Category Archives: Sanctuaries 100

5 Fun Facts About Habitat Education Center

Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont has a long and interesting history. At the heart of the sanctuary is a 1914 Georgian-style mansion that was once a private residence. In 1971, it became the home for the Habitat Inc. and a few years later Habitat Institute for the Environment, an innovative school for environmental education for adults and children.

It wasn’t until 1994 that it became Mass Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. While the name has evolved, the mission hasn’t: the sanctuary continues to welcome visitors and students of all ages to its forests, meadows, and ponds for walks, talks, and more. Check out five fun facts and come visit!

All A-Bloom

Jacobs Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder

Take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the beautifully maintained formal garden designed by the famed Olmsted Bros. landscape firm. Over the years, these gardens have become a favorite of everyone from those seeking a moment of solitude to guests attending intimate weddings. In bloom now: rhododendron, peony, iris, Amsonia (blue star), false indigo, bleeding heart, geranium, Jacob’s ladder, beauty bush.

The Path Less Traveled

Bullfrog © Erika Whitworth

Bullfrog © Erika Whitworth

For a more secluded brush with nature, follow the Weeks Pond & Meadow Trail located off Somerset Street. Woodland birds frequent the forest. At the pond, covered in duckweed in summer, see a mother duckling leading her young, bullfrogs peeking through the tiny floating leaves, or damselflies skimming the surface.

G is for Goat

HabitatGoat

For several years, Habitat has kept a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats. These goats help manage our meadow by eating invasive plants. Watch them in action in the Weeks Meadow or better yet, take part in the Work with Goats program on July 7.

Hit the Greenway

Western Greenway Blaze

Habitat’s trail system is part of the Western Greenway, more than 1,200 acres of linked, undeveloped land in Belmont, Lexington, and Waltham. Walk its seven miles of emblazoned trails, which start at Habitat and end at the Robert Treat Paine Estate in Waltham.

Making Habitat More Accessible

apt2cropped

The All Persons Trail is this half-mile trail loop follows a wide, gently sloping path with a smooth, packed surface. The trail construction complies with ADA guidelines for accessibility and is suitable for wheelchairs, strollers, and those who find walking on uneven trails difficult.

The trail goes to Turtle Pond, a favorite destination at Habitat, which lives up to its name. You can often find many turtles sunning themselves on logs and rocks. Coming in December: an Audio tour of the All Persons Trail.

How Arcadia Nature Preschool Impacted Two Sisters

As Laura and Mary Fisher walked around the Arcadia Nature Preschool this past December, the memories came flooding back. The sisters attended the preschool in the 1990s and vividly recall free play around the sand table, pretending to be pollinators, and going outside rain or shine every day.

Preschool 1

Not only do they both consider Arcadia Nature Preschool, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, as the best educational experience of their lives but agree their experience at Arcadia set them on the path toward their current professions and passions.

“There was never the notion that you couldn’t—or worse, shouldn’t—do something because you were a girl,” says Laura. “Everyone got their hands dirty, especially me. The preschool taught me always to say ‘I can do that.’ And that still applies now in all areas of my life.”

Fisher sisters by school house

As a lawyer, Laura has written and published scholarly articles about the intersection of policy, nature, and agriculture. As a volunteer, she runs the Easthampton Community Garden.

Mary studied biology in college and is now a chemistry teacher at a high school in Springfield. “I told my mom that sending me to Arcadia Nature Preschool was the greatest thing she could have done for me,” Mary adds. “Preschool set the stage for my going into science. The hands-on activities of the Preschool are the same as the experimental approaches of the research lab.”

Celebrating 40 Years

This year Arcadia Nature Preschool celebrates its 40th anniversary of the first nature preschool in Massachusetts and one of the first in the nation. You can be part of the celebration by:

  • Attending 40 Years of Wonder special event on Saturday, May 22, complete with birds of prey, seed starting activities, nature games, and a gathering of past teachers and graduates.
  • Ensuring that Arcadia reaches and inspires more young people like Laura and Mary for the next 40 years by supporting Environmental Education at Arcadia.

Written by Carolyn Cushing, Special Projects and Events Coordinator at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary