Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22, 2018. Whether you are an avid outdoors adventurer or more of a couch potato, there are plenty of fun activities coming up this weekend and beyond to celebrate our great outdoors.
There are events happening all across the state, from litter pickups to educational experiences, and from our big cities to our rural towns. Below is a list of (just some of the) Earth Day events around Washington state:
- STATEWIDE: No Discover Pass will be required for entrance to Washington state parks on April 22! That means that anyone can visit these beautiful public lands for free on Sunday. Read More
- In Thurston County, an Earth Day celebration will be held at the WET Science Center and volunteer stewardship event will take place at Priest Point Park (both in Olympia). Numerous other work parties and fun events will take place this weekend around the Olympia/Tumwater/Lacey area and beyond, including tree plantings and park clean-ups. Also, don’t forget to mark your calendar for the Luminary Procession and the Procession of the Species in downtown Olympia next weekend (April 27-28). this year’s theme is “A Kinship with the Earth.”
- Park maintenance, weeding, and tree plantings are just a few of the events being held in King County (in Maple Valley, Skyway, Renton, and Tukwila).
- Seattle area events include Earth Day parties and clean-ups in Capitol Hill, Discovery Park, the University of Washington campus, the Washington Park Arboretum (home to the new WWRP Waterfront Trail!), and more.
- In Snohomish County, Earth Day celebrations, recycling events, and more will be held in Everett.
- Marysville residents will celebrate by planting trees to restore middle fork Quilceda Creek, learning about native plants, and watching baby salmon with fish cams.
- Sustainable Wenatchee will be holding an Earth Day fair outside of Pybus Market in Wenatchee, sponsored by Chelan PUD and Link Transit. First-graders from East Wenatchee also planted young peach trees earlier this week.
- For more Wenatchee area Earth Day events, check out this link.
- The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust will also be holding a family scavenger hunt on Sunday at the Jacobsen Preserve.
- Bellingham will host numerous Earth Day events, including beer hop planting at the Chuckanut Center and celebrations at Aslan Brewing and Stones Throw Brewery (it so happens to also be Bellingham Beer Week!), as well as clean-up parties, recycling events, and native plant potting.
- In the Methow Valley, the Methow Conservancy will lead an Earth Day Volunteer Work Party at Lewis Butte (rigorous work will be cut out for the volunteers).
- Spokane area events include planting trees at Deadman Creek, a trail work crew clean-up at Iller Creek, led by Coalition partners Washington Trails Association), a crag clean-up and after party with a rockclimbing group, and much more.
- In Walla Walla, the Blue Mountain Land Trust has put together a Nature Kids Earth Day party at the Whitman Mission National Historic Site, which will include exploring and orienting kids with nature, sing-along songs, and much more.
These just a sampling of the many events taking place across this beautiful state. Whatever you choose to do this weekend, make sure you spend some time in our great outdoors and enjoy the incredible bounty that mother nature has given us.
This bounty is the very reason that we at the Coalition do this work. Because we want to make sure that future generations of Washingtonians aren’t denied the outdoor experiences that we have been lucky enough to have.
Happy Earth Day to all!
Are there other Earth Day events that you’d like us to include on this list? Email Danica to add them!
Want to help the Coalition in our work to protect our great outdoors? Donate on our website or GiveBIG to the Coalition on May 9.