Tag Archives: landscapes

Onset, MA © Dean Martin

Take 5: Down By the Sea

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Ryan D.

The coastal towns of Massachusetts are an artist’s dream: historic fishing villages, picturesque lighthouses, sandy beaches, rocky coastlines, and harbors brimming with boats of all shapes and sizes make for postcard-perfect scenes, accompanied by the vibrant culture and deep history of the region.

Unfortunately, climate change is threatening our coastal communities. Rising ocean temperatures cause water to expand, and with global glaciers and land ice melting (adding more water to our ocean), we’re experiencing a phenomenon called sea level rise.

These five photos of coastal scenes from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest show just what’s at stake. Take one of our climate pledges to commit to reducing your greenhouse gas emissions and help share what makes the nature of Massachusetts so important by entering your photos in the 2020 contest today!

Onset, MA © Dean Martin
Onset, MA © Dean Martin
Eastern Point Wildlife Sanctuary © Michael Le
Eastern Point Wildlife Sanctuary © Michael Le
Rockport, MA © Jessica Speece
Rockport, MA © Jessica Speece
Gloucester, MA © Adam Doyon
Gloucester, MA © Adam Doyon
Chatham, MA © Carol Duffy
Chatham, MA © Carol Duffy
Fall River in Otis, MA © Geoffrey Coelho

Take 5: Babbling Brooks

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Ryan D.

While any amount of time spent in nature has been shown to boost your mood, reduce stress levels, and improve overall health and wellbeing, there is something particularly soothing about the gentle, continuous babbling of a forest stream. Close your eyes and picture a quiet spot in the woods somewhere, with moss-covered rocks and warm sunlight filtering down through the canopy, dappling the water and leaf litter with a haphazard checkerboard of verdant light.

Getting outside to enjoy special places like these can be challenging right now, so here are five gorgeous photos of babbling brooks from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest for you to enjoy. We hope that imagining yourself in the gentle repose of these scenes will bring you a moment of peace, serenity, and clarity.

Fall River in Otis, MA © Geoffrey Coelho
Fall River in Otis, MA © Geoffrey Coelho
Waterfall over mossy rocks at Mount Everett State Reservation, South Egremont, MA © Rebekah Ford
Waterfall over mossy rocks at Mount Everett State Reservation, South Egremont, MA © Rebekah Ford
Wahconah Falls in Dalton, MA © JG Coleman
Wahconah Falls in Dalton, MA © JG Coleman
Doane's Falls, Royalston, MA © Trevor Meunier
Doane’s Falls, Royalston, MA © Trevor Meunier
A hidden waterfall in Colrain, MA © Vivien Venskowski
A hidden waterfall in Colrain, MA © Vivien Venskowski