Climate Action Center at Wellfleet Bay

Exterior of WB Nature Center showing garden & solar panels

As a way to address the challenges of climate change in Massachusetts, Mass Audubon has designated Wellfleet Bay as a Climate Action Center. By bringing a big global problem to a local and more manageable scale, we can gain insight on the effects of climate change in our community.

The Wellfleet Bay Climate Action Center leads our community in the fight against climate change by working with scientists to protect wildlife and their habitats in a rapidly changing world. We also provide educational programs to help people of all ages understand both the challenges and solutions of climate change. And we advocate for policies that make our towns and cities better places to live while helping people take action to protect nature.

Program Highlights

  • LEED Platinum-certified Nature Center that is constantly evolving with new features like photovoltaic arrays and innovative heating and cooling systems that reduce reliance on fossil fuel usage.
  • An indoor-outdoor Green Building “Trail” to learn about all of the Nature Center’s green features.
  • A trailside exhibit along Goose Pond Trail that features sea level rise markers to show visitors where water levels are projected to reach in future decades.
  • Long-term efforts to protect diamondback terrapins, rescue cold-stunned sea turtles, and preserve coastal waterbird habitat as these species are increasingly threatened by climate change.
Woman with children at solar energy sign

Our Green Features

Wellfleet Bay is doing our part to leave a lighter footprint on the environment by utilizing green technology, conserving energy, and educating our visitors through informative displays about our conservation features and photovoltaic arrays.

Wellfleet Nature Center in 2006

Nature Center

In 2006, Wellfleet Bay expanded and renovated its Nature Center, incorporating numerous green building design principles and features into the new plans. After its completion in 2008, the redesigned Nature Center was awarded Platinum LEED certification from the US Green Building Council—the highest rating available. 

 

  

21kW solar array at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

Solar Energy

We're solar powered! Wellfleet Bay has four photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays, ground- and/or roof-mounted, as well as solar thermal systems to meet all hot water needs. You can see the energy production from our arrays charted in graph format.