The HELP program provides three, year-long environmental education programs for local students.

Mass Audubon and HVA have created a comprehensive river environmental education program for public and private elementary- and middle-school students in the Housatonic River watershed. The public also enjoys free canoe trips during the summer to experience the river and its habitats.

"We believe this is a great way for the future stewards of the Housatonic River to learn why people still love this river," said Dennis Regan, HVA's Berkshire Program Director. "This program will give students the opportunity to visit the river and experience it firsthand, as well as learn how our actions impact the river, and vice versa."

The students learn about natural history, water quality and land use, industrial history, and the arts, and participate in science activities. A series of in-class lessons taught by naturalist-educators is reinforced by student field trips within the watershed and canoe trips on the river.

The programs for fifth and sixth graders incorporate natural history, water quality, land use, industrial history, and the arts, and experiential activities immerse the students in “doing” real-life science themselves. Field trips within the watershed and canoe trips on the river are also integral to the program’s success.

The high school component focuses on youth development and life skills, with a community and environmental focus, for students in the Housatonic watershed. Most importantly, by developing a connection to the river, the students understand why the river should be protected and how they, as individuals, can effect positive change.