Regional News

Check here for the latest news from Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries around the state.

South East News

Two high schoolers planting seeds in a starting tray

Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary

In December, the Westport High School Environmental Club volunteered at Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary to help collect native seed from important pollinator plants. The seed collected was from two native goldenrod species that are important nectar sources for monarch butterflies.

Monarch butterfly with a tag on its wing

Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary

Throughout the month of September, we held 8 Monarch Tagging Events with the public and school groups. The Monarchs that we tagged are on their fall migration to Mexico, where other scientists will report the tags they recover during the monarch’s overwintering period. 

Volunteer putting an osprey into a box for translocation

Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary

This year marked the fourth year of Mass Audubon’s partnership with the University of Illinois at Springfield and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to help restore an osprey breeding population in Illinois. 

Children playing in a channel of water

Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary

Mass Audubon educators have been spending time exploring the amazing wildlife and wild places of New Bedford with the Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) campers as part of the Explore Your Environment Summer Program.

Great Neck Garden Club members

Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary

With the help of  property staff and our Regional Conservation Ecologist, this garden bed was created to focus on enhancing bird and pollinator habitat by establishing native perennials, shrubs, and flowering herbs that provide or attract resources used by birds, butterflies, and other pollinators on an area formally covered with lawn.

Conservation Teacher of the Year 2022, Jocelyn Chin, standing with David O'Neill, President of Mass Audubon

Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary

Mass Audubon recently honored educators from New Bedford and Attleboro as 2022 Conservation Teachers of the Year. The awards, which come with $1,000 gifts to be used to support the teachers’ programs, were presented at Mass Audubon’s Annual Meeting, which took place at the Museum of Science in Boston on Wednesday, November 2.

Looking up through the tree canopy at Attleboro Springs

Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary

The mission is to create a long-range, strategic, and ambitious Environmental Master Plan (EMP) for the City of Attleboro and to encourage extensive, equitable, and inclusive community participation in its future evolution and execution.

Children and educators putting their hands together in a huddle

Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary

Oak Knoll Naturalists and groups of Homeschool students Each class is 2.5 hours in length and meets in small groups, with other students of similar age, all while learning science outside in nature at the Wildlife Sanctuary.

A small group gathered around a table

Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary

This past June was packed with celebrations of pride. Mass Audubon was able to take part in this celebration through tabling at New Bedford’s AHA pride night and Plymouth Pride, as well as host a Pride Hike at Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary (in partnership with Plymouth Pride), and a Pride get-together at Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary.

NestWatch volunteers looking at a bird's nest in a birdhouse

Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

The NestWatch program is a volunteer-based project focused on collecting breeding bird data for nest-box nesting bird species. Through this volunteer program, over 170 nest boxes were monitored this year at 6 of the South East sanctuaries.

Herring in the water at Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

This past April and May, a dedicated group of 34 volunteers have been trekking out to two streams that run through Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary in order to watch the water for ten-minute intervals for signs of herring.

Volunteers digging in new garden beds at Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

There's a brand-new pollinator garden at Tidmarsh! Designed to span all seasons, this garden provides a variety of flowers to support local pollinators in their search for nectar and pollen.

All Persons Trail construction progress at Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Our property staff has been working hard on a 0.3-mile All Persons Trail that—once finished—will enable visitors of all abilities to pass through our meadow, access our overlook platform, and get close to our restored marsh areas. 

Removing dams to re-establish a free-flowing West Beaver Dam Brook at Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Mass Audubon has partnered with the Town of Plymouth to restore the town-owned Foothills Preserve as well as the West Beaver Dam Brook. We're committed to restoring, enhancing, and improving the ecosystem and natural landscape at Tidmarsh to provide quality habitat for vulnerable species.