Arcadia - Mass Audubon's Connecticut River Valley Sanctuaries

Arcadia is our 720-acre flagship wildlife sanctuary based in Easthampton and Northampton. With the tremendous support of the community, we have spent over 70 years protecting critical habitat, educating people of all ages, and advocating for increased environmental protection. Though we are a statewide organization, we rely on the local community, through donations and a dedicated group of volunteers, to accomplish our mission in the Valley.

 

Environmental Education: Our environmental education is cutting edge (one of the first nature preschools in the country) and crowd-pleasing (Best in the Valley Day Camp). We are always looking to expand our reach to new populations. In fall of 2015, we started a year-long pilot Climate Change education program in the Hampshire Regional School Disctrict which we are looking to expand in the next school year. We connect people of all ages and abilities to nature.

Land Protection: All of our local land protection projects rely on donors. In addition to protecting new land, at Arcadia, Graves Farm and Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuaries we are actively managing grasslands for birds that rely on this diminishing habitat. We protect a wide variety of habitat for all wildlife.

Advocacy: We advocate for the environment at the local and statewide levels.

 

In addition to Arcadia, our network of sanctuaries in the Valley includes Laughing Brook in Hampden, Graves Farm in Williamsburg and Whately, and Lyne’s Woods in Westhampton. In the hilltowns we have West Mountain in Plainfield, Road’s End in Worthington, Conway Hills in Conway, and High Ledges in Shelburne. They are all a part of our statewide network of wildlife sanctuaries, which each year welcome nearly half a million visitors of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds and serves as the base for our work.

 

Statewide, with more than 100,000 members, we care for 35,000 acres of conservation land, provide school, camp, and other educational programs for 225,000 children and adults annually, and advocate for sound environmental policies at local, state, and federal levels.

 

 

Founded in 1896 by two inspirational women who were committed to the protection of birds, Mass Audubon is now one of the largest and most prominent conservation organizations in New England.  Today we are respected for our sound science, successful advocacy, and innovative approaches to connecting people and nature.

Your gift will help Mass Audubon protect wildlife and wild lands in the Pioneer Valley and provide educational and recreational opportunities to thousands of children and adults.