Marshfield photographer Michael Snow's dramatic image of a green heron snaring a bullfrog was judged the Grand Prize Winner in Mass Audubon’s annual statewide Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. Eleven other category winners and eight honorable mentions were chosen in this year's competition, which attracted more than 4500 images from 814 photographers.
Mass Audubon held its Annual Meeting Wednesday evening, November 13, at the Harvard Club Downtown in Boston where Attorney General Maura Healey was among those honored with Audubon “A” Awards for their commitment to climate change action.
Audubon “A” recipients also included State Sen. Marc Pacheco of Taunton, chair of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change; renewal energy advocates Green Energy Consumers Alliance; and climate activist group Mothers Out Front.
Mass Audubon is again offering military veterans and their families free admission to its 60 wildlife sanctuaries on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11.
Mass Audubon, the state’s largest nature conservation nonprofit, now provides electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at an increasing number of its wildlife sanctuaries throughout the Commonwealth. Visitors to 11 wildlife sanctuaries from Cape Cod to the Connecticut River Valley now enjoy the extra convenience and peace of mind knowing that their EVs will be powering up while they and their families and friends are connecting with nature at some of the state’s most beautiful outdoor destinations.
Visitors and staff at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary can now power their electric cars with two new electric vehicle charging stations, allowing for eco-friendly visits to the popular working farm and nature center. Leaders from Drumlin Farm, PowerOptions, and Eversource, along with local legislators and members of the community gathered today for a ribbon-cutting event to inaugurate the stations.
Mass Audubon has completed the purchase of the 110-acre Sacred Hearts property in Wareham, six months after raising $2.6 million in a mere 27 days from generous donors. This acquisition will ensure that the spectacular coastscape along Buzzards Bay will be permanently protected from private development.
The property formally becomes part of Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, which now includes more than 200 acres of saltmarsh and uplands, including a mile of coastline, in one of the most beautiful and ecologically vibrant areas of the South Coast.
Boston Magazine’s annual Best Of Boston® feature, which recognizes what is top flight in the Hub, the region, and Cape & Islands, has honored three Mass Audubon Wildlife sanctuaries for 2019.
Boston Nature Center in Mattapan has been selected in the “Best Neighborhood Diversion” category, while Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport and Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln have been chosen in the “Best Family Friendly Activity” category, North and West regions, respectively.
Visitors to Oak Knoll in Attleboro are going to discover a lot more to enjoy at the Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuary, thanks to a successful $375,000 campaign to purchase a 25-acre parcel on the popular nature center’s northern boundary. The additional land increases the wildlife sanctuary’s size by nearly 50 percent, to more than 76 acres.
Mass Audubon has named Melissa Lowe Cestaro new director of the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, succeeding Bob Prescott, who has served in the position nearly 40 years. She will be only the third person to occupy the post since Mass Audubon, the state’s largest nature conservation nonprofit, acquired the property in 1959. Lowe Cestaro will assume her new post on September 16th.
Mass Audubon's Picture This: Your Great Outdoors statewide photo contest welcomes shutterbugs of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience to share the natural beauty of the Bay State through their photography. The competition, which each year attracts hundreds of photographers who submit thousands of images, is now under way and continues through Monday, September 30.
Mass Audubon is partnering with high schools throughout the Commonwealth to help students better understand fragile wetlands and their crucial relationships with cities and towns in which the students live.
The project, entitled “Science for Solutions,” focuses on both professional development for teachers and classroom and in-the-field science experiences for students. Areas of study range from habitat restoration and climate impacts to studying fish species that spend parts of their life cycles in both freshwater and the ocean, such as herring, striped bass, and Atlantic salmon.
The Riverschools Project, a collaboration among Mass Audubon's Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, Ephraim Curtis Middle School in Sudbury, and Happy Hollow Elementary School in Wayland, has been honored with a 2019 Secretary’s Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education Award.
The awards, which recognize schools and teachers from throughout Massachusetts for their efforts to improve energy and environmental education, are presented annually by the Office of the Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary.
Mass Audubon’s annual Bird-a-thon fundraiser will take place Friday and Saturday, May 10-11, when hundreds of birders of all abilities will compete to identify the most species statewide over a 24-hour period. The birding marathon is the biggest single fundraising event of the year for Mass Audubon, the state’s largest nature conservation nonprofit.
Mass Audubon, has been named a recipient of a 2019 Commonwealth Award by the Mass Cultural Council (MCC). The prestigious honors, presented every two years, are awarded to organizations or individuals exhibiting “exceptional achievement in the arts, humanities, and sciences.”
Sign on for some healthy outdoor activity and join hundreds of like-minded nature lovers during Mass Audubon’s 13th-annual Statewide Volunteer Day, Saturday, April 27. Mass Audubon is inviting individuals, families and friends, students and community groups, and others to help spruce up wildlife sanctuaries owned by the state’s largest nature conservation nonprofit.
Mass Audubon is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Purchase & Sale contract to acquire the 110-acre Sacred Hearts property at Widow’s Cove in Wareham, immediately abutting the conservation organization’s Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary.
The anticipated purchase will ensure the permanent protection of nearly 200 acres on Buzzards Bay, enhance the wildlife and habitat diversity at Great Neck, and enable the wildlife sanctuary to provide more expansive nature experiences for members and the broader public.
If Mass Audubon can raise $375,000 by June to purchase a property adjacent to its Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary in Attleboro, visitors to the popular nature center and trails network will discover a dramatically larger sanctuary that offers even greater opportunities to connect with nature.
Norma Dorrance, a longtime neighbor of Oak Knoll, desired to have her land become part of the wildlife sanctuary and before she passed away last July, signed a one-year option for Mass Audubon to purchase the 25-acre parcel for conservation.
Dr. David Wiley, Research Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and an expert on seabirds and endangered whales, has been named the 2019 recipient of Mass Audubon’s Hemenway + Hall Wildlife Conservation Award. This honor, named for Mass Audubon founders Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall, The award ceremony will take place during Mass Audubon’s 27th-annual Birders Meeting Sunday, March 3, at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.
Mass Audubon’s annual Birders Meeting is migrating to Worcester for 2019, and will take place at the College of the Holy Cross's Hogan Campus Center on Sunday, March 3, from 8 am-4:30 pm. Now in its 27th year, the popular conference brings together hundreds of birders, conservationists, and other nature lovers for a full day of respected speakers and engaging presentations, as well as informal opportunities for attendees to share news, knowledge, and enthusiasm about bird life.
Mass Audubon has received the largest gift in its 123-year history, a 143-acre property in Concord, MA. where William Brewster, the organization’s first President, was inspired by the natural beauty of the area. The stunning property, situated on the federally designated Wild and Scenic Concord River, represents one of the most significant private conservation gifts in Massachusetts history.
Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln is set to host its annual Groundhog Day event on Saturday, February 2, with a new focus on climate science and weather. “Climate Action Day” will again feature Ms. G, the Official State Groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as she emerges from her winter hibernation and determines whether or not spring will come early this year.