Take the City Nature Challenge!

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Kelly R.

Ready for a competitive weekend of exploration in nature? You’re invited to compete worldwide for the Boston area team in the upcoming City Nature Challenge! The City Nature Challenge (CNC) encourages everyone within the I-495 corridor to get outside and record as many nature observations as possible. Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries across the eastern side of the state are gearing up and excited to support the annual bio-blitz with our visitors.

This international citizen science project takes place Friday April 27 to Monday April 30, where cities worldwide compete to explore and record all kinds of plants, animals, fungi, and even microorganisms in their area using the free iNaturalist app. All you need to do is take pictures of your observations and post them to the app!

Photo Credit: Amy Letourneau

The City Nature Challenge is a great opportunity to collaborate with your community, Mass Audubon, and scientists to properly map and analyze biodiversity data in the Boston area. Several Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries will be actively exploring and recording with visitors.

Participating Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries include:

  1. Blue Hills Trailside Museum, Milton
  2. Boston Nature Center, Mattapan
  3. Habitat Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont
  4. Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Lincoln
  5. Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick
  6. Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield
  7. Joppa Flats Education Center, Newburyport
  8. Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharon
  9. Museum of American Bird Art, Canton
  10. Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Norfolk
  11. North River Wildlife Sanctuary, Marshfield
  12. Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, Marshfield

More Ways to Get Involved

You don’t have to observe on your own. Join the BNC BioBlitz program at the Boston Nature Center on Saturday, April 28, to participate in the CNC and learn how scientists sample and use field guides.

Drumlin Farm in Lincoln will have various visitor education opportunities as well, connecting visitors to the app and working together to log observations on guided walks.

And, if you’ll be taking part in Mass Audubon’s Statewide Volunteer Day on Saturday, April 28, you’ll have even more opportunities to improve the environment by adding plant, animal, fungi, and insect sightings.

Participating is easy! Just upload photos of your observations to the iNaturalist App.

 

Lime Kiln Farm

A Focus on Land Conservation

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Mass Audubon

As the largest private landowner in Massachusetts, you may wonder why we continue to seek out additional open space to protect. When it comes to conserving land, we look at many characteristics of a property, especially if it contains priority habitat, acts as a wildlife corridor, or will be resilient in the face of climate change.

We also look for property that protects or enhances habitat or visitor experience at existing wildlife sanctuaries. Three recent acquisitions exemplify how we take these principles and put them into action.

Land Conservation at Lime Kiln Farm

Lime Kiln Farm in Sheffield

Priority Habitat

There are 169 species of animals and 258 species of plants that are protected under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. These 427 native species are either at risk, or may become at risk, of extinction. In order to protect these species, we need to protect the land they are found on, which is deemed priority habitat.

Success Story: The recent donation of 15 acres in Richmond added land that is deemed to be priority habitat for several Sedges (a flowering plant) and the Jefferson Salamander, and a critical connection for bears, beavers, and birds travelling to and from the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary which abuts this property on the east.

Wildlife Corridor

The linkage across open lands and occasionally through culverts under roadways that joins two or more areas of similar wildlife habitat is known as a wildlife corridor. Corridors are critical to allow for the movement of animals and survival of healthy animal communities.

Mass Audubon works to link priority habitat to support the safe passage of wildlife. The conditions and habitats that enable animals to move and thrive are the same ones that enable people to weather storms, live off the land, and enjoy a constant supply of clean water. Larger, unfragmented tracts of forests help counter global warming, absorb precipitation into groundwater reservoirs, and provide for sustainable forestry.

Success Story: We recently purchased 52 acres in Northampton that provide a wildlife corridor, connecting Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary to the Rocky Hill Greenway in Northampton.

Climate Resilience

Effects of climate change are moderated by complex topography, dense wetlands, and unpaved open spaces. Complex topography means a variety of elevations and a combination of forests, fields and swamps, buffers against climate change, giving most species a better chance to survive.

Success Story: This spring, we added 120 acres of fields, forests, and wetlands to Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Sheffield. These acres add to the protected habitat and  corridors for wildlife in the Housatonic watershed.  The complex topography in this Sanctuary provides resilience against extreme changes in temperature and rainfall.

These new additions to our wildlife sanctuaries will enhance visitors’ experiences with greater exposure to natural wonders and habitats.

Learn more about Mass Audubon’s land conservation efforts >

Written by Kate Buttolph, Land Protection Specialist