Earth Day,

Earth Week, & Arbor Day

Celebrate Earth Day!

For 2026, the Columbia County Climate Smart Task Force is promoting the many Earth Day, Earth Week, and Arbor Day events happening all around the county.

If your municipality or organization is planning an event during the weeks surrounding Earth Day, let us know and we can add it to the list.

Earth Day Film Fest

On April 19th - The County Climate Smart Task Force & Columbia Land Conservancy will be hosting a Film Festival at the Crandell Theater in Chatham.
We will be showing two films on local biodiversity and farming with nature, followed by a panel discussion of local experts.

Free Admission!

Starting at Noon

Columbia Land conservancy will be showcasing the recently completed Plan to Conserve Columbia County, and celebrating the anniversary of the launching of the GoCoCo website.

From 1:00 to 3:00 pm

We will be showing two films:

Farmscape Ecology by Jon Bowermaster - A 26-minute film attempting to answer the question: “How can we produce food while ensuring farmers’ livelihoods, and respecting the needs of other organisms with whom we share the land?”

The Nature of Nature - Biodiversity in the Hudson Valley directed by Laura deNey and produced by Flicker Filmworks in partnership with the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, and Cornell University - This 33-minute film celebrates the remarkable plants, animals, and habitats in the Hudson River estuary watershed, guided by the biologists and conservationists who know it best.

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The films will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Columbia County Climate Smart Task Force Chair David Newman.

Panelists will be:

Laura Heady - Conservation and Land Use Program Coordinator at the Hudson River Estuary Program
Troy Weldy - President Columbia Land Conservancy
Will Yandik - A fourth generation Columbia County farmer and independent researcher with a background in environmental sciences
Conrad Vispo - Wildlife Ecologist and Co-coordinator of the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program

Location:

Columbia Land Conservancy, 49 Main Street, Chatham, NY 12037, and

Crandell Theatre, 48 Main Street, Chatham, NY 12037

Informational tables will be on site, staffed by the Capital Region Clean Energy Hub, and Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program with copies of their latest book From the Hudson to the Taconics available for purchase.

Watch the Trailer

Google Maps for driving directions

Earth Day/Arbor Day Tree Plantings by County Municipalities

Columbia County Soil & Water Conservation District has provided County municipalities hosting an Earth Day event with one native ball and burlap or 10 gallon potted tree for planting on municipal grounds. The trees are 7-10 ft tall, generally above deer browse height, and will be delivered by CCSWCD to the planting location before their scheduled event.

If a time and contact person is not listed after an event, please contact someone at the town or village hall for more information.

Municipalities with plans to Plant a Tree:

Austerlitz - Sat. April 18 at Spencertown Park

Tree planting at 11am with other events until 3pm

Canaan - Sat. April 25 at Canaan Town Hall

Tree planting and garden clean-up from 1-3pm

Chatham - Wed. April 22 at Crellin Community Park
Clermont - Sun. April 26 at Clermont Field on Route 6

Tree planting at 10:00am. Volunteer clean up at nearby Hettling Park on Route 9 after that, from 10am to 12noon.
Contact Jennifer Phillips for more information: phillips@bard.edu

Copake - Wed. April 22 at Copake Town Park
Germantown - Sun. April 26 at 52 Maple Ave.

Germantown History Department/Parsonage 10:30am-1:00pm

Ghent - Sun. April 26 at West Ghent Community Center

From 1:00 to 3:00pm

Hillsdale - Wed. April 22 at Hillsdale Hamlet Park
Hudson - Spring tree plantings throughout the city
The city will be planting about a dozen street trees at
various locations
Kinderhook - Sat. April 18 at The Landing at Creekside Park
New Lebanon - Sat. April 25 at Shatford Memorial Park

Planting at 10:00am followed by roadside cleanup.
Contact Bob Gilson at nlcac.gilson@gmail.com

Philmont - Wed. April 22 at Memorial Field Park on Main Street
Stockport - Fri. April 24, at Arthur Masten Sr. Memorial Park

Planting at 4:00pm, Route 9, Columbiaville.
Contact Susan Helden at heldensusan@gmail.com

Stuyvesant - Sun. April 26 at Stuyvesant Town Hall

Event starts at 2:00 pm

Taghkanic - Wed. April 22 10am, at Taghkanic Town Hall, Route 82

Valatie - Sat. April 25 at Pachaquack Preserve

Meet at the gazebo at 9:45 for the 10:00am planting.
Contact Laura Cannamela at lauracanna@gmail.com

And a few more to come!

Taghkanic Volunteers Planting native plants

Other Events:

April 18th - Hillsdale Biannual Riverkeeper Sweep and DOT Highway Cleanup 9:00AM at Roeliff Jansen Park. To participate volunteers are encouraged to register with Councilperson Jamie Carano Nordenström at carano.nordenstrom@hillsdaleny.com
April 18th - New Lebanon Microplastics Madness Join the New Lebanon Climate Smart Communities Task Force for a screening of the award winning film, Microplastics Madness. New Lebanon Library, 10am - 12pm. Q&A to follow, light snacks served. See the Flyer
- April 18th - Austerlitz Earth Day Festival - Austerlitz, Canaan, Chatham, Ghent, and Philmont Climate Smart Committees are hosting a day of events from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM including a Kickoff Tree Planting at 11 AM, and continuous screening of "The Extraordinary Caterpillar" at the Spencertown Academy. See the flyer for the schedule.
April 18th - Copake CAC/CSC will be showing the documentary "The Little Things That Run The World" at the Copake Grange at 7:00 pm. See the 1-minute trailer. and the Flyer for more information.
April 19th - County Task Force & CLC Film Festival - At the Crandell Theater, 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Showing The Nature of Nature - Biodiversity in the Hudson Valley and one other film, with a panel discussion after. Free admission. Informational tables. Check out the recently completed Plan to Conserve Columbia County at the CLC office across the street, starting at Noon.
April 22nd - Hudson Tree Planting - DEC forester Joshua Del Rio will plant four containerized saplings (white cedars and one white pine) with 4th graders at Montgomery Smith Elementary. He will lead four sessions, teaching tree biology and planting techniques to groups of 25 students.
- - Recycling Program - A representative from the DEC’s Materials Management division will present a recycling program to 5th graders.
  - Tree Re-labeling - Joshua will coordinate with Sam Semchenko (Hudson CAC), Calvin Lewis Jr. (Department of Youth), and student volunteers to re-label trees on Harry Howard Boulevard as part of the “Regrow Hudson Canopy Tree Planting Project.”
April 24th - Hudson Site Preparation - CAC members and Hudson’s DPW will demarcate planting areas at Promenade Hill Park, Rick’s Point Park, and Oakdale Park.
- - Planting - Trees and shrubs from the DEC’s Spring seedling sale will be planted in May.
April 25th - Valatie Climate Smart is organizing a tree planting near the Knox Gun Crossing marker located in Pachaquack Preserve. This is one of the historical markers commemorating the Henry Knox Trail, the route where Gen. Knox transported cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in 1775-76 to help win the Revolution. In addition to planting a tree, they will be removing invasive tree of heaven sprouting in the area adjacent to the hemlock forest.
April 25th - New Lebanon Climate Smart Roadside Clean-up & Tree Planting. Meet at the Shatford Park Pavilion at 10:00 am for a bicentennial tree planting followed by roadside cleanup. Teams will work for 1+ hours along assigned routes. Meet back at the park to celebrate afterwards. Enjoy refreshments graciously offered by Maverick's. Contact Bob Gilson at NLCAC.Gilson@gmail.com. See the flyer for more info.
April 26th - Clermont Cleanup Volunteer clean up after the tree planting event from 10am to 12noon at Clermont Field on Route 6. Contact Jennifer Phillips for more information: phillips@bard.edu
April 26th - Germantown Earth Day, Robinson Forest Dedication. At the History Department/Parsonage, 52 Maple Ave. 10:30am-1:00pm. History Tours, Bonfire, refreshments, sustainability information. Tree planting, donated by Columbia County Soil and Water Conservation Dept. See the Flyer

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