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.

Spring Birding Course with Scott Surner

February 24 – June 8 2024
Classes and field trips
Sliding scale tickets: $375, $325, $280
Up to 15 participants. Registration required. 

Feb 24: Travel day. 5 pm – all Day. Plum Island or Cape Ann. We start the class by birding along the Massachusetts coastline looking for winter ducks, Loons, Grebes, Purple Sandpipers, and perhaps a Snowy Owl.
March 9: Local. 7 am – 12 pm. We’ll visit several areas in the Hadley, Northampton, and Hatfield areas looking for newly arriving waterfowl and perhaps Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, and Lapland Longspur.
March 16: Local. 7 am – 12 pm. Hampshire/Franklin Counties- more arriving waterfowl.
April 6: Local. 7 am -12 pm. Hampshire County- Early warblers, Wilson Snipe, and perhaps some more waterfowl.
April 13: Local. 7 am – 12 pm. Depending on reports, we could visit Westover to look for Upland Sandpipers and rough-winged Swallows and then hike in Tilley Street. Other possibilities include looking for Vesper Sparrows in Hadley, along with Wilson’s Snipe.
April 27: Plum Island area. 5 am – all Day. Herons, early shorebirds, Ibis, and more.
May 4: Local. 7 am – 12 pm. Looking for arriving Warblers, Vireos, Kinglets etc
May 25: Local. 6:30 am – 12 pm. We’ll hike up Mt. Holyoke with hopes of finding Cerulean and Worm-eating Warblers, plus other migrants.
June 1: Travel day. 5 am -12 pm. Southwick Wildlife Management Area. We usually come away with 40-50 species in this grassland area. Some of the past highlights have been Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Grasshopper Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and Prairie Warblers.
June 8: Travel day. 5 am – 2 pm. October Mountain/Berkshire County. Nesting birds. It’s been a few years since the class has visited this area. Past highlights have been Barred Owl, Winter Wrens, and serval species of Warblers.

Bark & Winter Tree ID with Michael Wojtech
Collaboration with Adventure East

Tuesday, March 12
6:30 pm class, located at Hitchcock Center

Sunday, March 17
10 am – 12:30 pm class, outdoor field location TBD 

Sliding Scale Tickets: $45, $60, $75
Space is limited, register now!

There is no better local naturalist to teach you about winter tree identification. Michael wrote the book, literally. Join Michael Wojtech, author of  BARK: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast for a two part class, in collaboration with Adventure East. There will be a Tuesday evening classroom presentation followed by a Sunday morning in the field.  The traits typically used to describe trees—leaves, twigs, and buds—are often hard to see or seasonally absent.

Join Michael for an exploration of bark, which is always visible, in any season. As you hone your perceptive abilities you will learn about a system for identifying tree species by their bark, and discover why such a variety of bark characteristics exist. Why do some species have smooth bark, while on others it is thick and broken? Why does bark peel? Space is limited, please register now.  Adventure East will provide snowshoes or microspikes depending on weather.

Senior Nature Walk with John Green

Wednesday, March 20
10 am – 12 pm
Sliding Scale Tickets: $10, $15, $20
Space is limited, register now!

Join naturalist John Green on this gentle and slow walk through the woods.  There should be signs of springs and the fading of winter to explore. 

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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Hitchcock Center for the Environment