2022-12-01 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Fireside Chat :
Building Hope : Telling the Stories of Creative Problem Solving
December 1st – 6pm – 8pm
REGISTER HERE
Part of our NEW adult engagement program at the intersection of climate change, sustainability, and environmental justice. Nature Runs on Sunlight – Energy Cycles in Nature – Come for inspirational stories and conversation about how we can learn from nature about our own potential for more efficient systems. There will be a short program followed by conversation around a fire, enjoying the beauty of a crisp evening with hot beverages and hearty nibbles. Learn more.

Fall Birding Course with Scott Surner
2022-12-03
Join the Hitchcock Center’s beloved Fall Birding Class with birding extraordinaire, Scott Surner. This fall class will consist of ten field trips to various locations in the Connecticut River Valley, plus three coastal areas. Scott will help you work through the confusing plumages of fall warblers, and the streak and unstreaked plumages of fall sparrows. Our trips to the coast should provide us with an opportunity to study the different plumages of adult and juvenile southbound Shorebirds, Herons, Gulls, Terns, and with a little luck, some pelagic birds (Shearwaters, Storm-Petrels, and Jaegers) off the beaches of Cape cod. All trips depart from the Hitchcock Center and car-pooling will be encouraged. The class will be limited to fifteen observers.
Scott has been birding for more than forty-five years all around the Connecticut River Valley, Canada, and North and Central America. Scott just finished up a very successful Spring Class that traveled to more than thirty-six different locations and encountered 201 species of birds!
Course is limited to 15 participants and will be outdoor only for COVID Safety.
Participants must be vaccinated and willing to carpool.
Sliding Scale Pricing; $700, $650, $600, and $550.
FALL BIRDING REGISTRATION

Registration opens Friday, July 29 at 9:00 AM.
Field Trip Dates and Details:
Aug 20: 5:00 AM – all day. Plum Island or another coastal location within a two-hour drive. This trip’s primary focus will be migrating Shorebirds from their breeding grounds in the Arctic.
Sept 3: Local. 7:00 AM -12:00 PM. Fall Warblers/Shorebirds of Hampshire & Franklin County.
Sept 10: Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Warblers, with a special focus on locating the elusive Connecticut Warbler.
Sept 17: Local. 7:00 AM -12:00 PM. Warblers, Vireos, Flycatchers, etc.
Oct 1: Local. 7:00 AM -12:00 PM. Sparrows & Late Warblers.
Oct 15: Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Prime time for migrating Sparrows!
Oct 21 – 23: Cape Cod Weekend. We’ll explore areas from Chatham down to Provincetown. More info after signing up. If accommodations are hard to come by, we may do a one-day trip to the Connecticut shore.
Oct 29: Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Waterfowl & Sparrows
Nov 5: Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Dec 3rd: 5:00 AM – all day. Last class, back to the MA Coast. Probably Cape Ann (Gloucester/Rockport area) Sea ducks, Grebes, and more.
All trips depart from the Hitchcock Center and car-pooling will be encouraged.

Hitchcock Climate Action Series: Community Forum
2022-12-08 17:30 - 20:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Hitchcock Climate Action Series
Community Forum:
Improving Communication: Deliberative Dialogue
Thursday, December 8, 5:30pm Arrival & Snacks
6pm – 8pm Forum – Net Zero: How Do We Get There?
Join in a deliberative dialogue about different ways in which we can get to a “net zero carbon” future. Deliberation matters because democracy depends on community members coming together and making well-thought-out decisions on what we can do together to solve tough problems like climate change. A pre-reading will frame the issue, lay out several approaches based on values people care about, describe benefits and trade-offs associated with each choice, and pose some reflective questions. In small groups, participants will have an opportunity to share their personal perspectives and listen to others, weigh options and wrestle with trade-offs, and identify areas of common ground. A moderator will help to set ground rules, ensure that all perspectives are heard, and identify areas of agreement and uncertainty. We hope participants will keep an open mind, listen to one another, disagree with curiosity, and focus on learning.
REGISTER HERE

Owl Prowl with Dan Ziomek
2023-01-28 19:30 - 22:00, 2023-02-11 19:30 - 22:00
Owl Prowl with Dan Ziomek
Saturdays, January 28th, February 4th or 11th
7:30pm – 10pm
Have you been hearing the Great Horned Owls at dusk and dawn? They are hooting. Join valley birder Dan Ziomek for this extra special treat of searching for owls on winter nights! Dress super duper warmly.
For ages 12 and up. Space is limited to 15 participants. Cost $25 per prowl.
Registration opens Friday, January 20 at 9:00 AM
REGISTER HERE

20th Annual Spring Birding Course
2023-02-04 07:00 - 12:00, 2023-02-24 - 2023-02-26, 2023-03-04 07:00 - 12:00, 2023-03-11 07:00 - 12:00, 2023-03-18 07:00 - 12:00, 2023-04-01 07:00 - 12:00, 2023-04-08 07:00 - 12:00, 2023-04-15 07:00 - 12:00 and 6 more dates
20th Annual Spring Birding Course
with Scott Surner
Have you wanted to bird? Do you love birding but don’t get out enough on your own? Then this course is for you, join other birders and the amazing birder Scott Surner for this spring course of going to all the best spots to see all the coolest of birds! This is an intensive course through the spring with many wonderful hours of field trips around New England.
For ages 12 and up. Space is limited to 15 birders. Cost Sliding Scale $750, $700, $650, $600.Class Schedule:

Feb 4th-Local- 7:00-12:00. Kick off the spring class- Winter specialties in the Valley.
Feb 24th-26. Coastal Trip Weekend. Weather permitting of course. Either the North Shore or Cape Cod.
March 4th- 7:00 AM- 12:00 – Local. Returning Waterfowl and late-season winter birds.
March 11th- 7:00-12:00. Local. Waterfowl.
March 18th – 7:00 AM-12:00. Local. More waterfowl. (Hatfield/Turners Falls Area)
April 1st- 7:00-12:00. Local
April 8th- 7:00 AM- 12:00. Local
April 15th- 7:00 AM-12:00. Westover and Tilley Street, Ludlow. Upland Sandpipers, Eastern Meadowlark, early warblers, Rusty Blackbirds?
April 29th- Plum Island. 5:00-Dusk. All Day. Waterfowl, early shorebirds, warblers etc. Last year we encountered a huge flock of Glossy Ibis at the end of the day, over 120 birds. Bring lunch.
May 6th – 6:30 AM- 12:00. Amherst Area. Migration starting to kick into gear. Warblers, Vireo’s etc.
May 13th- 6:30 AM-12:00. Mt. Holyoke. Breeding Cerulean & Worm-eating Warblers.
May 20th- 6;30AM-12:00- Local. Amherst/Hadley Area. Migration at its peak! Warblers, Flycatchers, Vireos, Sparrows etc.
May 27th- NO Class. Memorial Day Weekend.
June 3rd- 5:30-12:00. Southwick Wildlife Area. Grasshopper Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Indigo Bunting, and Prairie Warblers to name a few.
June 8th- 11th. Connecticut Lakes, Moose Bog, and a new stop in New Hampshire to look for Bicknell’s Thrush. More details to come, but we’ll need to make motel reservations in February. Last year’s trip to this area was very successful. Many species of breeding warblers, Philadelphia Vireo, Canada Jay, Spruce Grouse, American Bittern, Wilson’s Snipe, Cliff Swallows, etc.

Registration opens Friday, January 20 at 9:00 AM
REGISTER HERE

Salamander Tunnels Information Session
2023-03-06 18:00 - 19:00
Henry Street Salamander Tunnels
Big Night Volunteer Information and Training Session
Monday, March 6, 6pm – 7pm, free to attend
It is getting close to the time of year again for Big Night – the annual salamander migration from their year-round forest territories to their breeding pool at Henry Street in North Amherst. We will have a short presentation on the yellow spotted salamander, and the history of the salamander tunnels. These are the first amphibian migration tunnels installed in North America in 1987. Join us to help prepare for the excitement of big Night and assisting the Henry Street yellow spotted salamanders on their journey – the first rainy night of spring when temperature remain above 40 degrees.
REGISTER HERE

Fireside Chat with Nolumbeka Project
2023-04-27 18:00 - 19:30
Fireside Chats are back! We invite you to join us fireside at the Hitchcock Center’s Living Building in March and April for our 2023 chats.
They are a great way to enjoy the beauty of a crisp, early-Spring evening and join in engaging conversations on nature-focused topics around a fire with hot beverages and hearty snacks.
Thursday, April 27: Stories of Indigenous Place and Spirit, with Nolumbeka Project

Forest Bathing
2023-05-21 14:00 - 16:00
Forest Bathing
May 21st – 2pm – 4pm
Limited to 12 participants
Price: $30
Join us with Forest Bathing guide and ecological artist Todd Lynch for a refreshing day of discovery, awakening and art making and leave with ways you can integrate these practices into your own rhythms. Forest Bathing combined with ecological art making can offer us ways to explore our relationships across many levels. These practices root us in the sensuality of what is real, contextual, and present now. Within both practices, there are no prescribed outcomes, only experiences.
Forest Bathing and art practiced together offer participants a chance to deepen their connection to “Nature” – which can be healing and restorative to both them and their communities. Slowing down, listening, observing, and witnessing intentional relationships are critical parts of both forest bathing and art making.
REGISTER HERE
About Todd: Todd Lynch is an artist, garden designer and Forest Bathing guide. His passion is to connect people to the world around them through art, plants, beauty and immersion into nature. Todd is an ANFT certified forest therapy guide and has led many walks that connect people to place, plants and ecology. Learn more about Todd at www.ecotropy.net or see some stories on Instagram @ecotropy .

Forest Bathing ART Workshop
2023-06-04 09:00 - 16:00
Forest Bathing ART Workshop
June 4th – 9am – 4pm
Limited to 12 participants
Sliding Scale Price: $80, $100, or $120

Spring is a time of awakening and reemergence from the dark of winter. Come experience this changing of the seasons on a Forest Bathing walk with Todd Lynch, certified ANFT Forest Bathing guide. Forest Bathing offers the opportunity to slow down. It re-aligns our rhythms with the landscape, allowing our senses a respite from everyday demands and uncertainties, and gives us a template to practice on our own time at home. It’s a chance to remember ourselves and the joyful relationships that await us outside. Come experience what the Forest at the Hitchcock Center might share on this 2 hour experience.
REGISTER HERE
About Todd: Todd Lynch is an artist, garden designer and Forest Bathing guide. His passion is to connect people to the world around them through art, plants, beauty and immersion into nature. Todd is an ANFT certified forest therapy guide and has led many walks that connect people to place, plants and ecology. Learn more about Todd at www.ecotropy.net or see some stories on Instagram @ecotropy

Hitchcock Garden Meet & Greets
2023-07-26 17:00 - 18:00, 2023-08-16 17:00 - 18:00, 2023-09-19 17:00 - 18:00
Wednesday, July 26
Wednesday, August 16
Tuesday, September 19
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Join us for a community meet and greet and enjoy the Hitchcock Gardens on a summer evening. There will be garden refreshments, and an update from Executive Director Billy Spitzer about the impact of Hitchcock Center programs in the region.
RSVP Shelly@HitchcockCenter.org or call 413-256-6006 to reserve a spot.

Fall Birding Class
2023-09-02 07:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-23 07:00 - 12:00
Fall Birding Class with Scott Surner
The Hitchcock Center is offering a six-week Fall Birding class with Scott Surner. There will be five local trips to various areas in Hampshire and Franklin Counties and a weekend trip to Cape Cod. Scott will help you navigate the fall plumages of Warblers, Sparrows, and waterfowl, plus much more. Fall is Scott’s favorite time of year when it comes to birding. Please join Scott this fall.
Sept 2nd. 7:00 AM – 12:00 Local. Focusing on fall Warblers and possibly inland shorebirds.
Sept 23rd- 7:00 AM- 12:00. Local. Seeking out more fall Warblers, Hawks, and early Sparrows.
Sept 30th. 7:00 AM -12:00. Local. Fall warblers are starting to decrease and Sparrows increasing.
Oct 7th. 7:00 AM-12:00. Local- Prime time for Sparrows.
Oct 20th-22nd, Cape Cod Weekend. Seabirds, Shorebirds, Shearwaters, and maybe even a Whale or two. More info after signing up.
Oct 28th. Local. 7:00 AM – 12:00. Last class of the fall season.
Please note- All trips depart from the Hitchcock Center.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

Climate Action Series: Electric Driving Workshop
2023-09-13 19:00 - 20:00
Get Plugged in to Electric Driving for the Climate

Wednesday, September 13 at 7:00 PM
Virtual workshop
Registration required | Suggested Donation $8-15
Season 2 | September – November 2023 | Hitchcock’s Climate Action Series is an adult engagement program at the intersection of climate change, sustainability, and environmental justice. Bringing partners and community members together to address critical community issues through a fireside chat, practical workshops, and deliberative forums.
LEARN MORE

Garden Immersion: Forest Bathing
2023-09-21 17:00 - 19:00
with Todd Lynch, certified Forest Bathing Guide
Thursday, September 21st from 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Space is limited, registration required
Sliding Scale tickets $8-20.
Connecting with nature has the benefits of reducing anxiety, easing stress and rekindling a sense of wonder. In this meditative experience, modeled on Forest Bathing, we’ll explore the Discovery Garden at the Hitchcock Center. While in this magical setting, we’ll spend time with marvelous plants and practice engaging our senses through guided prompts. Slowing down, listening and exploring the intentional connections thriving in nature help to bring us into closer relationship with our surroundings and with ourselves. Take some time on a near-equinox evening to make new plant friends and enliven your sense of wonder.
REGISTER HERE
