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Earth Matters : Can we adapt to increasing intensity of rain events?

By Christine Hatch

We’ve been hearing a lot about the “unprecedented” July rainstorms that have caused so much flooding and heartache for our farmers across the region. But were they really unprecedented? I don’t mean to diminish the real impacts by asking, but I want to be clear-eyed about what we’re facing. What distinguishes the effects of the climate crisis from the weather of the moment is an examination of trends over long periods of time. In order to quantify changes in our long-term climate, we look at the historical record of weather data, calculate averages and standard deviations, and decide whether the event we saw falls far outside the historical record of events or not.

Published on September 14, 2023.

eNewsletter : Where is the water in Holyoke?

By Monya Relles

This was the question I found myself asked when pitching the theme of our Holyoke Summer programs to other educators in my community. The theme was water in Holyoke, but where was the water? What did we do with it? Where did it come from? These were questions Holyoke YMCA summer campers helped me answer in June, July, and August. Over the past year, the Hitchcock Center has had the pleasure of developing a partnership with the Youth Program of the Holyoke YMCA…

Published on January 9, 2023.

Earth Matters : Forests to faucets: Protecting drinking water for everyone

By Bridget Likely and Kari Blood

Autumn in the Valley has been a stunning parade of color this year. That’s a dramatic shift from just a few months ago, when dull brown seemed like the dominant hue. A lack of rain that began in June baked lawns into crunchy straw, withered crops in local farm fields, and transformed normally free-flowing streams into mud puddles where small fish struggled to survive. A changing global climate made the summer of 2022 one of the hottest and driest on record in Massachusetts. The state declared a “Level 3-Critical” drought in the Connecticut River Valley in early August. Drought not only ruins landscaping, reduces crop yields and stresses wildlife, but it also threatens a fundamental resource that we often take for granted: our drinking water.

Published on November 11, 2022.

Earth Matters : Walrus on thin ice: A challenge for them and an opportunity to help

By Tom Litwin

What weighs 1.5 tons, is 12 feet long, has enlarged canine teeth that can grow to over 36 inches and is featured in a Beatles song? If you guessed walrus, you’re correct. Here in Massachusetts, we tend not to think much about walrus, but there’s an opportunity for you to virtually travel to the Arctic in search of walrus. Here’s some background…

Published on June 10, 2022.

Earth Matters : Shed a little light on your local stream

By Christine Hatch

During the past couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about emergence. This is the time of year, as spring starts, that green is exploding out of every pore in the landscape. After winter, when so much is buried underground, the sudden flourish when sunlight reaches us is always a welcome shock…

Published on May 27, 2022.

Blog Hitchcock Animal Care : Cycling the Painted Turtle Aquarium

By Patrick o’Roark

Recently we unexpectedly received two painted turtles at the Hitchcock Center. They were surrendered to us by someone that couldn’t give them the care they needed anymore. I’m not entirely sure if they were captive bred or taken from the wild, but based on their behavior it is clear that they’ve been pets for a good portion of their life.

Published on April 5, 2017.

Blog eNewsletter : Hitchcock Receives Prestigious Commonwealth Award for STEM to STEAM Program with Holyoke Public Schools

By Patty O’DOnnell

The Hitchcock Center is excited to announce that, in partnership with Enchanted Circle Theater (ECT), it is receiving a prestigious 2015 Commonwealth Award. Presented every two years by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), the Commonwealth Awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions made by the arts, sciences, and humanities to education, economic vitality, and quality of life in communities across the state.

Published on February 24, 2015.

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