Massachusetts Audubon Society | |
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![]() The society's headquarters, Gordon Hall at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln | |
Formation | 1896 |
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Founder | Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall |
Type | Nonprofit |
04-2104702 | |
Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
Purpose | Protecting the nature of Massachusetts |
Headquarters | Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, Massachusetts |
Coordinates | 42°24′36″N71°19′55″W / 42.409866°N 71.331850°W |
Region served | Massachusetts |
Board Chair | Beth Kressley Goldstein |
President | David O'Neill |
Main organ | Board of Directors |
Website | www.massaudubon.org |
The Massachusetts Audubon Society, commonly known as Mass Audubon, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "protecting the nature of Massachusetts". Mass Audubon is independent of the National Audubon Society (NAS), and was founded earlier than the NAS. Mass Audubon protects more than 40,000 acres of land throughout Massachusetts, [1] saving birds and other wildlife, and making nature accessible to all with its wildlife sanctuaries and 20 nature centers.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society was born out of Harriet Hemenway's desire to stop the commercial slaughter of birds for women's ornamental hats. Hemenway and her cousin, Minna Hall, soon enlisted 900 women and formed a partnership with many from Boston's scientific community to form their organization. They named the organization the Massachusetts Audubon Society in honor of the bird painter John James Audubon. In 1905, a national committee of Audubon societies was developed. This committee was vital in passing the Migratory Bird Conservation Act in 1913 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 with Great Britain. The passage of these measures effectively eliminated the commercial plume trade. [2]
Mass Audubon's first wildlife sanctuary, Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon, Massachusetts, dates back to 1916 when the board accepts an offer of Sharon resident George Field to use his property as a bird sanctuary. Mass Audubon purchased the parcel in 1922. [2]
Mass Audubon's statewide network of more than 100 wildlife sanctuaries [3] welcomes visitors of all ages and is a home for more than 150 endangered and threatened native species. Some of the sanctuaries, as noted below, have staffed nature centers or museums.
For information about properties without a Wikipedia page, visit the Mass Audubon website's list of wildlife sanctuaries [3] and select the property.
Camp Wildwood, established in 1950, is the Society's only overnight summer camp, and it is accredited by the American Camp Association. [22] The 159 acre camp is located in Rindge, New Hampshire, on Hubbard Pond, bordering 1,494-acre Annett State Forest. The property includes a central shower house, arts and crafts center, 135-seat dining hall, health center, office, camp store, seven cabin sites, an archery range, high and low ropes challenge course, playing field, and several trails and areas of forest and wetland for exploration. [23]
During the summers, Camp Wildwood hosts campers ranging from ages 7 to 17. The programs at the camp include a day camp, a three-day session for campers 7 to 8 years old, one- and two-week sessions for campers ages 9 to 16, one- and two-week off-site Treks for campers ages 14–17, and a several-week long Leadership program (called LIT/LIA, meaning Leaders in Training and Leaders in Action) for campers ages 16 and 17. The camp also hosts several three-day long "Family Camp" sessions throughout the summer for all ages. [24]
Camp Wildwood was previously located on Lake Wampanoag in Gardner, Massachusetts. It moved to its current location in 2003. The current site was previously a boy scout camp, Camp Quinapoxet. [25] [26] [27]
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world. There are completely independent Audubon Societies in the United States, which were founded several years earlier such as the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Indiana Audubon Society, and Connecticut Audubon Society. The societies are named for 19th century naturalist John James Audubon.
The Quinapoxet River is part of the Nashua River watershed in northern Massachusetts in the United States. It is part of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority water system supplying drinking water to the greater Boston area.
The Stillwater River is part of the Nashua River watershed. This river is part of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority system that supplies drinking water to the greater Boston area.
The Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary is a sanctuary owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the largest conservation organization in New England, in the town of Marshfield, Massachusetts. The sanctuary, formerly the farm of Edward Dwyer, statesman Daniel Webster and the William Thomas family of Marshfield, the first English landowner to live on the sanctuary land, was purchased by Mass Audubon in 1984 thanks to the volunteer efforts of the Committee for the Preservation of Dwyer Farm for the People of Marshfield. The sanctuary contains 507 acres (2.1 km2) of mixed cultural grasslands, red maple swamps, a five-tiered wet panne, Webster Pond and a section of the Green Harbor River. It is the site of the annual Daniel Webster Farm Day celebration. Surrounding lands owned by the town of Marshfield and the Marshfield Airport increase the local open space area to more than 1000 acres (4 km2).
The North River Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary, owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, located on the North River in the town of Marshfield, Massachusetts. The sanctuary contains 184 acres (0.74 km2) of mixed cultural grasslands, red maple swamps, oak-pine woodland, and access to the river. The North River Wildlife Sanctuary came to Mass Audubon as a gift of the Killam and Rodgers families in 1977.
Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm AKA Aullwood Audubon is an environmental education, sustainable agriculture, and Audubon Center of the National Audubon Society. Aullwood Audubon includes a nature center, educational farm and farm discovery center, and a 200 acre nature sanctuary with 8 miles of walking trails. Aullwood Audubon is located in Montgomery County in southwestern Ohio, United States, about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Dayton.
The Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, which is one of the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s largest wildlife sanctuaries, is located in Topsfield and Wenham, Massachusetts. Much of its 1,955-acre (7.91 km2) landscape was created by a glacier 15,000 years ago.
The Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield is a nature center and wildlife sanctuary in the Greenfield Hill area of Fairfield, Connecticut. Constructed in 1971, the center features classrooms for environmental education programs, live animals on display, natural history exhibits, a nature library, a solar greenhouse and a gift shop. Outside there is a compound with non-releasable rescued birds of prey, including owls, hawks, peregrine falcons, a turkey vulture and other raptors.
The Bird Alliance of Oregon (formerly Portland Audubon) is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to bird and habitat protection across Oregon in the United States.
Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary is a 1,971 acres (798 ha) wildlife sanctuary located in Sharon, Massachusetts. The property is the oldest property of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, established in 1916. It is adjacent to Moose Hill Farm, which is owned by the Trustees of Reservations.
The Connecticut Audubon Society, founded in 1898 and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "conserving Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and habitats." Connecticut Audubon Society is independent of the National Audubon Society (NAS), just as in the neighboring state of Massachusetts, where Massachusetts Audubon Society is independent of the NAS.
Audubon Sharon, which consists of the Sharon Audubon Center and the Emily Winthrop Miles Wildlife Sanctuary, is a wildlife sanctuary of the National Audubon Society in Sharon, Connecticut. The 1,147 acres (464 ha) of the Sharon Audubon Center property is primarily forest land with two ponds with 11 miles (18 km) of trails for visitors to use. Its facilities include a raptor aviary, a herb garden, a garden to attract birds and butterflies, a sugar house, a memorial room to Hal Borland, a small museum and store. Sharon Audubon Center is located at 325 Cornwall Bridge Road.
Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary is a 1,135 acres (459 ha) wildlife sanctuary located in Princeton, Massachusetts, owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Charles T. Crocker III donated 600 acres of land along with several buildings to Mass Audubon in 1956. The former farmstead includes a nature center, 12 miles of trails through woodlands, wetlands, and meadows, and a large pond with canoe rentals in season.
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is a 1,405 acres (569 ha) wildlife sanctuary located in Lenox, Massachusetts owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. There are 7 miles of trails and a large pond on Yokun Brook. The Overbrook Trail leads to the summit of Lenox Mountain.
Minna B. Hall was an American socialite and environmentalist. Her most notable achievements include the co-founding of the Massachusetts Audubon Society and the ratification of the Weeks-McLean Act by the US Congress. Together with her cousin, Harriet Lawrence Hemenway, Hall organized ladies' teas at which she urged women to stop wearing hats with feathers. Hall's boycott of the fashion of wearing plumes ultimately changed the future of the American feather trade, and her activism remains a key event in the history of ornithological conservation.
Drumlin Farm is a 291 acre farm and wildlife sanctuary which is also the site of the headquarters of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. It is located at 208 South Great Road in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary at 1417 Park Street in Attleboro, Massachusetts is a wildlife sanctuary of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
Boston Nature Center in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts is a 67-acre (27 ha) wildlife refuge of the Massachusetts Audubon Society that opened in 2002 with the dedication of a new building, the George Robert White Environmental Conservation Center. "On the former grounds of the Boston State Hospital, the Boston Nature Center is a community-based urban sanctuary. Trails and boardwalks traverse meadows and wetlands, home to over 150 species of birds, 40 species of butterflies, and more than 350 species of plants. Year-round programs help foster an appreciation for nature and the environment."
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary is a 624 acres (253 ha) wildlife sanctuary located in Natick, Massachusetts. The sanctuary was created by the Massachusetts Audubon Society after donations of land in 1962 and 1968. Bird watchers have identified more than 175 species on the property.
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is a 1,183 acres (479 ha) wildlife sanctuary located in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. The sanctuary was established by the Massachusetts Audubon Society in 1957. It includes walking trails along Wellfleet Harbor of Cape Cod Bay as well as a nature center and a campground.