Hampshire Bird Club
P.O. Box 716, Amherst, MA 01004-0716
www.HampshireBirdClub.org
Also on Facebook and Twitter
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This membership-supported, volunteer-led organization helps people enjoy birding, and assists them in learning about birds, bird-watching, and bird habitats.
Monthly meetings at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Amherst on the second Monday from September through June, are open to the public and include a presentation. Year-round field trips are offered, some open to all; others for members only. Their Education Committee presents bird-related educational programs specifically designed to interest people who are just beginning to investigate the wonders of the feathered world.
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Hitchcock Center for the Environment
on the Hampshire College campus, 845 West Street (Route 116), Amherst, MA 413/256-6006 www.HitchcockCenter.org Also on Facebook, Twitter and at the HCE Blog
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The Hitchcock Center connects people with nature and encourages a deeper emotional bond with the natural world that sustains us all.
This membership-supported organization is run by professional staff and volunteers.
It offers programs for community, youth, families, school groups, professional development for educators, and has a particular focus on children, who live in a world of environmental challenges. Programs foster awareness and understanding of our environment and are designed to give people the skills, aptitudes and attitudes needed to care for our planet’s ecological systems, build durable economies and create sustainable communities.
The Hitchcock Center for the Environment is taking the Living Building Challenge in the construction of its world-class 9,000 square foot environmental education center, which opened to the public in the Fall of 2016. It aspires to be the first “living” environmental education center in New England after completing the 12-month performance review process for full Living Building Certification which includes, among 20 performance imperatives, net zero energy and water usage.
Kestrel Land Trust
284 North Pleasant Street first floor front entrance, (P.O. Box 1016) Amherst, MA 01004. 413/549-1097
www.KestrelTrust.org Also on Facebook, at the Kestrel View from the Valley Blog, or sign up for its newsletter and email list
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Kestrel Land Trust's mission is to conserve and care for forests, farms, and riverways in the Pioneer Valley, while nurturing an enduring love of the land.
Run by professional staff and volunteers, it serves a 19-town region surrounding Northampton and Amherst in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts. Kestrel works with landowners, governmental agencies, citizen groups, and other organizations to protect land, including farmland, woodlands, wildlands, wildlife habitat, water resources, historic landscapes, rare and endangered species habitat, and scenic vistas.
Monthly outings are open to the public and help you explore the Valley. Kestrel holds workshops for landowners, and their signature event is the Annual 5K for Farmland and Farmers’ Market Festival in Hadley.
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Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
www.mass.gov/dcr Also on Twitter, Instagram, and The Great Outdoors Blog
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D.C.R. protects, promotes and enhances our
Commonwealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources for the well-being of all.
A vast number of recreational opportunities are available at the state’s 150+ forests and parks.
Here in the Valley, nature-related recreation, including bird watching, is enjoyed at
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Mt. Tom State Reservation in Holyoke and Easthampton
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Skinner State Park, Hadley and South Hadley
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Mt. Holyoke Range State Park, Amherst, Hadley, South Hadley, Granby
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the Norwottuck Rail Trail, which runs from Northampton to Belchertown
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Robinson State Park, Agawam
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Great Falls Discovery Center/Canalside Rail Trail, Turner's Falls.
Other popular state parks in the Valley are Chicopee Memorial State Park, Holyoke Heritage State Park and Hampton Ponds State Park in Westfield
In addition to park operations and recreation, DCR manages forests, cultural resources, and the state’s water supplies at Quabbin/Wachusett/Ware River.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 5
​Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Silvio_O_Conte
Also on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube
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The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife, and plants.
Currently the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge protects over 36,000 acres within the Connecticut River watershed in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. It protects the abundance and diversity of wildlife species through resource management, conservation, building partnerships and working with volunteers.
The 260-acre Fort River Division, 69 Moody Bridge Road, Hadley, Massachusetts, is named after the major body of water flowing through it. The Fort River drains a 35,830-acre watershed and is the longest free-flowing tributary to the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. A variety of habitat types within this division includes hardwood forest, floodplain forest, and grasslands. A one-mile long, fully-accessible nature trail at the Fort River division is open to the public from sun-up to sun-down, year round. This division is open to the public for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, environmental education, and interpretation.
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Migratory Bird Program
https://www.fws.gov/birds/index.php
The Migratory Bird Program is charged with conserving migratory bird populations through protection, restoration and management. Bird management includes both population and habitat conservation and management. To do this, we work with bird conservation partnerships, comprising many public and private agencies, organizations, and landowners. These partnerships develop and implement management plans that provide sets of conservation actions to return and maintain species to healthy and sustainable levels.
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Our Partners and Sponsors
Mass Audubon Arcadia
Wildlife Sanctuary
127 Coombs Road, Easthampton, MA 01027 413/584-3009 http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/arcadia Also on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and at its Blog
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One of more than 50 Massachusetts Audubon sanctuaries state-wide, the Arcadia Sanctuary offers walking trails, a visitor center, conservation projects, public programs for adults, children, families, school groups, a nursery school, summer and school vacation camps.
Arcadia’s diverse terrain spans Easthampton and Northampton. Its forest, meadows, grasslands, marsh, and wetlands attract an extraordinary variety of wildlife. You will also find a thriving population of wildflowers, thanks to its rich, loamy soil, which is characteristic of the Connecticut River floodplain.
Massachusetts Audubon membership benefits include free admission to all of their wildlife sanctuaries across the state, plus discounts on programs and shop purchases.
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Massachusetts Cultural Council Festivals Grant Program
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The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) is a state agency that promotes excellence, access, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.
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The Council pursues this mission through a combination of grant programs, partnerships and services for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists.
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The Natualists' Club
Springfield, MA
http://naturalist-club.org Also on Facebook, the Naturalists' Club blog and Newsletter.
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The Naturalists’ Club was founded in 1969 for the purpose of actively promoting knowledge, appreciation, and preservation of our natural environment. We are an all-volunteer non-profit organization.
Education is a primary focus of The Naturalists’ Club. Programming, with an emphasis on local natural history, is designed to create camaraderie among people of diverse interests through experiences that deepen appreciation of our natural environment. Hikes, paddles, and bike rides held many weekends year-round, and occasional organized trips to intriguing natural places around the world, immerse members in nature. Monthly meetings and programs are held at the Springfield Science Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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SWCA Environmental Consultants
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31 offices nationwide, including Amherst, MA
Since 1981, SWCA has helped public and private clients overcome environmental challenges and move their projects forward. Our 100% employee-owned firm offers comprehensive environmental planning, regulatory compliance, and natural and cultural resources management services. We work together to understand the full life cycle of any project, from inception to completion.
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Our purpose is simple: to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today. We do that by offering a suite of environmental consulting services combined with local knowledge, regulatory expertise, and high-quality service. We build long-term, trusting relationships with our clients and guide their projects to successful completion.
the Lafley Brothers
Jim and Bill Lafley are, professionally and avocationally, long-standing environmentalists.