A spectacular day of fun for all ages!
Join us for a nature-filled day of exploration, community, and environmental stewardship! Get ready to kick off the week of events celebrating the beauty and importance of our wild places, and participate in hands-on activities for all ages. Whether you're planting a fern, learning from local organizations, or discovering the wonders of foraged food, there’s something for everyone. Parents and kids can enjoy exciting outdoor activities, while music fills the air from our open-mic.
Picnic-ing is encouraged for those who'd like to spend the day at the event.
Burlington's wild places have so much to offer and we can be sure to give back, so roll up your sleeves, go out in nature, and celebrate!
What to expect
- Hands on activities for all ages like the City Nature Challenge bioblitz and pond ecology.
- Restoration plantings in the floodplain forest to restore the understory with fiddlehead ferns, trees, and other plants.
- An open-mic with performances inspired by the natural world.
- Interactive activities and displays from community organizations.
- Foraged food sampling and education.
- Sign up for the open mic!
Event details, parking, and more
When:
April 27th from 10 am - 2 pm
Where:
The Intervale Center, 180 Intervale Rd, Burlington VT
Parking & getting there:
Parking is limited at the Intervale Center and we recommend walking and biking when you're able.
Parking can be found in designated lots, follow the signs.
Overflow parking is available in THE REAR of the Gardener's Supply parking lot.
Accessible parking is available at the Food Hub and Intervale Center building, follow the signs.
Bike parking is available at the entrance to the event.
Cost:
FREE! All of our City Nature Celebration events are free to the community.
Learn more
We're excited to welcome the community back to the Intervale for the 5th annual Spectacular Nature Day!
This exciting event gets better every year, and we were joined by 400+ attendees in 2024 for a day out in nature.
Volunteer
We're looking for volunteers to support this event. Help with our welcome table, parking support, or restoration planting!
We're looking for poets, musicians, singers, songwriters for our nature-themed open mic!
Free Plants Anyone?
Find the annual Grow Wild native plant giveaway hosted in partnership with Dr. Laura Hill of UVM whose students plant and care for these native perennial plugs.
Stop by the Grow Wild table to learn about growing native plants, which species might be right for your site, and get your own free plants!
Dr. Hill and students and native perennial plugs at 2024 giveaway
Engage with Community organizations
Whether you'd like to learn about community science, make pesto using a bicycle-powered blender, craft, or explore historical collections, there's so much to explore!
Who will be there?
Audubon VT
Learn about birding and sign up for a bird walk!
Burlington Wildways
Coordinators of the City Nature Celebration, learn more about what we do.
BLUE BTV
A residential green stormwater infrastructure incentive program.
Grow Wild VT & UVM Plant Biology
Find the Grow Wild table with resources and our bee box. Visit the annual native plant giveaway in collaboration with Dr. Laura Hill's UVM class for free native perennial plants, also find native seed balls.
Burlington Open Space Protection Plan
The city of Burlington is seeking valuable feedback from residents about their visions for Burlington's natural areas.
Rock Point Commons
Rock Point Commons stewards 130 acres of publicly accessible conserved lands in Burlington, VT.
Spoonful Herbals
Sharing joyful, hands-on education and wellness through plant medicine while honoring all our herbal traditions. We will offer Wild weeds (garlic mustard) pesto samples and recipes, and the ability to blend it on our bike blender!
The Stram Center for Integrative Medicine
The Stram Center works closely with individuals affected by Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, and we’re passionate about spreading awareness around prevention, early detection, and comprehensive care and will share helpful tick prevention techniques and educational resources.
USDA/ NRCS
Free Soil Lead Testing and other info about soil health, pollinators, and financial assistance for gardeners.
UVM Natural History Museum
Featuring museum specimens of plants and animals!
Vermont Center for Ecostudies
Learn about community science projects and conservation projects in VT. Volunteers for the Pollinator Interactions on Plants project can pick up their "Adopt-a-plant" plants here.
Take part in a planting project
The Intervale is home to a silver maple ostrich fern floodplain forest, one of our state natural communities. Get your hands in the soil and help plant ferns and other native species to restore this forest's understory!
Explore something new
Whether you go on your first birding walk with Audubon VT, or exploring aquatic insects and amphibians with specialists, there are ways for people of all ages to get involved.
Get your soil tested for lead
USDA/ NRCS is offering free Soil Lead Testing and other info about soil health, pollinators, and financial assistance for gardeners.
Bring a soil sample (or multiple) to the event:
- Take separate samples from each area that you want tested. Bag and label separately.
- Break up clumps, and remove rocks and twigs.
- For play areas dig 2" deep for samples, and for garden areas, dig 6" deep.
Find the inflatable soil health tunnel!
