Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Ants in Your Plants
2017-07-15 13:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Elizabeth Farnsworth
Saturday, July 15, 2017, 1:00-3:30 pm
Members$33/Non-members $40
Register here
E.O. Wilson dubbed ants “the little things that run the world.” Discover these amazing creatures, led by a coauthor of Field Guide to Ants of New England. Enjoy a slideshow about their biology, followed by a foray to find many ants. Learn how to identify and appreciate these creatures, which are essential to the life of plants—and humans. Co-sponsored with the New England Wildflower Society.

Leadership Training Camp
2017-07-14 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-13 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-12 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-11 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-10 08:30 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/programs/children-and-family-programs/nature-summer-camp/

Nature Summer Camp: Session 2
2017-07-14 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-13 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-12 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-11 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-10 08:30 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002

Nature All year Study Club
2017-07-09 09:00 - 12:00 | Fieldtrip Location
Sundays once per month, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon (some class times may vary depending on topics)
Members $275/Non-members $325 for the full course
Drop-in cost is $27. For the Plum Island field trip, the drop-in cost is $45.
Register here
Join us for our fourth 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, from broad habitat perspectives to close details of individual species. 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.
Course dates and leaders are available here. Bring your curiosity and observation skills and be prepared to spend time outdoors. Dress for the weather as we rarely cancel due to inclement weather. Bring binoculars and a hand lens, water and snacks if you would like. Carpooling to more distant locations will be encouraged.

Living Building Tour
2017-07-07 16:00 - 17:00
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.
Public Building Tours: Summer Tour Dates
First Fridays at 4pm: July 7, August 4
Third Wednesdays at 12pm: July 19, August 16
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. 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.

Nature Summer Camp: Session 1
2017-07-07 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-06 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-05 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-04 08:30 - 15:00, 2017-07-03 08:30 - 15:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002

The Hawley Bog! - CANCELLED
2017-07-01 08:30 - 12:00 | Fieldtrip Location
Glenn Motzkin, Plant ecologist
July 1, 8:30 am – noon
Members $20 /Non-members $30
Register here

If you haven’t explored Hawley Bog in the high Berkshires yet, don’t miss this opportunity. More common to our north, bogs are typically high-acid, nutrient-poor habitats. And the bog plants possess a variety of fascinating adaptations to help them thrive under these conditions. You’ll see insect-eating plants, the plant that makes peat moss, and several native orchids! We will be walking on a boardwalk and will be in the open hot sun for a portion of the trip so sun protection is suggested. Directions to our meeting location provided upon registration.

Tree and Wildflower Nature Walk - CANCELLED
2017-06-24 09:00 - 12:00 | Fieldtrip Location
Nancy Goodman and Ted Watt, local naturalists and Plant Conservation Volunteers with the New England Wild Flower Society
Saturday, June 24, 9-noon
Members $20/Non-members $30
Register here

We’ll hike some of the trails at the Trustees of Reservations new Mt. Warner property in Hadley. We’ll look for wildflowers and at the variety of trees found on the reservation. And we’ll look and listen for nesting woodland birds along the way. Bring your curiosity, binoculars and be prepared to take notes.

Living Building Tour
2017-06-21 12:00 - 13:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Public Building Tours: Spring Tour Dates
First Fridays at 4pm: April 7, May 5, June 2
Third Wednesdays at 12pm: April 19, May 17, June 21
FREE but please register online.
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.
Private Building Tours
The Hitchcock Center offers private group building tours, based on availability. The fee for these tours is $50/group. 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.

Saturdays at the Hitchcock Center
2017-06-17 09:00 - 13:00, 2017-06-10 09:00 - 13:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Second and third Saturdays, 9am-1pm
Free
January through June
Drop in, see Hitchcock’s new home, and learn about our living building.

Building Without Toxins: Educating for a Healthy Material World
2017-06-16 13:00 - 16:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Friday, June 16, 2017, 1-4pm
FREE but registration encouraged
Download event flyer
Join materials, toxics, and living building experts for a conversation on toxins in the built environment and how making toxic-free choices in materials is possible. The afternoon will include panelist perspectives, a tour of specific materials features of the Hitchcock Center’s new Living Building, and time for questions and discussion with the panelists.
Featured panelists:
Jennifer Atlee, Sustainable Materials Consultant, PROSOCO
Julie Johnson, Executive Director, Hitchcock Center
Kath McCusker, Senior Sustainability Manager, Integrated Eco-Strategy
Emily Monosson, Toxicologist and Author, UMass Amherst
Andrew Solem, Living Building Challenge Materials Consultant, Wright Builders
Jonathan Wright, Principal, Wright Builders

Girls into the Wild
2017-06-15 15:30 - 17:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
with Katie Koerten
Ages 8-11, Grades 3-5
Thursdays, March 23 – June 15 (no class April 20 or June 8)
3:30pm-5:30pm
Members: $297/Non-members: $352
Limited to 10 participants.

Homeschool Discovery Day
2017-06-13 10:00 - 14:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Patterns in Nature
with Katie Koerten
Tuesdays 10:00am-2:00pm
Ages 6-12
Members: $42 per program /Non-members: $46 per program
Tuesdays, January 10, January 24, February 7, March 7, April 4, May 2, June 13
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, although the occasional parents and younger siblings stay as long as disruptions are kept to a minimum. Limited to 12 participants per program.
Register here.

What Can YOU Do About Climate Change?
2017-06-10 13:00 - 16:30 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Solutions and actions to help our community, economy and environment
June 10, 2017, 1:00- 4:30pm
FREE
Registration appreciated
The Center for EcoTechnology is proud to host this Speaker Series, in conjunction with the Hitchcock Center. We are pleased to offer this free of charge, but we encourage registration. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues we currently face. This event focuses on experts from our community that are addressing locally-relevant environmental issues. Speakers will discuss innovative and tangible solutions to various challenges associated with climate change through psychological, political and community-based strategies.
Solomon Goldstein-Rose: Massachusetts State Representative – State Policy for Clean Energy Technologies
Ezra Markowitz: Assistant Professor of Environmental Decision – Promoting pro-environmental behavior while maintaining choice: Insights from the behavioral sciences).
Nancy Nylen: Associate Director of the Center for EcoTechnology – Clean Renewable Energy – Something for Everyone
Schedule
1:00pm: Refreshments and Registration and Optional Hitchcock Tour
1:45pm:Ezra Markowitz
2:25pm: Break
2:35pm:Nancy Nylen
3:15pm: Break
3:25pm: Solomon Goldstein-Rose
4:00pm: Closing Words

Second Saturday Science - Wonderful Water
2017-06-10 10:00 - 11:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Second Saturdays, January through June
Free
10am-11am
January 14, February 11, March 11, April 15, May 13, June 10
Join us for seasonal nature and science programs each second Saturday of the month. Designed for children with their parents, these programs will explore cool topics in nature. No registration required. Groups of 6 or more please call ahead.
Saturday Science themes:
January 14 – Scutes and Scales
February 11 – The Science of Snow
March 11 – Meet the Trees
April 15 – Energy Is Electrifying!
May 13 – Backyard Birds
June 10 – Wonderful Water

Battle of the Botanicals
2017-06-08 17:30 - 20:30
Join us on June 8th as these talented chefs & mixologists serve up appetizers and cocktails featuring local botanicals, and battle it out live on the competition stage to take the crown!
Bring your friends and indulge in the creative pairings at all 8 stations — vote for your favorites to determine which 3 teams will go head-to-head in a mix-off mystery box challenge, hosted by The River’s Joan Holliday.
Enjoy the summer evening on the outdoor patio, relax in the mezzanine lounge with DJ Studebaker Hawk, browse the silent auction with dozens of local activities, artwork and more – it’s an evening of great food, fun, and entertainment, all for the benefit of the Hitchcock Center!
Purchase tickets and learn more.

CANCELLED: Peace, Love, and Bonobos: How a Great Ape Can Lead Us to a Better World
2017-06-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002
Sally Jewell Coxe, co-founder Bonobo Conservation Initiative
Wednesday, June 7, 7pm
$10 suggested donation to Bonobo Conservation Initiative
Registration appreciated
Join Sally Jewell Coxe for a fascinating glimpse into the world of one of our closest great ape relatives, the bonobo. Bonobos were the last great ape to be discovered, and sadly, these magnificent beings face extinction due to hunting and habitat destruction. Working with Congolese partners, the Bonobo Conservation Initiative is leading efforts to safeguard bonobos and the vital rainforest in which they live. Ms. Coxe is the co-founder and president of the Bonobo Conservation Initiative. In this engaging, multimedia presentation, Ms. Coxe will share how protecting these peaceful, loving great apes can lead us all to a better future. Reception to follow.
