Programs: Environmental education and wildlife sanctuary stewardship: mass audubon maintains 25 field offices and staffed wildlife sanctuaries (including 19 sanctuaries with nature centers) and an additional 32 unstaffed wildlife sanctuaries which are prepared for public visitation. Mass audubon sanctuaries serve as the base for nature and environmental education courses and programs, scientific research, ecological management and other conservation-related activities. As of june 30, 2017, mass audubon protects 37,085 acres of open space in massachusetts, owning approximately 31,221 acres in fee and protecting the remainder with conservation easements. These diverse protected habitats range from the berkshires to cape cod and the islands and help preserve the biodiversity of massachusetts. Mass audubon actively pursues donations and purchases of additional conservation land and is one of the largest conservation landowners in the commonwealth. An estimated 494,000 visitors came to enjoy mass audubon properties in fy 2017. Mass audubon is the largest non-governmental provider of nature education in the state. Mass audubon develops educational materials and environmental policy materials for students, teachers, legislators, and the general public. In fy 2017, mass audubon taught nature programs to more than 227,000 children and adults, enrolled more than 11,000 children in its summer day and residential nature camps, and conducted science/nature training for more than 700 teachers. Special events attracted another 19,000 participants. In addition, mass audubon was fortunate to have more than 14,000 volunteers contribute more than 153,000 hours of service across the state in fy 2017.
member services: in addition to the member services provided by the network of sanctuaries referenced in 4a above, mass audubon produces a newsletter four times per year for members (explore), a comprehensive annual report, promotional materials, and publications to increase public awareness of wildlife, nature, and environmental issues. For example, in fy 2017 mass audubon started work on the sixth edition of its definitive report entitled losing ground which calculates and analyzes the causes associated with the loss of open space in massachusetts. This report is scheduled for release in the spring of 2019 and will focus on the impact of climate change on water resource lands. Also in fy 2017, mass audubon neared completion of a report entitled the state of the birds: massachusetts birds and our changing climate, a first-ever, comprehensive overview of the challenges facing bird species in massachusetts as the climate changes. This report was published in september 2017 and received coverage on the front page of the boston globe. In addition, the mass audubon website (www. Massaudubon. Org) offers a wide variety of information on mass audubon's sanctuaries, conservation, land protection, advocacy, climate change/energy conservation and the natural world. Currently, mass audubon has 21 sanctuary e-newsletters and 9 other e-newsletters on specific topics, as well as a number of blogs. Mass audubon also operates a gift shop in lincoln which sells merchandise related to nature, wildlife observation and nature education to both members and non-members.
conservation science and land protection: mass audubon utilizes and develops scientific knowledge to support a longstanding tradition as a science-based organization for its education, land protection, advocacy and stewardship activities. Current research and/or ecological management work focuses on the protection and stewardship of selected massachusetts habitats such as grasslands, coastal heathlands and salt marshes. In addition, statewide monitoring of key groups of organisms like birds, amphibians, invertebrates and plants continues across the state in order to provide an important baseline to evaluate changing environmental conditions associated with climate change and land development. Mass audubon has also developed and implements an invasive species management strategy to protect the integrity of its lands as well as to provide guidance for other landowners throughout the state. Mass audubon lands play a critical role in the delivery of its mission and its land protection efforts focus on conserving ecologically significant tracts of land adjacent to existing wildlife sanctuaries, thereby protecting and enhancing their biological integrity and viability as program sites. Mass audubon also advances the protection of selected high priority focus areas beyond its existing wildlife sanctuaries through collaboration with state and local agencies and local and regional land trusts. Collectively, these protection priorities include a wide range of massachusetts habitats.
advocacy: mass audubon educates elected and appointed state, federal, and local officials; citizens; and our members on the value and condition of natural resources in massachusetts, motivating them to make decisions that help protect the nature of massachusetts. In doing so, mass audubon focuses on several key programmatic areas: the establishment and enforcement of sound conservation laws, policies, and regulations; land and water resource planning and sound ocean and forest management; and municipal and regional coordination with public and private conservation organizations. For example, in fy 2017 mass audubon: 1. Continued to advocate for 1% of the state's fy 2018 operating budget to go to environmental programs;2. Testified at the state level in support of land conservation tax credits and community preservation act funding and lobbied at the congressional level on funding priorities driving federal funding for state conservation programs;3. Continued to lead advocacy for implementation of recommendations of the massachusetts coastal erosion commission and the massachusetts ocean advisory commission;4. Was instrumental in forming a new offshore wind energy coalition to oversee implementation of the state energy diversity act of 2016, especially with regard to 1600 mw of procured offshore wind energy mandated by the act;5. Through our shaping the future of your community program, held 35 workshops, speaking engagements, and low impact design tours reaching over 800 people, and continued to expand our presence and technical assistance work throughout the central, southeast, and metrowest regions;6. Worked with the governor's office on implementation of the governor's new executive order (no. 569) on climate change adaptation and advocated in the legislature for the bill establishing a comprehensive adaptation management plan (the bill has been reported favorably out from committee);7. Continued educational outreach and advocacy in support of local community opposition efforts to new natural gas pipeline projects;8. Engaged with multiple members and partner groups through an extended speaking tour following the january federal administration changes, discussing how mass audubon and its partners can defend state and national environmental programs and funding.
