Earth Day 2022 Celebrations on the East End

Every year since 1970, people around the world have celebrated Earth Day on April 22 in a variety of ways — from learning how to live a greener lifestyle to cleaning up a local beach, to funding nature conservation and restoration efforts. Here on the East End, there are events to attend, organizations to support and a one-of-a-kind ecosystem worth preserving.

The biggest local event of Earth Day 2022 weekend is Hamptons Doc Fest’s Docs Equinox, which is hosting four dramatic documentary film screenings and live Q&As over four days, April 21–24. The celebration kicks off at Sag Harbor Cinema on Thursday, April 21, 6 p.m., with the film Aquarela by Victor Kossakovsky. Using fast-frame cinema, sound and a heavy-metal score, but no voice-over, the film showcases the awesome power of water in its many forms across seven countries.

Docs Equinox day two takes place on Earth Day at 6 p.m. with a screening of Lucy Walker’s Bring Your Own Brigade at Southampton Arts Center (SAC), followed by a Zoom Q&A with Walker. In the documentary, she and her crew join a team of firefighters during the 2018 Camp Fire, the most destructive wildfire in California history.

The second of three Docs Equinox screenings at SAC, French film The Velvet Queen will be shown on Saturday, April 23 at 2 p.m. with English subtitles. The film follows wildlife photographers/directors of the film Vincent Munier and Marie Amiguet, follows Munier and writer Sylvain Tesson as the two men perched on a cold mountain ridge, patiently wait in hopes of catching sight of the elusive Tibetan snow leopard, in the meantime filming Tibetan wild yaks, foxes, bears and other mountain cats. Post screening, there’s a live Q&A with ecologist and author Carl Safina, where his books will also be available for sale.

The final SAC screening is River on Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m., which offers a bird’s eye view of Earth’s most precious resource in 39 countries spanning six continents, narrated by Willem DaFoe. Following the screening of the film, written and directed by Joseph Nizeti and Jennifer Peedom, Nizeti will appear in a Zoom Q&A. Visit hamptonsdocfest.com for Docs Equinox tickets and information.

The South Fork Natural History Museum is hosting a free open house and Earth Day celebration on April 22, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., with exhibits and activities focused on birds, with emphasis on neotropical migratory birds that come to our area in the spring and migrate south for the winter. Visitors can take part in various activities scheduled throughout the day including a nature walk through Vineyard Field, an up-close encounter with birds of prey, art presentations and more. Visit sofo.org for the full schedule.

On April 22 at 6 p.m., the Parrish Art Museum will present “Earth Day: Restoring Water & Cultural Practice,” a panel discussion with Danielle “Munnannock” Hopson-Begun, Tela Troge, Gaelin Rosenwaks and Kathleen J. Graves exploring the relationship between water quality, cultural practices and environmental activism on the East End. Moderated by Senior Curator of ArtsReach and Special Projects Corinne Erni, the panelists will bring perspectives from the visual arts and design, Indigenous environmental restoration and marine biology research. Visit parrishart.org for registration details.

See the beauty of a North Fork NY State Park on Saturday, April 23, 9 a.m. when the Hallock State Park Preserve invites visitors on a 3-mile Earth Day hike, where they’ll experience nature in its purest form. Call MaryLaura Lamont for reservations 631-315-5475, and visit parks.ny.gov/parks/hallock for more info.

There are few Hamptons locales west of the canal as naturally breathtaking as the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, so of course they’ll be welcoming visitors to take in its beauty this Earth Day. Co-hosted by the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society and Westhampton Beach Earth Day, this rain-or-shine celebration takes place on Saturday, April 23, noon–3 p.m., and includes guided birding walks, live animal presentations, crafts, the Mattitaco food truck, environmental exhibitors and self-guided kayaking and canoeing on Old Ice Pond. Visit quoguewildliferefuge.org for details.

Get ready to race for Mother Earth when the North Fork Environmental Council hosts their Earth Day 5K race and walk on Sunday, April 24 at 10 a.m. Racers will make their way through Indian Island County Park in Riverhead as they raise money for the NFEC scholarship fund and environmental education programs. Visit nfec1.org/news for registration details.

Join Peconic Land Trust and the Surfrider Foundation Eastern Long Island Chapter in cleaning up Truman’s Beach in East Marion on April 22, 10 a.m.–noon. In honor of Earth Day, they’ll be removing debris from the waterfront to ensure the health wildlife and humans. All supplies will be provided, but participants should pack water and work gloves. Call 631-283-3195 or email events@peconiclandtrust.org to register. Visit peconiclandtrust.org for additional info.

Another North Fork beach cleanup takes place on April 23, 10 a.m.–noon, hosted by Group for the East End, Mattituck Park District and the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society. They’ll be picking up debris at Breakwater Beach in Mattituck and will provide bags and pick sticks, so participants need only bring gloves and water. Visit amseas.org/events for details.

Group for the East End is also hosting an Earth Day family event on April 24, 10–11:30 a.m., at Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue. Families will create a sculpture out of recycled materials while enjoying the fresh outdoors. Registration is required at groupfortheeastend.org/nature-outings.

Southampton Town is once again hosting the annual Great East End Cleanup, with Councilman Rick Martel inviting East Enders to help keep their town clean on Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24. Do-gooders looking to join a team can assist the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt in picking up litter along Little Long Pond and Laurel Lane in Sag Harbor, Sunday at 9 a.m. Call Dai Dayton at 631-745-0689 to confirm attendance, and visit longpondgreenbelt.org/events for further details.

While the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society is hosting a hike on Earth Day weekend — Napeague’s Ocean Dunes Nature Trail on April 23, 10 a.m. — their official Earth Day event is a cleanup hike in Montauk County Park on Saturday, April 30 at 10 a.m. Bags and gloves will be supplied. Visit ehtps.org for the registration details of both events.

In addition to attending one or more of these Earth Day celebrations, consider joining or donating to the East End organizations hosting them. You’ll be helping to preserve the area’s natural beauty and to fund more events that will inspire others to join the cause, and so on.

Find more exciting Hamptons, North Fork and family events happening this weekend and beyond (or list your own event) at DansPapers.com/Events.