Thanks to a $300 grant from the Garden Club of Buzzards Bay (visit their website!) and Lloyd Center volunteers Elsa Yeung, Polly Sylvia, Sara Lederman, Chad Gonsalves and Shai Gonsalves, the Center’s butterfly garden has been spruced up for our colorful friends. 

Volunteers expanded the Center’s butterfly garden and added new plantings to create an important “rest stop” for the migrating Monarch butterflies as they make their way down to Mexico. Additions to the garden include: butterfly bush, butterfly weed, catmint, New Jersey tea, blazing star, mountain mint, filipendria, and penstemon. 

Our Sister School 

A bit “Thank You” to the staff and students from Our Sister School that came out to the Center to help with sprucing up the Butterfly Garden as well as the property for the upcoming summer months.

DARTMOUTH — The Lloyd Center for the Environment held its 2013 annual meeting on April 22 at the Dartmouth Grange, with the agenda highlighted by the introduction of new Executive Director Rachel Stronach, whose “association” with the educational environmental organization dates back some 23 years. The presentation of the annual Haydock Award and a talk by keynote speaker Dr. Anamarija Frankic were the evening’s other highlights. 

Ms. Stronach presented the prestigious Haydock Award to local artist Carole Veiga, for her volunteerism and her beautiful nature art; she has helped with the decorations for the annual clambake  and also with designs for some printed materials for the Center. “She also volunteers for Allen’s Pond, and the Council on Aging. She has such a positive attitude,” Ms. Stronach noted. 

“We are really expanding our outreach offerings… for families and the public, with a focus on schools. We hope people will start looking at (our) canoe trips and night programs” too, Ms. Stronach said. “We have added programs during the day, in the evening and weekends, and more information online,” she added. 

Ms. Stronach, who lives in Dartmouth, talked about her 23-year history of working at the Lloyd Center, and how the career became intertwined with her school and work lives. “I started as an intern (at the Center) for three summers; beginning as a student on a coastal field study at Barney’s Joy. Then, I worked with other non-profits such as the New England Aquarium as an educator and naturalist,” she explained. 

During interim periods, she lived in Florida, and earned a master’s degree in marine biology. “It took me four hours to be hooked, and I keep coming back here. I felt like coming back to the Center because it is one of those special places. I feel I can tell the Lloyd Center story from different perspectives to the community,” commented Ms. Stronach. 

She briefly recounted some of the achievements of the different departments. The Research Department under the guidance of Director Mark Mello conducted the first annual Biodiversity week in June 2012. A local naturalist led volunteers on trips to selected sites, focusing on observing and collecting specimens in their area of expertise. Students from Dartmouth and New Bedford collected data as part of their day-long field programs at two of the long-term field stations. “They catalogued as many as 506 species,” she advised. 

The Research department staff has also managed the Bristol Country population of Piping Plover for 27 years. “The protection at Horseneck Beach and West Island has about one half of all the plovers in this area,” she commented.

The Education Department is continuing the Climate Science Learning Project, focused on climate change’s impact on the ecology of southern Massachusetts. The overall project is designed to strengthen science education programs, and better public understanding of the region’s ecology. More than 4,000 students have participated so far, the new director said. “Research is important, and the education and outreach pull it altogether,” Ms. Stronach suggested. 

The evening’s keynote speaker, Dr. Anamarija Frankic, spoke about biomimicry, a new branch of science that studies nature’s models and then uses these designs and processes to solve human problems. Dr. Frankic neatly summed up her work as “a new scientific method that is a shift from learning about nature, to learning from nature” during her slide presentation. 

PHOTO 1. BY CHRISTINA STYAN/THE CHRONICLE 
Treasured volunteer Carole Veiga received the prestigious Haydock Award from Lloyd Center executive director Rachel Stronach at the 2013 annual meeting. The wooden Piping Plover is presented annually to a person who makes an outstanding contribution to the protection of our fragile coastal environment.

PHOTO 2. BY CHRISTINA STYAN/THE CHRONICLE
It’s official: Outgoing Lloyd Center for the Environment Executive Director D’Arcy MacMahon congratulates incoming Director Rachel L. Stronach at the center’s annual meeting at the Dartmouth Grange.

In its second year, the Climate Science Learning Project, piloted during the 2011-2012 school year, is a 5-year effort to create and implement curricula in public school science classes that include hands-on mentoring in climate science research for students from 3rd grade through high school. New climate science curricula involves students collecting data alongside Lloyd Center and visiting scientists in field observations of the biodiversity of the watersheds of the Slocum and Westport rivers, merging it with existing data collected by research staff and college interns from across the country into a single, and easily accessible website database for use by researchers at every educational level. Community education opportunities are also made available to parents and other local residents as part of the project, with all data assembled forming a basis from which public officials can create ecosystem management plans to prepare for the impact of climate change on southeastern New England.

“We are grateful to the Braitmayer Foundation, CHT Foundation, Dominion Foundation, Island Foundation, Motorola Solutions Foundation, and Rodgers Family Foundation for their support. Thanks to these wonderful organizations, we will be able to fully implement the climate science curricula developed and tested system-wide during the 2011-2012 school year in local public schools.” stated Lloyd Center Executive Director Rachel Stronach, “Standardization of the curricula and full implementation in the coming year will again provide up to 4,750 southeastern New England elementary and high-school-aged students with the opportunity to work with professional scientists to collect data essential to discovering and documenting the impact of climate change on local wildlife. This work will also create a replicable model for teaching climate science in school systems throughout the region.”

Funding from these foundations will also support a second annual Biodiversity week, the first of which involved 257 students from multiple schools in the region, led by instructors and researchers documenting species diversity in the local watershed. Lloyd Center staff, interns, volunteers and participating students documented over 500 species of plants and animals, with similar results expected in the coming year.

Climate Science Learning project activities are taking place at selected sites in the watersheds of the Slocum and Westport rivers, extending from the southeastern Massachusetts bio-reserve in Fall River to the Lloyd Center nature preserve in Dartmouth, and in public school classrooms from Fall River to Dartmouth. Related opportunities will be provided for participants of all ages to inspire a passion for science and understanding the relationship between human communities and natural systems.

Young are born in winter from late December to mid-February, and are known to wander great distances from their natal site. The area’s largest seal, males can reach up to 8 feet and can weigh over 900 pounds. The can stay submerged for nearly an hour. 

Grays are often called “Horseheads” due to their long snout. Harbor seals by comparison are somewhat migratory and more seasonal, with most breeding occurring north of Massachusetts. Seals feed on a variety of fish species. Seals became protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act following years of bounties from conflict with the fishing industry, and have since have become highly abundant range-wide. 

While many seals hauled out (temporarily leaving the water for sites on land or ice between periods of foraging activity) along our shorelines from late fall to late spring are often considered sick or injured, this often isn’t the case. Hauling out is natural behavior when animals are resting. 

If a seal does appear obviously sick or injured, please call the Cape Cod Stranding Network at 508-743-9548 to report the animal.

“Rachel Stronach is an inspiring and accomplished educator”, said MacGregor, in announcing the appointment. “Her background in environmental education, along with her special enthusiasm for the Lloyd Center’s mission and her personal skill-set, all uniquely qualify her for the executive director position. Her broad-ranging interests in environmental research and education make her particularly well-suited to advance a scientific and public understanding of our coastal ecosystems and the need to protect them. I am delighted that she has agreed to take on this leadership role.” 

“I am thrilled to have this opportunity to lead the Lloyd Center at this critically important and exciting time.” Said Stronach, “The Lloyd Center has a dedicated community of members, volunteers, staff and Board all working towards a common goal. The Center is one of those special places where research, education and outreach converge to provide unique and quality environmental experiences. I hope to involve more community members in Lloyd Center programs and activities.” 

The appointment concludes a search launched in the fall of 2012, involving far-reaching consultation with current and former members of the board and staff, key Lloyd Center supporters and others nationwide. The Board vote followed the unanimous recommendation of a Search Committee, chaired by Board Vice-Chair George R. Nelson. “The Search Committee interviewed a number of highly qualified candidates for this position before unanimously recommending Ms. Stronach to the Board”, said Nelson. “She was our top pick, because of the unique combination of excellent educational credentials, an inspiring enthusiasm for the mission of the Lloyd Center, and a demonstration, over the past three months as interim director, of outstanding problem solving skills. We are delighted that she has accepted and expect her to lead us into the next era of both growth and challenges for the Lloyd Center.” 

“I commend the Search Committee for having generated such a strong pool of candidates”, MacMahon said, after learning of the appointment, “and for having selected Rachel Stronach as the candidate best qualified to meet the leadership needs of the Center, going forward. With demand for the Center’s program services at an all-time high, a new strategic plan in place, significant facility upgrades undergoing review, and the recently acquired Lloyd Woods property at last permanently protected, this is an opportune time, in the Lloyd Center’s history, for Rachel to be taking on this new responsibility”. 

Ms. Stronach received a Master’s Degree in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fisheries Conservation and Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. No stranger to the South Coast environmental scene, she interned at the Lloyd Center in the summers of 1997, 1998 and 1999, where she conducted environmentally-themed classes, programs and workshops for school children and was an assistant teacher for summer science programs, focusing on the ecology of the southeastern Massachusetts coastline. 

In 2000, she served as a research intern at the New England Aquarium in Boston, where she was a lab/field assistant for the Massachusetts Freshwater Aquatic Biodiversity Program, collecting, sampling and classifying freshwater invertebrates and overseeing the testing of water quality at various field sites. The following year, she served as an education intern at the Nature Conservancy at Nags Head Woods in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, where she developed and implemented environmental programs for school-age children, lead ecologically-themed hikes and kayaking trips for the general public, and developed trail guides for visitors based on natural history and the flora and fauna of Nags Head Woods. 

In September 2001, Ms. Stronach joined the Center’s highly regarded teaching staff, where she worked for four years as an Educator/Naturalist, before departing in 2005 to pursue her Master’s Degree. While on the staff, she taught in every one of the Center’s educational programs, both in schools and at field sites, and was responsible for the development and implementation of summer courses in coastal ecology and marine biology for students entering grades five through eight. 

In November 2007, Ms. Stronach presented at the 17th Biennial conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Cape Town, South Africa and, in April 2009, presented at the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium, University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Ms. Stronach has been a member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) and the Marine Technology Society (MTS), and is a National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) Certified SCUBA Diver. 

From January 2008 through June 2009, Ms. Stronach worked as a 7th and 8th Grade Mathematics & Science Teacher/Teacher Intern at New Bedford’s Global Learning Charter School, where she was responsible for the implementation of mathematics and science curriculum in line with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. 

She has played a major role in the success of the Lloyd Center’s Climate Science Learning Project (CSLP), a unique undertaking that teaches science and mathematics by incorporating these fields into a hands-on outdoor environmental education program. Under her command as Director of Education, the Lloyd Center was chosen as the lead educator for the Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) Southeast Region 2013 Summer Institute. She has been an active member of the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance (SEEAL) since 2009 and now serves as its Vice-Chair.

Recent studies reveal that a large majority of the American public is only superficially aware of just how important the ocean is to their daily lives and, on a greater scale, to the entire planet. It is important for children learn at a young age that our oceans are a source of food, but they are also a source of medicine, energy and knowledge about our planet.

Many kids in the Greater New Bedford area will learn about our region’s history with the sea when they get to school, and will understand that the ocean also provides jobs and is a big part of our local economy. However, it is through educational summer programs for kids that explore natural environments, such as Buzzards Bay and the Slocum River, that children gain insight into the science of the wonders all around them.

Most people live their whole lives not understanding all of the benefits that the ocean provides to them on a personal level. Even children who grow up near the water may not understand the impact that the ocean has upon human survival. It is through educational summer programs for kids and educational weekend programs that many children are exposed to this knowledge, increasing awareness and interest in the marine environment.

Ocean Education for Children in the Greater New Bedford Area
Increasing interest and awareness is a critical step in educating children who will grow up to be the next generation that will be responsible for preserving the natural environment of our oceans. Teaching children how the actions of humans impacts ocean life and the surrounding environment is an important first step that will connect your child to the seaside communities of Southeastern Massachusetts and the inland environmental areas as well.

Ocean education for kids in the summer months, on weekends and even through holiday-specific programs, has the potential to inspire children to want to learn more and improve their understanding of the ocean and the impact it has on their lives. Educational studies reveal that the scientific literacy of high school graduates in our nation is very much below the international average.

Embracing a child’s natural curiosity about their local environment at a young age is a great way to encourage a lifelong interest in the connection between marine life and the seaside communities of Southeastern Massachusetts. We need to prepare future generations to appreciate the marine environment and educate them about its importance if we are to create future ocean stewards, adults who will make important decisions about issues related to both ocean and coastal environments. Fun activities for kids that focus on ocean education can be just the inspiration your child needs to foster an interest in the local environment that will last a lifetime.

Fun and Educational Summer Programs for Kids in Dartmouth, MA
Lloyd Center in Dartmouth, Massachusetts provides children of all ages with various hands-on activities and experiences through vacation week programs, seasonal camps and other educational weekend programs. Parents looking for fun and educational summer programs for kids in the Greater New Bedford area will appreciate the variety of programs available to both local and visiting children.

This type of experience-based learning through the guidance of knowledgeable naturalists helps kids to foster a love and appreciation for ocean life and the natural environment of the Southcoast region. Fun activities for kids are offered throughout the year. Each month offers new, experimental programs and outdoor adventures designed to encourage children to want to explore topics in natural history and science. A hands-on summer science program will do more to spark your child’s interest about nature and the environment than any book, film or in-school experiment ever could.

The “Under the Sea” program is available every Monday from July 1st through August 12th throughout the 2013 summer season. Children will get to learn about all of the amazing creatures that live in our oceans and will get to explore and discover the ways that animals live and survive underwater. This experience includes trips to live animal encounters, the estuary and a touch tank to get the children up-close and personal with nature. The Young Naturalist Program at the Lloyd Center is designed for children between the ages of five and seven. While education is the goal, the tools used to encourage interest include activities, crafts, hands-on games and trail walks that they will enjoy and look forward to all summer long.

Conservation education helps children to develop all of the skills that they will need to understand the complex relationship that we have with our local forests. It will also encourage them to find new ways to conserve natural resources and be more responsible about their effect on the local ecosystem. Studies prove that early education aids in fostering a lifelong appreciation for nature.

Animals Help to Personalize the Experience
Children of all ages love animals. Educational activities for kids that include animals help to “personalize” and add a face or a voice to the experience for children. Through identification of the mammals, birds and reptiles of our local forests, a foundation of knowledge is built. Once the animals are identified, more information is given about their habitat, the things that they need to survive and the outside influences that threaten their very existence.

Education through exploration of animal footprints, feathers, nests, markings and other things they leave behind can help encourage children to want to learn more about these creatures. Nature programs at the Lloyd Center in Dartmouth are designed to not only teach kids about animals that live in the wild, but to share with them real information about wildlife that lives right here in the woodlands and forests in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Outdoor adventures that bring kids from the city to the woods can be a great hands-on learning experience that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. Summer programs for kids that focus not just on fun, but also on education, can be more stimulating and memorable for your child than any other type of activity. Most children are genuinely interested in learning about animals, so getting them to participate in nature-themed programs that focus on environmental education won’t usually require a lot of encouragement.

Fun Things for Children in Southcoast Massachusetts
Family friendly hikes, weekend programs and daily summer programs designed with kids in mind can help make learning about our local forests fun. The more children learn about forest creatures, the more they will appreciate the need to preserve trees and other resources, which provide clean air, water and food for these animals. Educational activities that are fun and exciting are designed to make an impression on children and get them interested in learning more.

Getting outdoors and into nature is also a great way to increase a healthy attitude toward exercise and exploration. With so many children wanting to spend their summer vacation in front of a television or video game, nature programs at the Lloyd Center in Dartmouth can be a great way to get your child up and moving. Summer programs for kids that encourage them to explore the world around them by doing, touching and seeing for themselves are much more beneficial than any well-crafted film or nature show.

Hands-on activities that involve local forest creatures and hiking experiences in a fun and exciting setting can increase your child’s interest in doing these activities more often as they get older. The more children are actively involved in exploring their local natural environment, the more likely they will be to want to preserve it and care for it as adults.

Summer Programs for Kids at Lloyd Center in Dartmouth, MA
The Lloyd Center in Dartmouth offers a wide variety of summer programs for kids designed to get them actively interested in nature. Educational activities for kids include a special “Forest Frenzy” program for Young Naturalists ages five through seven – children who will be entering Kindergarten, first and second grade classes in the fall.

The Forest Frenzy program will teach children about the habitats of snakes, turtles, birds and mammals of the Southcoast region through educational play. Animal scavenger hunts are a great way to help your child become a nature detective. They will learn how to search for the clues that these local animals leave behind while learning more about how they live, play and survive in the forest.

Available every Wednesday from July 3rd through August 14th during the 2013 summer season, the Forest Frenzy program is just one of four distinct nature programs at the Lloyd Center in Dartmouth for kids ages 5-7 to explore and enjoy. Find out more about this and other ways to get your child closer to nature by contacting the Lloyd Center in Dartmouth, MA.

The trail that the students worked on had been laid out in such a way as to avoid trees larger than saplings, thus follow a naturalistic meander through a woodland that is quite distinct from the Lloyd Center’s established trails on the west side of Potomska Road. Armed with loppers, the group enthusiastically trimmed back and removed brush as they made their way through the woods to Little River. When the day came to an end, the students overwhelmingly commented on the experiences.

“It was great giving back to the community as students at UMass Dartmouth, because we don’t usually get to do that, especially for a place that’s free to visit. If people don’t know about the Lloyd Center, they should.” – Rodney Chanax

“I seriously felt like we made a difference today… it’s very rare that we get a chance to be in nature like that while at school. I don’t mean this in a spiritual way, but we don’t get to feel one with nature in our day-to-day lives. We’re constantly bombarded with i-pods, computers…” – Marvin Hyppolit

“I enjoyed looking back at our progress, because we really made a lot. I can’t remember the last time I was outside in nature like that.” – India Bowman

Check out the photo gallery at the bottom of this article

Volunteering can be a very engaging and rewarding experience, as one can imagine from the comments made by the UMass students who so freely gave their time to work on the Lloyd Center’s new nature trail. The Lloyd Center would like to have a “grand opening” of this trail in April which when completed will offer spectacular panoramic views of Little River.

“It was really nice to get out to a new place in the community that I haven’t been to before, and felt like I actually made a difference there.” – Chris Jordan

If trail clearing isn’t your cup of tea, the Lloyd Center for the Environment has many other volunteer opportunities available and in honor of National Volunteer Month, the Center is seeking volunteers for Saturday, April 13th (rain date Sunday, April 14th) as they cut, clear, turn soil and completely change the area behind their Visitor Center to a butterfly haven. Additional clearing and planting has also been scheduled for Saturday, April 27th (rain date Sunday, April 28th), thanks to a $300 grant the Center received from the New Bedford Garden Club.

Other volunteer opportunities available at the Lloyd Center include: butterfly garden upkeep; research opportunities in collections, Piping Plover protection, dragonfly/butterfly monitoring and SEANET; assisting in canoe and kayak trips, Monarch Watch or Coastal Field Studies; grant writing; historical archiving; data entry; and in community outreach at the Center’s clambake and Slocum Challenge Regatta.

“I am an international student here and this is the best thing I have done so far in the United States.” – Nikita Rao

Much of the success at the Lloyd Center for the Environment can be attributed to the volunteers who so cheerfully and generously give their time and energy. For more information on how you can become a part of this inspiring group, contact Lloyd Center Outreach Specialist Jen Wimmer at 508-990-0505 x 14 or jen@lloydcenter.org.

In honor of Earth Day, Keynote Speaker Frankic, a Biomimicry 3.8 Fellow, will give a talk on biomimicry. In her words, “Biomimicry really utilizes biological models to evolve resilient solutions to environmental, technological, engineering and design challenges that we have. And to not only learn about nature, but also learn from nature and its successful strategies and functions to address our problems today. Nature’s adaptations and solutions seem simple and a common sense. Humans are part of nature, so why do we struggle to adapt sustainably?”

Frankic is an adjunct professor at the Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, Split, Croatia and Project Director at the Center for Governance and Sustainability at UMass Boston. She has been recently awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to establish a biomimicry program in Croatia. Frankic is a member of the advisory council at AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) and AAUW (American Association of the University Women). Her educational background in biology, ecology, limnology and marine science, guided her interdisciplinary work in coastal and watershed ecosystem management and restoration, nationally and internationally.

In 2008, Anamarija and her students established GHP to discover how urban harbors can become healthy, wealthy and sustainable, right here and now. She initiated and established ‘living labs’ as part of the applied science education where students and communities are able to ‘learn and teach by doing biomimicry, applying nature’s solutions for sustainable future. Although it is a huge challenge to restore coastal ecosystems, she believes that we do have the knowledge, science and technology to live harmoniously within natural systems, by following her own premise that “the environment sets the limits for sustainable development”.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Frankic speak at this year’s meeting” said Rachel Stronach, Lloyd Center Interim Executive Director, “In 2012 I attended a workshop where Dr. Frankic spoke and I found her presentation on biomimcry fascinating. She is a gifted speaker who clearly has a passion for the subject.”

In addition to Dr. Frankic’s address. the George G. Haydock Award will be presented, as it is each year, to an individual, selected by the Staff and Board of Directors of the Lloyd Center who, in the spirit and tradition exemplified by long-time Lloyd Center supporter and nature enthusiast, Dr. George G. Haydock, is deemed to have personally made a most outstanding contribution to protecting the fragile nature of our coastal environment.

As part of the CSLP, fifth-grade students from Fall River and Greater New Bedford are currently assisting the Lloyd Center in the documentation of potential impacts of climate change on local wildlife, working side-by-side with Lloyd Center research scientists. The students are also helping to create a web-based climate science education tool with the data they collect as participants in the project. A key objective of this work is to involve students in activities that inspire a passion for science, while facilitating discovery of the significant relationship between human communities and natural systems. 

Thanks to the support of the Island Foundation, the CSLP is standardizing the curriculum as the project moves into its second year, through a comprehensive, hands-on biodiversity research project, appropriate to the age and education levels of each student.