Massachusetts Audubon Society Inc

LAND AND HABITAT CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY.

MASS AUDUBON MAINTAINS 25 FIELD OFFICES AND STAFFED WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES (INCLUDING 20 SANCTUARIES WITH NATURE CENTERS, TWO OF WHICH ARE IN URBAN AREAS) AND AN ADDITIONAL 35 UNSTAFFED WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES WHICH ARE PREPARED FOR PUBLIC VISITATION. MASS AUDUBON SANCTUARIES SERVE AS THE BASE FOR NATURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION COURSES AND PROGRAMS, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT AND OTHER CONSERVATION-RELATED ACTIVITIES. AS OF JUNE 30, 2022, MASS AUDUBON PROTECTED 40,869 ACRES OF OPEN SPACE IN MASSACHUSETTS, OWNING 32,934 ACRES IN FEE AND PROTECTING THE REMAINDER WITH CONSERVATION EASEMENTS. THESE DIVERSE PROTECTED HABITATS RANGE FROM THE BERKSHIRES TO CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS AND HELP PRESERVE THE RICH BIODIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS. MASS AUDUBON ACTIVELY PURSUES BOTH DONATIONS AND PURCHASES OF ADDITIONAL CONSERVATION LAND AND IS THE LARGEST PRIVATE CONSERVATION LANDOWNER IN THE STATE. AN ESTIMATED 613,000 VISITORS CAME TO ENJOY MASS AUDUBON PROPERTIES IN FY 2022.MASS AUDUBON IS ALSO THE LARGEST NON-GOVERNMENTAL PROVIDER OF NATURE EDUCATION IN THE STATE. MASS AUDUBON DEVELOPS EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY MATERIALS FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, LEGISLATORS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. IN FY 2022, MASS AUDUBON TAUGHT NATURE PROGRAMS TO MORE THAN 41,000 CHILDREN AND ADULTS, ENROLLED MORE THAN 9,100 CHILDREN IN ITS SUMMER DAY AND RESIDENTIAL NATURE CAMPS, AND CONDUCTED SCIENCE/NATURE TRAINING FOR MORE THAN 1,400 TEACHERS, DESPITE THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE PANDEMIC. IN ADDITION, MASS AUDUBON WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE MORE THAN 6,022 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTE MORE THAN 84,000 HOURS OF SERVICE ACROSS THE STATE IN FY 2022.

IN ADDITION TO THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE NETWORK OF SANCTUARIES AND THE EDUCATION PROGRAMMING REFERRED TO IN 4A ABOVE WHICH ARE AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS ALIKE, MASS AUDUBON MEMBERS ALSO ENJOY A NEWSLETTER (EXPLORE) PRODUCED FOUR TIMES PER YEAR, AN E-NEWSLETTER (EXPLORATIONS) WHICH IS ALSO PRODUCED FOUR TIMES PER YEAR, DISCOUNTS ON PROGRAMS AND AT GIFT SHOPS, AND MASS AUDUBON PUBLICATIONS TO INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF WILDLIFE, NATURE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. FOR EXAMPLE, IN FY 2020 MASS AUDUBON COMPLETED WORK ON THE SIXTH EDITION OF ITS DEFINITIVE REPORT ON LAND USE IN MASSACHUSETTS ENTITLED LOSING GROUND: NATURE'S VALUE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE. THIS REPORT CALCULATES AND ANALYZES THE CAUSES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOSS OF OPEN SPACE IN MASSACHUSETTS AND CALLS FOR A BOLD STATE-WIDE LAND CONSERVATION GOAL TO PRESERVE OPEN SPACE AND COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE.IN ADDITION, THE MASS AUDUBON WEBSITE (WWW.MASSAUDUBON.ORG) OFFERS A WIDE VARIETY OF INFORMATION ON MASS AUDUBON'S SANCTUARIES, CONSERVATION EFFORTS, LAND PROTECTION PROJECTS, ADVOCACY ISSUES, CLIMATE CHANGE WORK, AND THE NATURAL WORLD. CURRENTLY, MASS AUDUBON HAS TEN REGIONAL E-NEWSLETTERS AND FIVE OTHER E-NEWSLETTERS ON SPECIFIC TOPICS, AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF BLOGS. MASS AUDUBON ALSO OPERATES A GIFT SHOP IN LINCOLN WHICH SELLS MERCHANDISE RELATED TO NATURE, WILDLIFE OBSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION TO BOTH MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF SMALLER NATURE-THEMED GIFT SHOPS AT MANY OF THE SANCTUARIES.

MASS AUDUBON UTILIZES AND DEVELOPS SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE TO SUPPORT ITS LONGSTANDING TRADITION AS AN ORGANIZATION WHICH USES SCIENCE AS THE UNDERPINNING FOR ITS EDUCATION, LAND PROTECTION, ADVOCACY AND HABITAT STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES. CURRENT RESEARCH AND/OR ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT WORK FOCUSES ON THE PROTECTION AND STEWARDSHIP OF SELECTED MASSACHUSETTS HABITATS SUCH AS GRASSLANDS, COASTAL HEATHLANDS AND SALT MARSHES. IN ADDITION, MONITORING OF KEY GROUPS OF ORGANISMS SUCH AS BIRDS, AMPHIBIANS, INVERTEBRATES AND PLANTS CONTINUES ACROSS THE STATE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT BASELINE TO EVALUATE CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAND DEVELOPMENT. MASS AUDUBON HAS ALSO DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTS AN INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF ITS LANDS AS WELL AS TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE FOR OTHER LANDOWNERS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.MASS AUDUBON LANDS PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE DELIVERY OF ITS MISSION, AND ITS LAND PROTECTION EFFORTS FOCUS ON CONSERVING ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT TRACTS OF LAND ADJACENT TO EXISTING WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES, THEREBY PROTECTING AND ENHANCING THEIR BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY AND VIABILITY AS PROGRAM SITES. MASS AUDUBON ALSO ADVANCES THE PROTECTION OF SELECTED HIGH PRIORITY FOCUS AREAS BEYOND ITS EXISTING WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC AGENCIES AND LOCAL AND REGIONAL LAND TRUSTS. COLLECTIVELY, THESE PROTECTION PRIORITIES INCLUDE A WIDE RANGE OF MASSACHUSETTS HABITATS.

MASS AUDUBON EDUCATES STATE, FEDERAL, AND LOCAL OFFICIALS, MEMBERS AND OTHERS ON THE VALUE AND CONDITION OF NATURAL HABITATS AND RESOURCES IN MASSACHUSETTS, IN AN EFFORT TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT HELP PROTECT THE NATURE OF MASSACHUSETTS. IN DOING SO, MASS AUDUBON FOCUSES ON SEVERAL KEY PROGRAMMATIC AREAS: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION; THE ESTABLISHMENT AND ENFORCEMENT OF SOUND CONSERVATION LAWS, POLICIES, AND REGULATIONS; LAND AND WATER RESOURCE PLANNING AND OCEAN AND FOREST MANAGEMENT; AND MUNICIPAL AND REGIONAL COORDINATION WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS. SELECTED KEY ADVOCACY ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN FY 2022: AS PART OF THE MASS AUDUBON $1 BILLION FOR NATURE AND CLIMATE CAMPAIGN, MASS AUDUBON ADVOCATED FOR THE USE OF FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDS FOR COVID RELIEF AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO INCLUDE FUNDING FOR NATURE-BASED CLIMATE SOLUTIONS. THROUGH THESE FUNDS, THERE IS A ONCE-IN-GENERATION CHANCE TO MEANINGFULLY ADDRESS CHRONIC UNDERINVESTMENT IN NATURE AND CLIMATE, CLEAN UP AIR, WATER, AND LANDSCAPES, AND BUILD COMMUNITIES THAT ARE MORE RESILIENT TO A CHANGING CLIMATE. MASS AUDUBON STRONGLY SUPPORTED PASSAGE OF MAJOR FEDERAL CLIMATE LEGISLATION, THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT (IRA), WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY SIGNED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT BIDEN. THE PACKAGE PROVIDES TAX CREDITS FOR WIND, SOLAR, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, AND MORE, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON INVESTMENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. THIS NEW LAW IS EXPECTED TO REDUCE U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY 40% BY 2030 AND BUILDS MUCH-NEEDED CREDIBILITY FOR U.S. CLIMATE LEADERSHIP AMONG THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. RELATIVE TO THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE, MASS AUDUBON AND ITS ADVOCATES AND SUPPORTERS FOCUSED ON THREE KEY BILLS THAT GAINED MOMENTUM AHEAD OF THE JULY 31 DEADLINE: - A MAJOR STATE CLIMATE BILL TO ADVANCE THE OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY AND IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS FROM VEHICLES AND BUILDINGS. THIS LEGISLATION WAS SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR BAKER, AND INCLUDES PLANS TO SHIFT ALL NEW CAR SALES IN MASSACHUSETTS TO ELECTRIC BY 2035, GREEN THE MBTA FLEET, AND PILOT NEW FOSSIL-FREE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION IN 10 CITIES AND TOWNS. CRITICALLY, THE BILL SUPPORTS THE OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY IN A WAY THAT WILL CEMENT MASSACHUSETTS' STATUS AS A LEADER IN A 21ST CENTURY CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY AND PROVIDES WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. - A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BILL, WHICH INCLUDED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR LAND PROTECTION, CLEAN WATER, CLIMATE, AND CLEAN ENERGY. ALTHOUGH THE BILL DID NOT MOVE FORWARD BEFORE THE LEGISLATIVE DEADLINE, IT IS LIKELY TO BE BROUGHT UP AGAIN LATER THIS YEAR. OTHERWISE, MASS AUDUBON WILL PUSH FOR THIS TO BE THE TOP PRIORITY FOR THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. - THE PUBLIC LANDS PROTECTION ACT, A BILL TO PROTECT PUBLIC LANDS THAT HAVE BEEN DEEMED ENVIRONMENTALLY SIGNIFICANT. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LEGISLATURE ALSO FAILED TO MEET THE JULY 31 DEADLINE FOR THIS BILL'S RESOLUTION, BUT MASS AUDUBON BELIEVES THAT SUPPORT FROM ITS PARTNERS, THE PUBLIC, AND KEY LEGISLATIVE CHAMPIONS FOR IT IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH. TALKS IN THE LEGISLATURE REMAIN ACTIVE, AND MASS AUDUBON IS HOPEFUL THAT THE BILL CAN BE FINALIZED IN AN INFORMAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION THIS FALL. -MASS AUDUBON ALSO CONTINUED TO ADVOCATE FOR THE RESPONSIBLE SITING OF SOLAR AND OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY, PARTICIPATING IN THE PUBLIC REVIEW PROCESS TO ENSURE LEGAL, JUSTICE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ARE CONSIDERED.