Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Nature Discovery Preschool
2016-04-15 13:00 - 15:00, 2016-04-08 13:00 - 15:00, 2016-04-01 13:00 - 15:00, 2016-03-25 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Colleen Kelley, Hitchcock Center Educator
Ages 3-5 (adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, March 25, April 1, 8, 15, 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27, June 3 (No class 4/22)
Afternoon session: 1:00pm-3:00pm
Members: $205/Non-members: $225
We will head in to spring in full flight! Children and their adult companions will explore the world of birds through movement, songs, crafts and live animal observations. We will investigate what makes a bird a bird, bird adaptations, bird language and much more. By the end of our time together we will be amateur ornithologists!
Adult is required to attend with each child. Online registration opens January 14. Limited to 12 families per session. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.

Nature Discovery Preschool
2016-04-15 09:30 - 11:30, 2016-04-08 09:30 - 11:30, 2016-04-01 09:30 - 11:30, 2016-03-25 09:30 - 11:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Colleen Kelley, Hitchcock Center Educator
Ages 3-5 (adult required to attend with child)
Fridays, March 25, April 1, 8, 15, 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27, June 3 (No class 4/22)
Morning session: 9:30am-11:30 am
Members: $205/Non-members: $225
We will head in to spring in full flight! Children and their adult companions will explore the world of birds through movement, songs, crafts and live animal observations. We will investigate what makes a bird a bird, bird adaptations, bird language and much more. By the end of our time together we will be amateur ornithologists!
Adult is required to attend with each child. Online registration opens January 14. Limited to 12 families per session. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.

Net Zero Water and the Living Building Challenge
2016-04-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Chris Chamberland, Civil Engineer Berkshire Design
Thursday, April 14, 7pm
The new Hitchcock Center for the Environment and its future neighbor, Hampshire College’s Kern Center, will soon meet the ambitious goal of net zero water. Chris Chamberland, the civil engineer for both projects, will take a deep dive into the systems that allow these buildings to capture rainfall for drinking water as well as treat their own wastewater on-site. He will explore the technical and regulatory challenges faced by the project team, and will highlight the ways in which these systems mimic not just traditional water systems, but also the natural systems found just outside the doors of these new buildings. FREE but space is limited, please call to register

Morning Nature Walk for Seniors
2016-04-14 09:00 - 11:00 | USFWS Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
with John Green
Thursday, April 14, 9-11am
Join John at this wonderful time of year to explore the beautiful new accessible trail of the USFWS Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge system. It weaves through many lovely habitats and is sure to offer some great spring plant and bird sightings. FREE, space is limited and registration required

Phenology All Year: Red-Backed Salamander Citizen Science Talk
2016-04-13 19:00 - 22:00 | Directions upon registration
with Sean Starrett
Join us for our third year of offering an in-depth natural history course for naturalists and citizen scientists. Each month, in our series of nature explorations with different local naturalists, we explore a focused, seasonal, natural history topic. We’ll look at nature in new ways and in intimate detail. Over the course of the year we’ll visit a variety of natural habitats in the greater Pioneer Valley area. Identification skills, ecological connections, adaptations, and life cycles of organisms will be the focus of our observations. Learn more…

Homeschool II: Understanding Animal Behavior
2016-04-12 10:00 - 14:00, 2016-03-29 10:00 - 14:00, 2016-03-22 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Patrick O’Roark, Hitchcock educator
Ages 9-12
Tuesdays, 10:00am-2:00pm
9 classes – March 22, 29, April 12, 26, May 10, 17, 24, 31, June 7
*No class April 5, 20 or May 3
Members: $375/Non-members: $404
Have you ever wondered why animals act the way they do, or what they are thinking? Why do coyotes howl at night? Is the cardinal pecking my window because it’s angry? Do the two crayfish you caught like each other? During this spring’s Homeschool II class we’ll be exploring these and many other questions about the inner lives of the animals around us. We’ll practice scientific observation and experimentation, with both the animals that live with us here at the Hitchcock Center and the wildlife that shares our neighborhood. We will focus on looking at each animal (including people!) as a living thing with unique needs and characteristics that influence how it acts and how we can best respect and care for it. Through outdoor study, field trips, art projects and games together we will all become educated animal observers and advocates.
Online registration opens January 14. Limited to 10 participants. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.

Homeschool I: Nature's Superheroes
2016-04-12 10:00 - 14:00, 2016-03-29 10:00 - 14:00, 2016-03-22 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Jeff Mazur and Hannah French, Hitchcock educators
Ages 6-8
Tuesdays, 10:00am-2:00pm
9 classes – March 22, 29, April 12, 26, May 10, 17, 24, 31, June 7
*No class April 5, 20 or May 3
Members: $375/Non-members: $404
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s a nature superhero! In Homeschool I this spring we will learn about superheroes of survival in nature. We’ll explore super senses, and learn how sight, hearing, and smell are used to capture prey and avoid detection. We’ll discover special powers including poisons, prickles, and pollination. Through outdoor activities, games, observation, field trips, and art projects, we will encounter ordinary superheroes with extraordinary adaptations! We might even unmask some of our own superpowers in the process.
Online registration opens January 14. Limited to 12 participants. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.

Explore a Vernal Pool
2016-04-09 09:30 - 12:00 | Directions upon registration
Ted Watt, Hitchcock Center Naturalist
Saturday, April 9, 9:30 am – noon
Vernal pools with their temporary spring accumulations of rain and runoff water provide unique homes for a variety of amazing creatures. How do they survive both in the water and when the pool dries up? We’ll find out by observing and wondering about these creatures. Wear rubber boots and we’ll provide long-handled nets and tubs to catch, observe and then return everything to the pools. You’ll be fascinated to learn more about these unique habitats. Appropriate for adults and young people ages 8 and up accompanied by their adult. Please call to register. Members $15/Non-members $18, Space is limited and registration required

Beginning Birding for Youth and Families
2016-04-09 07:30 - 10:00 | Directions upon registration
with Dan Ziomek, Local Birder and WRSI’s Bird Songs Radio Program
For young people ages 8-13
Saturdays, April 9, 16, 23, 30 and May 7, 14
7:30am-10am
Spring migration is the most exciting time of year to get out and see birds! Each week new species return from the south wearing their spring colors. Each week we will explore a different local site and meeting locations will vary. Be the next generation of birders! Space is limited, registration required.
Individual/Youth: Members $60/Non-members $75
Parent/Child: Members $100/Non-members $120

Steps to Solar & a Greener Home - Workshop Series
2016-04-07 19:00 - 20:30, 2016-03-31 19:00 - 20:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Sally Pick, SJP Environmental Consulting CANCELLED
Thursdays, March 24, 31, & April 7, 7-8:30pm
Thinking about solar? Want to know how to make your home cozy, reduce energy wasted from heat and electricity losses, and eliminate drafty spots, all while lowering your home’s carbon emissions? In this 3 part workshop Sally Pick, who consults with homeowners exploring energy upgrades, will provide an overview of renewables like solar and energy efficiency options, from simple fixes like insulation to more complex efficient heating systems. You’ll learn about incentives, rebates, local and state energy-reduction programs, and low-cost loans for affordable energy upgrades. With Sally’s guidance, participants will develop initial steps and goals toward reducing their home energy use and will be encouraged to follow through with their plan over the three workshop sessions. Say good-bye to ice dams, frozen pipes, big heat losses, and drafts, and hello to greener living in a more comfortable, healthier, energy-saving home in all seasons!

Tour of Amherst Wastewater Treatment Facility
2016-04-06 12:00 - 13:30 | Directions upon registration
Wednesday, April 6, 12pm
We think it is good to know where our water comes from and where it goes. We just turn on our faucets and flush our toilets but what’s the infrastructure that makes that possible. Come tour the facility that receives Amherst’s wastewater and see what happens there. At this special facility tiny microorganisms normally present in wastewater are given optimum conditions to feed on biodegradable matter, come check it out. FREE but space is limited, please call to register

Homeschool Discovery Day: Nests, Burrows, and Dens
2016-04-05 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Jeff Mazur and Hannah French, Hitchcock Center educators
Tuesdays 10:00am-2:00pm
Ages 6-12
Members: $42 per program /Non-members: $46 per program
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 fall. All programs begin and end at the Hitchcock Center, even on field trip days.
April 5
Nests, Burrows, and Dens: Amazing Animal Homes
If you were a bird, a snake, or a fox, where would you go to be warm and cozy? Together we will learn about the houses that animals build and explore the forest in search of the perfect place to call home.
This is designed as a drop-off program, although the occasional parents and younger siblings stay as long as disruptions are kept to a minimum. Online registration opens December 10, 2015. Limited to 12 participants per program. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.

Hitchcock’s New “Living” Building Site Tour
2016-04-01 12:30 - 13:00
Fridays, March 4, April 1 and May 6 12:30pm – 1:00pm
Join us at our our construction site for a free tour on the 1st Friday of each month. Open to all, no registration required. Park and meet in the Red Barn parking lot at Hampshire College located at 893 West Street.

Tour of Amherst Atkins Reservoir Water Treatment
2016-03-31 10:00 - 11:30 | Directions upon registration
Thursday, March 31, 10am
We think it is good to know where our water comes from and where it goes. We just turn on our faucets and flush our toilets but what’s the infrastructure that makes that possible. Come tour the facility that treats Amherst’s water for drinking and see what happens there, it is fascinating. FREE but space is limited, please call to register

The ABC’s of LBC
2016-03-30 19:00 - 20:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Julie Johnson, Hitchcock Executive Director
Wednesday, March 30, 7pm
Join Hitchcock’s Executive Director on our proud journey to undertake the Living Building Challenge (LBC) in the building of our new environmental education center. LBC’s holistic standards incorporate the most progressive thinking from architecture, engineering, planning, interiors, landscape design and policy. We are deeply committed to the philosophy and framework of the Challenge as an amplification of our mission. The process can transform how we think about design and construction as an opportunity to benefit both the environment and community life. Our new building and the program expansion it allows will increase awareness of how the world functions as a physical system and exemplify ways each of us can steward our natural environment and slow its degradation. FREE

Steps to Solar & a Greener Home - Workshop Series - Cancelled
2016-03-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002

Moose in Massachusetts
2016-03-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Ralph Taylor, Connecticut Valley District Manager at MassWildlife
Wednesday, March 23, 7:00-8:30 pm
You may have heard about the challenges facing moose populations in northern New England – warming winters, brain worm, winter tick… We have all these challenges here, also, but they don’t seem to be impacting our local moose in the same ways. Ralph will fill us in on the current situation locally with fascinating detail and images. He’s full of in-the-field stories and observations. Please join us! Donations and registration appreciated.

Phenology All Year: Owl Natural History & Night Field Trip
2016-03-20 19:00 - 22:00 | Directions upon registration
with Dan Zoimek
Join us for our third year of offering an in-depth natural history course for naturalists and citizen scientists. Each month, in our series of nature explorations with different local naturalists, we explore a focused, seasonal, natural history topic. We’ll look at nature in new ways and in intimate detail. Over the course of the year we’ll visit a variety of natural habitats in the greater Pioneer Valley area. Identification skills, ecological connections, adaptations, and life cycles of organisms will be the focus of our observations. Learn more…

Nature Play Afterschool
2016-03-16 15:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Hannah French and Josia DeChiara, Hitchcock educators
Wednesdays – 3:30pm-5:30pm, extended days 1:30pm-5:30pm
January 6 – March 16 (no class February 17)
Early-release day: 2/10
Members: $230/Non-members: $255
Do you just wanna play outside? Do you love building snow forts and making friends? Need more outdoor recess in your life? Then Nature Play Afterschool at the Hitchcock Center is for you! Each Wednesday afterschool we play outside all afternoon, building shelters, playing games and exploring the woods. Bus transportation is available from Amherst schools. We follow the Amherst public school calendar. On early-release Wednesdays we meet from 1:30pm-5:30pm.
Space is limited. Online registration opens December 10, 2015. Limited to 10 participants. Non-refundable within a week of the program, all refunds incur a 10% administrative fee.
