Environmentalists of all ages gathered at the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust’s Knowles Reserve in Padanaram on Friday, April 22 to celebrate Earth Day by cleaning up trash and tie-dying T-shirts.

The event was hosted by the natural resources trust to get kids and families involved in land stewardship in a fun and accessible way.

“I really like tie-dye,” said Sophie Karr, who led the activity. “I was just thinking of fun things that would attract a different set of volunteers and get kids involved.”

She said they chose the Knowles Reserve for the cleanup because “it’s always a bit of a mess” along the roadway.

“Luckily we’ve got an amazing set of volunteers who are always happy to go pick up whatever people throw out of their cars,” she said, praising the “grit and eagerness” of everyone who gives their time to help maintain and improve DNRT properties.

The Earth Day volunteers met on West Smith Neck Road where they were given trash bags, gloves, and grabbers.

One young volunteer, Henry Niemiec, even brought his own pair of binoculars along to help him “spy the trash.”

From there the group made its way along the Gulf Road sidewalk to a clearing on the corner of Smith Neck Road, picking up cigarette butts, plastic wrappers, and other bits of trash along the way.

When the group arrived at the clearing in the corner of the reserve, Karr and Development and Outreach Specialist Kendra Murray laid out a tarp and set up the tie-dying materials.

Karr showed the group how to twist their shirts up and wrap them with rubber bands to hold them in place. Then she demonstrated how to apply the dye in segments to create the classic rainbow spiral pattern.

When all of the shirts were saturated with dye, they were placed into plastic bags to set overnight.

As the event drew to a close, volunteers stuck around to chat a bit and enjoy the warm weather.

“It’s as much a social thing as anything else,” said Peter Bogle, a volunteer who said he comes out often with his grandson Quinn.

Quinn Bogle, 11, said he loves to work outside.

“I do more outside things than inside things,” he said.