By Beth David, Editor
The weather definitely put a damper on the Fairhaven Conservation Commission’s Earth Day event at Cushman Park on 4/18/26. Cold, rainy, and windy, the day was not hospitable for an outdoor event. That did not, however, dampen the enthusiasm of ConCom chairperson, Brandon Estrella, and his #1 helper, Colin Queen. Conservation & Sustainability Coordinator, Kelly Camara, provided backup.
The educational event included fun activities to get people, especially children, engaged in learning about the natural world. A prize wheel allowed people to spin and get the prize that it stopped on, such as a geode, frisbee, paint set, a button that says “One Earth, One Love, One People.”
Mr. Estrella also said the town is hoping to create a community greenhouse using a greenhouse they got from G Bourne Knowles when it closed. He said they are looking at a couple of possible locations in town.
“We will have native plants,” said Ms. Camara, adding they will be donated or sold at nominal cost to groups that will plant them around town. If they can scale up enough, they will sell to the general public.
“We definitely want other groups involved,” said Ms. Camara.
Mr. Estrella noted, however, that funding is especially tight this year, so they will have to “be creative.”
He said he hopes to partner with the schools so the greenhouse can be used as a learning space.
Mr. Queen spun the wheel and got “you pick” as his option. He chose a geode and they cracked it open to reveal lots of shiny crystals inside.
The Moroccan geode is a rock that is filled with white quartz crystals. It is estimated to be 34 million years old. They are created when dissolved minerals seep into a hollow area, such as near tree roots, and harden into an outer shell. Minerals continue to form on the inside walls of the shell, growing towards the center.
The educational table also had a cast of a giant megalodon shark tooth, an extinct species of shark that grew up to 80 feet long and had a wide enough jaw for a human adult to fit inside. Shells, bugs, driftwood, a whale’s tooth cast, and other natural items one might find in nature, filled a table for people to touch, explore and ask questions. There was even a replica of the greenhouse they hope to build.
And buzzing along the ground was “Robo Bunny,” a stuffed rabbit on a remotely operated car, to spark a conversation about how important rabbits are to the ecosystem.
Learn more about the Fairhaven Conservation Commission at conservation@fairhaven-ma.gov or find them on Facebook.
Earth Day was born on April 22, 1970. That single day drew 20 million Americans into the streets and sparked the modern environmental movement. Now, one billion people in 193 countries participate.
Our Power, Our Planet is Earth Day 2026’s theme reflecting a fundamental truth: environmental progress doesn’t depend on any single administration or election. It’s sustained by daily actions of communities, educators, workers, and families protecting where they live and work.
Visit https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2026/ to learn more.
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- Colin Queen (front), Brandon Estrella, and Kelly Camara staff the table at the Fairhaven Conservation Commission’s Earth Day event on 4/18/26 at Cushman Park. Photo by Beth David.
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- Melanie Jansky picks a pink frisbee from Brandon Estrella after spinning the prize wheel at the Fairhaven Conservation Commission’s Earth Day even on 4/18/26 at Cushman Park. Photo by Beth David.
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- Colin Queen hops up to avoid “Robo Bunny,” who helps explain the importance of rabbits to the ecosystem at the Fairhaven Conservation Commission’s Earth Day even on 4/18/26 at Cushman Park. Photo by Beth David.
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- A cast of a giant megalodon shark tooth, an extinct species of shark that grew up to 80 feet long and had a wide enough jaw for a human adult to fit inside, is available for the public to examine, along with a couple of other critters, at the Fairhaven Conservation Commission’s Earth Day even on 4/18/26 at Cushman Park. Photo by Beth David.
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Click here to download the 4/23/26 issue: 04-23-26 EarthDay
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