Each June, we invite a group of young women from the Outer Cape and beyond to explore what it means to be a modern-day Commons Keeper.
The Gathering takes place outside on four acres abutting the Cape Cod National Seashore in Wellfleet, MA. Participants spend their days and nights immersed in the ecosystem of the Outer Cape—cooking, eating, learning, playing, and sleeping outside. Together we co-create a community that lasts well beyond our time together, reclaiming what it means to belong to a place.
The 2026 gathering is focused on FIRE.
During our time together, we will:
Learn about the fire ecology of Outer Cape ecosystems with experienced local mentors
Practice traditional fire keeping skills and crafts
Forage for edible and medicinal plants in fire-impacted ecosystems
Cook our meals over a fire
Sleep in tents and spend our days outside
Create a fire ceremony to deepen our connection to fire and each other
Build a community that nurtures young commoners well beyond our time together
Schedule for the 2026 FireKeepers Gathering:
Sunday June 7:
3 PM: Arrival
6 PM: Dinner
7 PM: Opening Circle
9-Midnight: Night walk, swim, and bonfire
Monday, June 8:
8 AM: Morning Walk and Swim
9 AM: Breakfast & Morning Circle
11 AM: Biochar 101—field trip to Eastham
12 PM: Lunch (over the biochar grill)
2:00 PM: Forging—working metal with fire
6 PM: Dinner
Tuesday, June 9:
8 AM: Morning Walk and Swim
9 AM: Breakfast & Morning Circle
10 AM: Fire Ecology Walk and intro to Prescribed Fire
1 PM: Lunch
3 PM: Fire Ceremony with Fire Dancing
6 PM: Dinner
Wednesday, June 10:
8 AM: Morning Walk and Swim
10 AM: Breakfast
12 PM: Foraging in fire-impacted landscapes with Sarah Naciri with a picnic lunch
5PM: Bow drill fire-starting (creating fire with friction)
6 PM: Dinner
Thursday, June 11:
8 AM: Morning Walk and Swim
11 AM: Brunch
1 PM: Pack up, site care
2 PM: Closing Circle
Participants are welcome to stay on and enjoy the beaches and woods through the weekend.
Young women ages 17+ welcome; scholarships are available. Please get in touch with questions: commonskeepers@gmail.com.
Why we’ve begun with a circle for young women:
Women have been primary stewards of common resources worldwide, developing time-honored practices to fit their communities’ needs. Yet today, women remain underrepresented in many environmental fields, and ceremony and ritual have been left out of many practices. We seek to create a space for young women to weave together environmental stewardship, creative practices, and deep connections to place and ritual. We invite all interested girls and young women (cis, trans) and non-binary youth to join us.
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