Adult Community Programs
Hitchcock’s Climate Action Series
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.
Fall Birding Class with Scott Surner
August 24 – October 26, 2024. (3 spots left)
(Plus optional add on November weekend trip)
Birding in the fall is just as wonderful as birding in the spring, see hawks migrating, fall warblers, waterfowl migration and more. Join lifelong birder Scott Surner as well as other local birders to get out and enjoy nature, birds and the company of others who also love birds.
Sliding Scale cost: $300, $270 or $240
Saturday Field Trips
Aug 24 – 5AM – Dusk We start off the fall 2024 season with a trip to a coastal location in search of south bound Shorebirds, Herons, Terns etc. The likely location would be Plum Island, but a trip to the Connecticut shore can’t be ruled out. Bring Lunch.
Aug 31 – No Class
Sept 7 – 7AM – 12 Local, Looking for fall Warblers, Philadelphia Vireo, and keeping an eye out for south bound American Golden-Plovers.
Sept 14 – 7AM – 12 Local, More fall Warblers, Vireos, Flycatchers. Etc.
Sept 21 – 7AM – 12 Local, Looking for more warblers, early sparrows and, depending on the weather, looking for migrating hawks at MT.Holyoke.
Sept 28- 7AM – 12. Local. Looking for Sparrows! We’ll be visiting local weedy fields in Amherst, Hadley and Northampton.
Oct 5- 6AM – 4PM. Lighthouse point, Connecticut. This is a well-known location for hawk migration, in particular for accipiters. Bring lunch.
Oct 12th– No Class
Oct 19th– 7AM-12. Local. Waterfowl migration is starting up. We could visit a number of sites locally from Quabbin to Northampton.
Oct 26th– 7AM-12. Franklin County- Waterfowl. We’ll visit Barton’s Cove, Power Canal and in the spirit of Halloween, we’ll also visit Satan’s Kingdom and Hell’s Kitchen.
Classroom Programs
Classroom Programs-
Aug 28th– 6PM-8PM- Shorebirds & Terns
Sept 4th– 6PM – 8PM- Fall Warblers
Sept 25th– 6PM-8PM- Sparrows
Optional Overnight Weekend Birding Trip-
Nov 8th-10th. Cape Cod Weekend. Departing early Friday morning and returning late afternoon on Sunday. We’ll focus mostly on the lower Cape. (Orleans down to Provincetown). More info will be given after sign-up. This trip is separate from the other trips listed above. Everyone is responsible for their own transportation, food and lodging. Fee includes 3 days of birding instruction.
Sliding scale: $190, 160, or $130.
Senior Nature Hikes with John Green
Wednesday, September 18, 9-11AM – Notch
Thursday, October 17, 9-11AM – Fitzgerald Lake
These nature hikes will be led by naturalist John Green, they are all at locations with fairly level ground, they will move slowly and not cover a lot of distance. Please wear solid footwear, and binoculars are welcome.
Registration is required, exact location and meeting spot will be provided upon registration. Sliding Scale: $10, $20, or $30
Forest Bathing with Todd Lynch
Wednesday, September 25, 5-7PM
Sunday, October 20, 10AM-12PM
Sliding Scale: $18, $25, or $35
There is a quiet pulse to the fall forest, as the trees and landscape turn inward and
prepare for winter. It is darker earlier; the leaves fall – creating spontaneous collages on
the forest floor and the trees reveal their winter forms. 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.
Autumn Herbal Foraging with Jade Alicandro
Thursday, October 3, 4:30-6:30PM
Join us for a walk identifying our bio regionally abundant medicinal herbs that come into season in the fall. We’ll learn identification, medicinal uses, harvesting techniques, medicinal preparations and more. Participants will be given time to do some foraging of their own and we’ll end our walk by sharing some medicinal wild food recipes.
Sliding Scale: $25, $35, or $45
Building Tours for Classes or Groups
The Hitchcock Center is the 23rd building in the world and the 4th in Massachusetts to achieve the Certified Living Building designation! The building is designed to model systems in nature- it is net zero energy and water, has composting toilets, and has been made with responsibly sourced non-toxic materials. Find out what makes our building a special teaching tool empowering visitors to ask, “what does sustainability look like in the built environment and in my community?” Using Zoom, we’ll explore the systems and features of the building. Bring your questions so we can learn together. Tours typically last from 1-1.5 hours and have a sliding scale fee of $100-$200. Please email dan@hitchcockcenter.org to schedule a tour.
Cancellation policy
Cancellation policy for Hitchcock’s seasonal programs: You may cancel your registration for any of our programs up to a week prior to the program’s start date to receive a refund minus a 10% administrative fee. If you cancel within 7 days or less of the program’s start date, we cannot offer a refund unless we are able to fill your spot in the program.
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