The Brenton Arboretum will celebrate Earth Day with a number of activities this week.

Executive Director Melissa Burdick will lead a Trees & Climate Change lecture from 6-8 p.m. tonight in the Vista Room at the Brenton Arboretum outside of Dallas Center. She will give an in-depth look at how trees both reflect and affect the Earth’s climate. The lecture is free and registration is not required.

Burdick adds that the Earth Day festivities will continue from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday.

She invites families to enjoy games, crafts and activities while exploring the beauty of the arboretum. Participating organizations include the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Natural Heritage and more. Food will also be available from Snappy’s Pit Fire BBQ.

Burdick talks about the importance of celebrating trees through Earth Day today, followed by Arbor Day on Friday.

“Well obviously the arboretum’s mission is to inspire joy through the beauty and knowledge of the natural world of trees. That’s what we’re all about. Not just trees, but the world around them, the world that they live in, their environment. That’s what we try to demonstrate to the public, amazing trees that do really well in Iowa and are worth growing, educating people about their importance and how miraculous trees really are and then talking about how we need to be stewards of their environment so that these trees can thrive and can continue thriving well into the future.”

She encourages area residents to come out to the arboretum on Sunday afternoon to explore nature while enjoying the free Earth Day celebration.