Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Living Building Tour Ambassador Training Series
2018-10-01 12:00 - 14:30, 2018-09-24 12:30 - 14:00, 2018-09-17 12:30 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Learn to become a Living Building Tour Ambassador at the Hitchcock Center. This fee training will include learning theory, understanding building systems, and a discussion of Living Building Challenge. A light lunch will be provided. Participants who complete the training are encouraged to participate as volunteers in our building tour program.
with Sara Draper, R.W. Kern Center Director of Educational Program and Outreach at Hampshire College;
Jessica Schultz, Living Building Coordinator at Hitchcock Center;
and Tim Zimmerman, Assistant Professor of Environmental Education at Hampshire College
Mondays, 12:30-2pm,  September 17, 24, October 1, 15
Free, registration required

Nature Play and Learning Places Garden Work Day
2018-09-30 13:00 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
The Hitchcock Center is expanding its nature play area. Join this community effort and come help us dig, weed, plant, mulch, haul, etc. Bring tools and gloves if you have them.
Sunday, September 30, 1-3pm
Sunday, October 21, 1-3pm
Registration appreciated

Nature Discovery Preschool: Mammal Friends
2018-09-28 13:00 - 15:00, 2018-09-14 13:00 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
with Colleen Kelley
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, Afternoon session: 1:00-3:00pm
September 14, 28 (no September 21) October 12, 19, 26 (no October 5) November 9, 16, 30 (no November 2, 23) December 7, 14
Members: $205/Non-members: $255
Through live animal observations, puppets, stories, games and crafts, Colleen will introduce the children to local mammals living right in our backyards. Squirrels, deer, skunks, and raccoons will be just a few of the friends we’ll make during our ten weeks together. An adult is required to attend with each child. Limited to 12 families per session.

Nature Discovery Preschool: Mammal Friends
2018-09-28 09:30 - 11:30, 2018-09-14 09:30 - 11:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
with Colleen Kelley
Ages 3-5 (Adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, Morning session: 9:30-11:30am
September 14, 28 (no September 21) October 12, 19, 26 (no October 5) November 9, 16, 30 (no November 2, 23) December 7, 14
Members: $205/Non-members: $255
Through live animal observations, puppets, stories, games and crafts, Colleen will introduce the children to local mammals living right in our backyards. Squirrels, deer, skunks, and raccoons will be just a few of the friends we’ll make during our ten weeks together. An adult is required to attend with each child. Limited to 12 families per session.

Girls into the Wild
2018-09-27 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-09-20 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-09-13 15:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Sometimes you just need to run, explore and play outdoors! That’s what we do at Girls into the Wild, and lots more. Now going into its fifth year, Girls into the Wild is designed to get girls outside, playing and engaging with nature in their own way. Instructor Katie Koerten strives to offer games and activities that each girl can participate in at her own comfort level, from climbing trees, to playing camouflage in the forest, to running and whooping wildly through fields – all while noticing the birds that are singing, the flowers that are blooming and the animals that are leaving tracks behind. Come build your confidence and show your wild side! Families provide their own transportation to the Hitchcock Center.
with Katie Koerten
Ages 8-11, Grades 3-5
Thursdays, 3:30-5:30pm
September 13 – December 20 (no program Nov. 22)
Members: $355/Non-members: $425

Nature Play Afterschool
2018-09-26 13:30 - 17:30, 2018-09-19 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-09-12 15:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Fall is here, and school has started, and your kids still want to be outside! Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Fall Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, play in and near streams, build forts, climb trees, make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us and use our imaginations. Our instructors provide a safe structure for children to explore nature and encourages children to stretch their limits as they balance on logs, hold salamanders, or co-create new games with their peers. Please note: there will be a different educators for Mondays and Wednesdays.

Wednesdays: 3:30pm-5:30pm, extended days 1:30pm-5:30pm
September 12 – December 19 (no class November 21)
Extended days: Sept 26, Oct 17, Dec 12
Members: $380/Non-members: $475

Get the Buzz on Electric Vehicles
2018-09-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Curious about electric vehicle (EVs)s? How they work, how far they can go on a charge? An increasing number of electric vehicles on the market are competitively priced and can go over 100 miles on a charge. This workshop will start with a brief ride around the parking lot in a plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt. Participants will learn about EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs available, their features and range, big incentives that bring down their purchase price, charging an EV and matching the right EV and charger with your driving habits and needs. You’ll also learn about pairing solar power for your home with the charging demands of your car, and when to charge for the lowest carbon impact.
with Sally Pick, SJP Environmental Consulting
Donations and registration appreciated

Conversation on Environmental and Climate Justice
2018-09-25 12:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Join us for a workshop lunch for deeper discussion about environmental and climate justice with Jacqueline Patterson, the Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Come learn how to have conversations across constituents about climate, race and the environment. Light lunch provided. This program is available free of charge thanks to funding from the Roddenberry Foundation to Hampshire College.
Tuesday, September 25, 12pm – 2pm
Hitchcock Center for the Environment
Registration required, space is limited

Homeschool II: Citizen Science!
2018-09-25 10:00 - 14:00, 2018-09-18 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Calling all future scientists! Citizen scientists are people — young or old — who help collect data for research projects. We will work with local researchers and on national science projects, collecting data that matters! For this homeschool series we will be diving into different science projects and asking lots of questions, such as: How healthy is our local population of salamanders? When do our monarch butterflies migrate? When do our leaves drop? And more! Kids can offer a new way of looking at an issue, so bring your scientific mind, observation skills and unique perspective to our class. Through observation, special guests, field trips, and surveys, we will study the world around us and contribute to science while also having fun, exploring and playing games. Limited to 12 participants
with Jeff Mazur
Tuesdays, 10am-2pm
September 18, 25, October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 13, 20, 27, December 4 (No class October 2 or November 6)
Members: $450/Non-members: $560

Homeschool I: Incredible Insects (And Other Arthropods!)
2018-09-25 10:00 - 14:00, 2018-09-18 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Honey, we shrunk the homeschoolers! Get ready to become very tiny this fall as we get down on a bug’s level. At Homeschool I we’ll discover the insects and other arthropods, such as spiders, millipedes and crustaceans that share our home with us. From butterfly to bumblebee, and cockroach to click beetle we’ll find out the characteristics that make these animals amazing survivors. We’ll learn about insect defense strategies, communication, and how many insects help humans in our everyday lives! Through collection and observation, field trips and art projects, we will study the insects and arthropods of our local habitats and beyond. By the end of our class, you might just ask yourself, where would the world “bee” without insects? Space is limited. Limited to 12 participants.
with Katie Koerten
Tuesdays, 10am-2pm
September 18, 25, October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 13, 20, 27, December 4 (No class October 2 or November 6)
Members: $450/Non-members: $560

Jacqueline Patterson: Environmental and Climate Justice
2018-09-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Hamshire College – Franklin Patterson Hall
Jacqueline Patterson is the Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Environmental injustice, including the proliferation of climate change, has a disproportionate impact on communities of color and low-income communities in the United States and around the world. The NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program was created to support community leadership in addressing this human and civil rights issue. Since 2007 Patterson has served as coordinator & co-founder of Women of Color United. Jacqui Patterson has worked as a researcher, program manager, coordinator, advocate and activist working on women’s rights, violence against women, HIV&AIDS, racial justice, economic justice, and environmental and climate justice. This talk will set the tone for more workshops and talks in collaboration with Hampshire College around environmental and climate justice. This program is available free of charge thanks to funding from the Roddenberry Foundation to Hampshire College.
Monday, September 24, 6pm
Franklin Patterson Hall Main Lecture Hall at Hampshire College

Nature Play Afterschool
2018-09-24 15:30 - 17:30, 2018-09-17 15:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Fall is here, and school has started, and your kids still want to be outside! Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Fall Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, play in and near streams, build forts, climb trees, make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us and use our imaginations. Our instructors provide a safe structure for children to explore nature and encourages children to stretch their limits as they balance on logs, hold salamanders, or co-create new games with their peers. Please note: there will be a different educators for Mondays and Wednesdays.
Mondays: 3:30pm-5:30pm
September 17 – December 17 (no class October 8)
Members: $295/Non-members $365

Fungi Field Trip
2018-09-23 13:00 - 15:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Join Dianna for an in-depth exploration of our fungi at Cadwell Forest in Pelham. She can identify to species whatever we find and fill us in on each species’ unique adaptations, identifying characters, and ecology. You will leave her walks with a greatly increased knowledge base of our local mushrooms and motivation to keep learning on your own. See her web site for more information. Dress for being outdoors. Directions to the meeting site will be provided prior to the program.
with Dianna Smith, Pioneer Valley Mycological Association
Members $15/Non-members $20, Space is limited.
Register here

Pollination Celebration Day
2018-09-23 11:00 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Come and celebrate the pollinators in our world at Hitchcock’s first Pollination Celebration Day! We will have events and activities for the whole family, including honey tasting, a pollinator scavenger hunt, and a monarch migration obstacle course. Make your own wings and march in our pollinator parade! See a demonstration of how to make your own waterproof beeswax container lids! Attend our workshop on how to make your garden more friendly to pollinators! And of course, learn about magnificent monarch butterflies, learn how to tag them, keep track of them and contribute to science. Bring a picnic and stay for the whole thing! This event is rain or shine. Check out the schedule of events.
Members: $4 Children/$7 Adults
Non-members: $5 Children/$8 Adults
Buy tickets

Family StoryWalk: Fairy Went A-Marketing
2018-09-22 10:30 - 11:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Looking for a fun Saturday morning activity with your young children? We are excited to be offering a free StoryWalk with Dawn Ward! Designed for pre-readers and their families, Dawn’s StoryWalks include an outdoor family walk and indoor natural history touch-table activities. Many thanks to the Amherst Cultural Council for generously funding this program.
Saturday, 10:30am-11:30am
September 22: A Fairy Went A-Marketing
(Rain date September 23)
FREE
Register here

Monarch Tagging
2018-09-20 16:00 - 18:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Help with this ongoing citizen science project and get up close and personal with Monarch butterflies. It’s a good year for Monarchs! Fun for all ages.
Jennifer Unkles, Monarch tagger since 1997
Thursday, September 20, 4-6pm
FREE, Registration appreciated

Living Building Tour
2018-09-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Come meet our newest educator – our building! It is designed to model systems in nature, it is net zero energy, net zero water, has composting toilets, and has been made with responsibly sourced non-toxic materials, come check it out at one of our bi-monthly tours. Tours typically last from 1-1.5 hours.
First Fridays at 4pm: September 7, October 5, November 2, December 6
Third Wednesdays at 12pm: August 15, September 19, October 17, December 19 (No tour November 21)
FREE but please register online

Private Building Tours
The Hitchcock Center offers private group building tours, based on availability. The fee for these tours is $50/group for a one hour weekday tour (during business hours). Please limit group size to 15-20 for the best experience. Please contact Jessica Schultz, Living Building Coordinator, to arrange your group’s tour.
Note: We are pleased to be able to offer Spanish language translators for our building tours. If you or someone you know could benefit from translation, please let us know in advance, so that we may schedule a translator for your tour date.
While you’re here, check out our neighbors over at the R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College, another Living Building Challenge project.

Homeschool Discovery Day: Quabbin Reservoir Discovery
2018-09-11 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Do you love science and nature? Do you want to see what the Hitchcock Homeschool program is all about? Sign up for our Discovery Days, our one-time programs about science and nature. In a mixed-age setting, we explore cool topics at the Hitchcock Center, meet science experts, and sometimes go on field trips. Our Discovery Day programs are appropriate for everyone from first time to veteran homeschoolers, and we welcome almost-6 year olds who are interested in joining our class in the spring. This is designed as a drop-off program. Limited to 12 participants per program.
September 11: Quabbin Reservoir Discovery with Katie Koerten
October 2: The Forest That Stinks! with Katie Koerten
November 6: Marvelous Mammals with Jeff Mazur
December 11: Ew, That’s Gross! with Jeff Mazur
with Katie Koerten or Jeff Mazur
Tuesdays 10am-2pm
September 11, October 2, November 6, December 11
Members: $45 per program/Non-members: $55 per program
Ages 6-12

Exploring Lake Warner
2018-09-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Directions upon registration
Kingfishers, painted turtles, great blue herons, bullfrogs, water snakes… we’ll be searching for them! We’ll paddle slowly around the lake, looking for birds and plants and any other nature we can find. Bring binoculars, snacks and water, sun and bug protection. We will provide canoes, paddles, life jackets, and canoe instruction. Not recommended for paddlers younger than grade 4. Canoes and instruction will be supplied by Morse Hill, certified canoe instructors.
with Ted Watt, Hitchcock Center Naturalist together with Morse Hill Canoe GuidesSunday, September 9, 10am-12pm$10 Members/$15 Non-membersRegistration required. Space is limited.Sponsored by Friends of Lake Warner.
