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Commonwealth Honors Mass Audubon's Norman Smith

Senator Brian A. Joyce (left) with Norman Smith

The Chickatawbut Hill Education Center in Milton, Massachusetts has been renamed to honor Mass Audubon director Norman Smith, as the result of a bill filed by Senator Brian A. Joyce (D-Milton) and signed into law in early January by Governor Patrick.

"This legislation was filed as a small token of appreciation for Norman's invaluable service to the fields of conservation and education as well as to the Commonwealth," said Senator Joyce. "The magnitude of his hard work through these many years is impossible to overstate, and my hope is that this dedication will create a lasting tribute to his efforts."

The education center, now known as The Norman Smith Environmental Education Center at Chickatawbut Hill, is located in the Blue Hills Reservation. It runs in conjunction with the Blue Hills Trailside Museum, which offers a variety of weekend nature programs free of charge with Trailside admission. Additionally, the education center is the site of an annual summer day camp, which provides a unique opportunity for children to explore the natural treasures of the reservation.

Smith began volunteering at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum when he was only 14 years old. He has worked at the museum for 42 years—the last 35 for Mass Audubon—and currently serves as the director of the Trailside Museum as well as the Environmental Education Center. The facilities are run through a partnership between Mass Audubon and the Commonwealth's Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation, located just south of Boston, offers 125 miles of hiking trails. From the rocky summit of Great Blue Hill, visitors take in scenic views of the entire Boston metropolitan area. The Trailside Museum offers interpretive exhibits and live animal demonstrations of the wildlife supported by the area. Several hundred thousand Massachusetts residents and tourists visit this wilderness jewel annually.

"It is Norman's unwavering advocacy for the Trailside Museum, the Education Center, and the entire Blue Hills Reservation which enables me and my colleagues from the Blue Hills area to have the distinction of representing an area where families from the metropolitan Boston area can enjoy outstanding and affordable environmental, cultural and education programs," said Senator Joyce. "Norman is a wonderful person and I am very happy that his tireless efforts will be recognized and honored in this way."

"We are delighted to have Norm Smith recognized with this wonderful acknowledgement for all he has done over the years to educate thousands of children and adults about the beauty and importance of the Blue Hills and the nature of Massachusetts," said Mass Audubon President Laura Johnson. "Norm has dedicated his life to this important mission and his friends and colleagues at Mass Audubon thank the legislature, especially Senator Joyce and Governor Patrick, for creating this meaningful acknowledgement."