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.

Flora and Faunathon

April 27 – 28 2024
Self guided, all ages
Registration required

Whether you are a lifelong naturalist or simply want to appreciate and count the species in your neighborhood, Flora & Faunathon is for you! Enjoy a beautiful weekend outside exploring nature. From noticing the trees and squirrels in your neighborhood, to finding rare species of birds, or woodland flowers on a local hiking trail, enjoy getting out and finding nature all around us.

If you like, you can even compete for prizes. Can you find the most bird species? Or raise the most money? Take the coolest picture? Explore your neighborhood, your backyard, nearby hiking trails, or a city park. Go alone or go with friends! It’s the perfect family activity. Get your networks to sponsor your explorations and help support Hitchcock Center’s work developing hopeful, creative problem solvers who can take on the challenges of climate change.

Battle of the Botanicals

Thursday, June 20
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Registration required, age 21+

Join us for an evening of botanically inspired cocktail & food pairings – our fifth Battle of the Botanicals! Teams from local restaurants will present a tasting station with an appetizer and cocktail sample that highlight a signature botanical feature. The three top-voted bartenders will then take the stage for a live cocktail mix-off!

A panel of local celebrity judges, including Hope and Olive’s Jim Zaccara and New England Public Media radio hosts Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith, will name a winner.

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