Woodstock expands Earth Day into a week-long outdoor community extravaganza

This year’s Woodstock Earth Day was so chock-full of events, organizers had to expand it to a week. Woodstock Environmental Conservation Commission chair Susan Paynter decided it was time to reimagine recognition of Planet Earth. Instead of some tables with brochures, it was time to include some hands-on experiences while giving participants an opportunity to learn about all the organizations that do their part, she said. “We have Complete Streets, safe water, Ranger Dave [Holden] …,” she said. “We need to be outside.” Events like bark rubbings will teach participants about the different types of trees. Ravensbeard Wildlife Center will demonstrate birds of prey. Arm-of-the-Sea Puppet Theatre will present “Dirt: The Secret Life of Soil.” Those are just a few of the events planned for the first day. “We hope it will be an experience that carries over to other days of the year,” Paynter said. “I really hope we can get our community engaged.” A climate cafe will provide an open discussion about climate topics. “There’s so much existential angst and climate fear,” said Paynter of the cafe discussion. “It’s there for people who are scared. It’s not like we’re ignoring the serious issues, but we want to have fun. We want to take local action in a joyful way, and in a way that connects to the earth.” This isn’t Woodstock’s first Earth Week, as Paynter discovered after speaking with town historian Richard Heppner. Throughout the ’70s, the town held a week’s worth of festivities. At one point, volunteers gathered all the garbage from the center of town and piled it on the Village Green. While she doesn’t recommend a repeat of that, Paynter noted it was very impactful. Here are just some of the many events scheduled for Earth Week. For a complete schedule, visit earthweekwoodstock.org . (Photo by Lauren Thomas) On April 19, Holden and Complete Streets will lead a hike on a trail unknown to most people in Woodstock. Meet at 10 a.m. at Rick Volz Field on Dixon Avenue. Later that