In honor of Earth Day on April 22, Barnstable Land Trust (BLT) is launching Words in the Wild, a unique hiking trail initiative that features four original site-specific poems penned by local poets. Each poem has been etched onto individual cedar trail signs that include a QR code connecting to audio recordings and other information. Words in the Wild inspiration can be discovered on the following BLT trails:

• “Let Red Live in Your Heart” by Kim Baker/Mashpee; BLT Location: Fuller Farm in Marstons Mills
• “Prayer to the Living World” by Brett Warren/Yarmouth Port; BLT Location: Eagle Pond Sanctuary in Cotuit
• “Ropes Field” by Diane Hanna/Cotuit; BLT Location: Ropes Field in Cotuit
• “Sanctuary” by Al Starkey/Yarmouth Port: BLT Location: Pogorelc Sanctuary in West Barnstable

The program is the brainchild of author, poet, and artist Lauren Wolk, who approached Barnstable Land Trust to partner on the initiative. Working with her colleague Bob Nash, the duo broadened the partnership to include the Cape Cod Makers group who used their specialized GlowForge technology to engrave the poems on cedar plaques. A team of BLT volunteers led by Kelly Barber, Director of Land Stewardship, installed the unique trail signs at specially selected locations on the four BLT properties.

“This project illustrates the power of local collaborations,” said Janet Milkman, BLT’s Executive Director. “We hope that the Words in the Wild initiative will encourage people to get outside and experience the connection between art and nature on Earth Day and beyond.”