The Hitchcock Center's mission is to foster a greater awareness and understanding of the natural world and to develop environmentally literate citizens. It is located on the Larch Hill Conservation Area in Amherst, MA. Ethel Dubois founded the center in 1962 to provide inner city children the opportunity to experience the natural world and to develop a sense of wonder about it. The Hitchcock Center has emerged as one of the leading science and environmental education organizations in western Massachusetts and has received numerous state and national awards for excellence in its field.

The Hitchcock Center is a local landmark and offers nature walks with local experts, as well as a butterfly garden, a comprehensive resource center, a gallery featuring local artists, and nature exhibits. They also offer natural history programs for people of all ages and backgrounds. The center is committed to teaching science to area children through appreciation of nature and the environment. The Hitchcock Center maintains comprehensive environmental educational resources for school programs and summer camps in Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Berkshire counties.

The Hitchcock center is a nonprofit organization and receives government funding. It cannot take direct political action, but it does indirectly support groups that do environmental justice work as well as political outreach and lobbying. The supported groups include the Green Party, Clean Water Action, Hampshire Bird Club, Valley Land Fund, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The Hitchcock Center educates people about environmental action, activism, and education by bringing keynote speakers to the valley.

Some of the other major work the Hitchcock Center has done over the years is the field of habitat protection. The center worked with local residents, the Amherst Department of Public Works, University of Massachusetts, and Massachusetts Audubon Society for the introduction of salamander tunnels. One night every spring salamanders leave their underground forest homes and migrate to fishless vernal pools and wetland ponds to breed and lay their eggs. In 1987, two tunnels were built at the salamanders' crossing site.

Thus, overall the Hitchcock Center for the Environment focuses on environmental education for all as its contribution to the environmental justice movement; making people connect to and aware of the landscape, and sparking a lifelong passion for the environment.

For more information, please contact:
Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Inc.
525 South Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 256-6006
hcenter@crocker.com
www.hitchcockcenter.org