Mass Audubon

Last week, the Massachusetts Senate passed an important climate and energy bill. S.2829 sets the stage for us to accelerate clean energy while creating strong protections for environmental justice communities and our most valuable farms, forests, and wetlands. We’ve worked hard this year to push the administration and the legislature to prioritize natural and workings lands as a solution to climate change, and we’re thrilled that this proposal has passed the Senate.  But it still must pass the House of Reps. before heading to Gov. Healey’s desk. Help us accelerate clean energy and protect nature by sending your Rep. an email today: https://bit.ly/4c9E12y 

WCVB's Chronicle highlighted Mass Audubon in their coverage of hats and local history. Jennifer S. Tafe, PhD, Director of Mass Audubon's Museum of American Bird Art, weighed in on how the backlash against fashionable feathered hats was instrumental in the formation of Mass Audubon in the late 19th century.    Thank you WCVB Channel 5 for featuring Mass Audubon's story! The influential advocacy of our founders, Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall, informs our mission to this day. https://lnkd.in/eHbr44NE

The Supreme Court recently made two decisions that are nothing short of disastrous for nature and the climate. A majority of the court stripped the ability of experts in government agencies to implement our national environmental policies, and opened up agencies to challenges to regulations that have been in place for decades. The combined impact of the Loper Bright and Corner Post decisions will be a flood of lawsuits against crucial regulations governing everything from clean air and water, road safety, climate change, biodiversity, and more. It’s now more important than ever for state legislatures and regulators to fight back with policies that protect our natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our team is ready to join the fight. 

It’s one small crawl for a turtle, but one great leap for sea turtle conservation.    Yesterday, eight Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles—the most critically endangered species of sea turtle in the world—were released back into the ocean by the New England Aquarium. These turtles were rescued by Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay volunteers last fall, who combed the beaches of the Cape to locate and transport the cold-stunned sea turtles to places like the New England Aquarium for rehabilitation.    We appreciate and applaud the unflagging work of our volunteers. Their hard work makes these conservation efforts possible.     A big thank you to New England Aquarium for rehabilitating and releasing these incredible animals!  

A huge congratulations to our North Shore and Ecological Restoration colleagues for winning a merit award for leadership by a non-profit from the Environmental Business Council of New England, Inc., in recognition of their work to restore the North Shore’s Great Marsh. Our team is part of a coalition of groups led by The Trustees of Reservations and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to restore 215 acres of saltmarsh and pave the way for the restoration of 8,000 acres more.    This project aims to make vulnerable saltmarshes more resilient to sea level rise, allowing them to continue protecting communities against flooding, absorbing and storing climate pollution, and providing critical habitat for vulnerable species like the Saltmarsh Sparrow. Great work, team! 

We’re thrilled to announce the biggest land conservation initiative in Mass Audubon’s 128-year history: the $75 million 30x30 Catalyst Fund. Natural lands clean our air and water, provide critical wildlife habitat, and capture and store climate-heating carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere. In 2022, leaders from 190 countries united around a shared goal to conserve 30% of their lands and waters by 2030. We believe Massachusetts can lead the way, with the new Catalyst Fund helping the Commonwealth to reach those goals, in collaboration with public, private, and nonprofit conservation partners. Seeded by a transformative $25 million gift from MathWorks, we’re raising a total of $75 million to help achieve 30x30 in Massachusetts and provide a model for other states and regions to take on the challenge! With climate change accelerating every year, there’s never been a more important time to protect nature for people and wildlife. We hope you’ll join us as we take on the challenge of our age. Let’s do this. https://bit.ly/30x30MA

The Massachusetts State Senate just unveiled a major climate and clean energy proposal—and the news is good! A huge thank you to Mike Barrett for leading the charge. This bill would streamline the development of solar, wind, and energy transmission projects while protecting our environmental justice communities and reducing impacts to our most valuable farms, forests, and wetlands.  Our Growing Solar, Protecting Nature analysis—written in collaboration with Harvard Forest researchers—shows that we don’t need to choose between building clean energy and protecting natural and working lands. We can achieve both goals. The Senate is voting on this critical bill on Thursday. Help get it passed by emailing your Senator today! https://bit.ly/3VO0CM8 

It’s June 16, and we’re celebrating World Sea Turtle Day! Every fall, hundreds of sea turtles get stranded in Cape Cod Bay while migrating south for the winter, where unexpectedly cold water stuns them and causes them to wash up onshore. Mass Audubon staff and volunteers patrol the beaches day and night, rescuing the stunned turtles from the sand. Then, we drive them to our partners at New England Aquarium, where veterinarians treat and rehabilitate the turtles before releasing them back into the wild. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren have been working tirelessly to secure more funding for sea turtle rescue efforts across the nation. Thank you, Senators! Learn more about our sea turtle rescue work: https://bit.ly/3xeibM9 

On June 20, we’ll be celebrating International Horseshoe Crab Day. And these ancient creatures deserve a celebration! Horseshoe crabs have existed for over 400 million years. In March, we successfully advocated for a ban on harvesting them during their breeding and egg-laying season—and we’re already seeing large numbers on Massachusetts beaches! We’re celebrating the horseshoe crab’s holiday with two events: a seashore ramble at Wellfleet Bay on June 17, and a talk with a horseshoe crab expert at Allens Pond in Dartmouth on June 27. We hope you’ll join us! RSVP: https://bit.ly/3z1vgJn © Maceo Susi

Nature is one of our most powerful tools in the fight against climate change.  This week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration recognized this power by the final plan for “Forests as Climate Solutions” initiative. This plan aims to: * Protect 10% of our forested lands as reserves  * Manage state lands to optimize carbon storage and climate resilience  * Protect biodiversity and enhance resilience to climate impacts like flooding  * Inform the public about goals, objectives, and progress of forest management projects Every state needs to be thinking about forests as a climate strategy, and we’re so grateful that Governor Healey and her team are leading the way! https://lnkd.in/eA-fRNN8