your yard that will attract wildlife. We recommend planting native trees and shrubs in the late fall and winter for a better chance of success.

3. Become a Park Steward and Volunteer Independently

You can adopt your local park, trail or open space for Earth Day and beyond! Park Stewards are long-term volunteers who work independently after receiving training and direction. Park Stewards can volunteer individually or as a group. This is a great way to get the whole family involved! Visit www.cob.org/parkvolunteer for more information.

Contact

City of Bellingham – Parks Volunteer Program and Public Works Natural Resources
Phone: (360) 778-7105
Email: pkvolunteers@cob.org

More Earth Day Activities

The City of Bellingham is hosting several other family-friendly activities to celebrate Earth Day 2021. Learn more at www.cob.org/earthday2021.