North Shore Wildlife Sanctuaries IPSWICH RIVER & JOPPA FLATS Programs & Events JANUARY—APRIL 2019 North Shore Wildlife Sanctuaries Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary 87 Perkins Row | Topsfield Joppa Flats Education Center 978-887-9264 Office One Plum Island Tpke | Newburyport 978-887-0875 Fax 978-462-9998 Office p ipswichriver@ p p 978-462-4143 Fax p p p p 1 massaudubon.org p [email protected] 2 pp p p p p p 3p 1 Joppa Flats, Newburyport pp p p 2 Rough Meadows, Rowley p p p 4p 3 Ipswich River, Topsfield 4 Endicott, Wenham 5 5 Eastern Point, Gloucester 6 Marblehead Neck, Marblehead 7 Nahant Thicket, Nahant Endicott Wildlife Sanctuary 6 346 Grapevine Road | Wenham 978-927-1122 Office These sites have accessible features. 978-922-8487 Fax p p p [email protected] p p p p These sites produce and purchase green electricity. p 7 Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Joppa Flats Education Center Amy Weidensaul, Sanctuary Director, ext. 7701 David Moon, Sanctuary Director, ext. 6801 Sue Baeslack, Education & Volunteer Coordinator, ext. 7707 Jude Griffin, Administrative Assistant, ext. 6806 Julie Bouchard, Accounting/Payroll Assistant, ext. 7713 Lisa Hutchings, School & Youth Education Coordinator, ext. 6804 Cori Brauer, Education Coordinator, ext. 7704 David Larson, Science & Education Coordinator, ext. 6802 Jean Bruns, Development Assistant, ext. 7710 Kirsten Lindquist, Camp Director & Youth Education Laura Coulbourn, Administrative Assistant, ext. 7702 Coordinator, ext. 6805 Bob Demeule, Property Worker Melissa Vokey, Administrative Coordinator & Development Adrienne Doucette, Administrative Assistant, ext. 7703 Director, ext. 6803 Kim LoGrasso, Youth Education Manager, ext. 7706 Alison O’Hare & Mike Geisler, Weekend Staff Stina MacDougall, Office Manager/School Programs Administrator, ext. 7705 Endicott Wildlife Sanctuary Stephanie Majeau, Education Coordinator, ext. 7712 Robert Buchsbaum, Regional Scientist, ext. 2703 Scott Santino, Teacher Naturalist/Camp Director, ext. 7709 Liz Duff, Education Coordinator, ext. 2701 Rebecca Spencer, Administrative Assistant, ext. 7711 Karen First, Preschool Director, 978-237-0108 Bill Whiting, Property Worker Chris Leahy, Betrand Chair Emeritus, ext. 2702 Richard Wolniewicz, Property Manager, ext. 7708 Ipswich River Nature Day Camps Have Fun in Nature this Summer! Inside Online registration opens in January Children ages 4–14 IPSWICH RIVER Three convenient locations: Director’s Letter.............................2 Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield The Church of St. Andrew, Marblehead Notes & Announcements. 3 Essex County Greenbelt’s Cox Reservation, Essex Adults ........................................4 For more information and to register, visit Sugaring Celebrations.....................10 massaudubon.org/ipswichrivercamp Children, Families, & All Ages. 11 or call 978-887-9264. Homeschool.................................16 JOPPA FLATS Director’s Letter.............................18 Notes & Announcements . 19 Adults . .....................................20 Children, Families, & All Ages. 26 TRIPS & TOURS..........................30 LOCATIONS & DESCRIPTIONS ......36 REGISTRATION INFORMATION...... 37 Explore the outdoors at Joppa Flats Summer Camp! Creative and fun nature day camps for children ages 6–11 Online registration opens in January Five-day camp sessions with excursions to amazing local habitats by motor, foot, and boat For our camp brochure, visit massaudubon.org/joppaflatscamp or call Camp Director Kirsten Lindquist at 978-462-9998. Cover Hikers ©Dennis Welsh Back Cover Landscape ©Stephen MacDougall Cover Common Redpoll ©Dave Larson Camper with Binoculars ©The Lazy Explorer Preschool Logo ©Victor Atkins CentralWestern Massachusetts Massachusetts / /Broad Arcadia Meadow Brook Joppa Flats Education Center massaudubon.org/joppaflats One Plum Island Turnpike Newburyport, MA 01950 978-462-9998 Director’s Letter [email protected] One of the best things about life on the North Shore This year we are also delighted to be offering is winter. November and December brought us the expanded opportunities for children during April first of our wintering waterfowl and raptors, but the vacation week. Lisa Hutchings and Kirsten Lindquist makeup of our wintering bird community will shift have cooked up exciting ways for your young ones as the season moves along, with seabirds following to participate in expeditions all around the Great fluctuations in prey availability, and as irruptions Marsh and beyond. Our new and returning staff sporadically occur. bring valuable gifts of natural history knowledge, educational experience, and passion for nature to If you bird Plum Island, this long season of boreal you, our beloved members. Together, we make up and arctic breeders will be a very fulfilling way to a big family of people who appreciate, protect, and enjoy the challenging winter. Tide-pooling may be a make a great contribution to our knowledge of this bit less inviting right now, but our legendary marine naturally stunning North Shore. Thanks for being part educators and naturalists at Joppa Flats know just of Joppa Flats! how to work within cold conditions to bring you fascinating sea life and nature experiences, even now. David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director ©Lisa Hutchings 18 PREREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL PROGRAMS Notes & AnnouncementsNotesCentral & Massachusetts Announcements / Broad Meadow Brook SUMMER CAMP 2019 BROCHURE & REGISTRATION! Birthday Parties at Joppa Flats Connect your kids with nature at Joppa Flats Summer for Mass Audubon Members Camp! Our fun, hands-on camp program offers five-day sessions, June through August, for ages 6 to 11. Each week Celebrate your child’s special day at Joppa Flats! is full of field trips, outdoor play, and nature discovery. Our For $260, our birthday party package includes: camp brochure is now online, and registration begins early • Two hours of hands-on educational fun January. To learn more, contact Joppa Flats Camp Director with time allotted for cake Kirsten Lindquist at 978-462-9998 or • Private program space [email protected]. Sessions fill quickly, so don’t • All tableware (table cloths, napkins, miss out—we can’t wait to explore outside with you next plates, utensils) summer! • Decorations and banners BIRD & NATURE PRESENTATIONS • A take-home art project for each child FOR GROUPS • A customized goodie bag and birthday banner for the birthday child Spice up your monthly meeting or special event with a colorful nature presentation! Our world-traveling trip leaders CHOOSE YOUR THEME! can take you virtually outdoors, almost anywhere, including your own backyard. Book a one-hour presentation on such AGES 3–10: Backyard Birds, Eagles & Owls, Ocean Odyssey, topics as “In the Wake of Sir Ernest Shackleton (Antarctica),” Arctic Animals, Penguin Pals, The Deep Sea “Ecology of Bald Eagles,” “Feeding Backyard Birds,” “Bird Banding on the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge,” and AGES 7–10: All themes listed above, plus Endangered “Backyard Bird Sanctuaries.” We also present travelogues Animals, Ocean Science, Birding Blitz Challenge on Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Bhutan, Ecuador, Trinidad, Brazil, Mongolia, Svalbard, and PARTY SIZE Cuba, as well as on intriguing locations all over North • For children turning 3 or 4: Maximum of 12 children with America. For more information, call 978-462-9998. one participating adult chaperone per child (required). • For children turning 5–10: Maximum of 18 children with FACILITY RENTAL one adult chaperone per every five children. Our Education Center overlooks the magnificent Merrimack • Party Package covers the cost of up to 12 children. An River and the Plum Island estuary, providing an ideal venue additional charge of $15 per child applies after that. for your next business meeting or private special event (weddings, family reunions, memorial services, and more). Please reserve at least two months in advance. To book your party, Joppa Flats’ seasoned naturalist staff and volunteers can contact Joppa Flats School and Family Education Coordinator Lisa be available to lead informative natural history field trips or Hutchings at [email protected]. programs for your guests. For more information, call ©Lisa Hutchings 978-462-9998. ©Dennis Welsh STAY IN TOUCH WITH JOPPA FLATS Visit us online at massaudubon.org/joppaflats to find our program listings, read about our news and special events, and see videos and slide shows about our various activities. Like us at facebook.com/MassAudubonJoppaFlats Throughout the catalog, “IBA” indicates a program that takes place within a Massachusetts IBA Important Bird Area, and “BCP” signifies a graduate of the Joppa Flats Birder’s Certificate Program. Learn more and register: massaudubon.org/joppaflats • 978-462-9998 19 North Shore / Joppa Flats ©Lisa Hutchings Programs for Adults Wednesday Morning Birding IBA Newburyport/Plum Island Area Dates: Wednesdays / 9:30 am–12:30 pm Leaders: David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director; New Year’s Madness Dave Weaver, BCP IBA Newburyport/Plum Island Area and Cape Ann Cost: $14 members, $17 nonmembers, per session* Now in its 23rd year, Wednesday Morning Birding Date: Tuesday, January 1 / 8:30 am–4:30 pm gives birders of all skill levels excellent exposure to the Leaders: David Moon, Joppa Flats Sanctuary Director; tremendous variety of bird species and hot spots in one of Bill Gette, Joppa Flats Founding Director the most productive birding areas in the country.