Description
Immerse yourself in a full year of local natural history. With a skilled Mass Audubon naturalist as your guide, experience the cycle of the seasons at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox. Gain extensive natural history knowledge, form a community with like-minded, curious adults, and receive the many benefits of spending time outdoors.
Each month, you will focus on a special topic, natural community, or seasonal phenomenon. In winter, learn about wild canines and felines, winter survival adaptations, and more. During spring, explore spectacular seasonal phenomena including the migration of salamanders and songbirds. Spend the summer exploring fireflies, grassland-nesting birds, butterflies and more. Finally, in autumn, we'll explore hawk migration, beaver ecology, and wetlands.
We will usually start inside with an introduction and then head out for our adventure in the field which will be at least 90 minutes outside. We'll travel mainly on trails and boardwalks, actively exploring and experiencing various habitats and sanctuary spots.
2026 Schedule*
*Subject to change in timing or topic, depending on what nature provides.
12 sessions, 2 hours each
Third Saturday of each month, January - December 2026.
Usual time will be 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. unless otherwise noted in the schedule. The July and November sessions will take place at nearby Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Pittsfield, less than 5 miles away from Pleasant Valley. The March, April, June and October programs will take place in the evening. There is one early-morning session in May.
January 17, 9:00am-11:00am: Wild Canines and Felines
February 21, 9:00am-11:00am: Snow, Ice, and Winter Survival
March 21, 5:30-7:30pm: The Sky-Dancing Woodcock
April 18, 6:00-8:00pm: Amphibians and Vernal Pools
May 16, 7:00-9:00am: Spring Songbird Migration
June 20, 8:00-10:00pm: Fireflies and Twilight Wildlife
July 18, 9:00-11:00am: Grassland Predators and Prey (at nearby Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Pittsfield)
August 15, 9:00am-11:00am: Butterflies and Moths
September 19, 10:00-noon: Hawk Migration
October 17, 5:00-7:00pm: Beavers in the Berkshires
November 21, 9:00-11:00am: Waterfowl and Wetlands (at nearby Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Pittsfield)
December 19, 9:00-11:00am: Time Traveling with Trees
When
- Sat, Jan 17, 2026 9:00 am - 11:00 am
- Sat, Feb 21, 2026 9:00 am - 11:00 am
- Sat, Mar 21, 2026 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
- Sat, Apr 18, 2026 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Sat, May 16, 2026 7:00 am - 9:00 am
- Sat, Jun 20, 2026 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
- Sat, Jul 18, 2026 9:00 am - 11:00 am
- Sat, Aug 15, 2026 9:00 am - 11:00 am
- Sat, Sep 19, 2026 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Sat, Oct 17, 2026 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
- Sat, Nov 21, 2026 9:00 am - 11:00 am
- Sat, Dec 19, 2026 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Who
Adults
Cost
- Adult Members $198
- Adult Nonmembers $240
Where
Location: Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox
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Questions? Contact us:
- 413-637-0320 [email protected]
Instructors
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Nicaela Haig
Instructions
Meet at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, 472 West Mountain Road, Lenox. For the July and November sessions, meet at Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary on Holmes Road in Pittsfield. Your guide will email you the day before each program with information on the exact meeting location, directions to the meeting location, and weather or trail conditions that could affect each date of the program.