Events

by Katie Houseman, Lloyd Center Educator/Naturalist Join us for our last Cuttyhunk Seal Cruise of the season on April 13th! Each year around March and April, the Lloyd Center hosts seal cruises to Cuttyhunk Island in Buzzards Bay in cooperation with Cuttyhunk Ferry Company. Harbor seals and gray seals are the two most common species…

by Jamie Bogart, Lloyd Center Research Associate On two separate March evenings, participants on Lloyd Center outings experienced firsthand the rigors of searching for night birds, and how beautiful the early spring landscape can be. The Spring Owl Prowl occurred during a unique confluence of celestial events. A full moon coincided with the vernal equinox…

The completion of the “late meteorological winter” portion of the Lloyd Center Winter Waterfowl Count on January 27, 2019, marks the completion of the 32nd annual survey of waterfowl in our region’s estuaries and coastal ponds from Dartmouth, Massachusetts to Tiverton, Rhode Island, designed to detect trends in migratory waterfowl abundance and habitat use at…

In the early morning hours of February 3, while many were getting sleep in preparation for the Patriots Super Bowl matchup, a handful of folks were out on the prowl, in search of night owls that might be present, and are most active at this insane 3:30am hour. Between this time and sunrise, human activity…

Are you fascinated by owls? Do you enjoy a good old-fashioned New England winter morning, especially before sunrise? If so, you can join Lloyd Center Research Associate Jamie Bogart on a Mid-Winter Owl Prowl on Feb. 3, scheduled during hours of peak owl activity. “Owls are mysterious and fascinating creatures that become more vocal as…

The Lloyd Center for the Environment thanks all those that contributed to the Center’s 2018 Annual Fund! The Annual Fund is a critical piece of our operating budget. For the Center to continue to provide the full complement of programs throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we rely on your assistance and generosity. Through your tax-deductible…

by Chloe Shelford / Jan 12, 2019 On a chilly December Sunday, volunteers for the Lloyd Center counted 8,494 birds for the Center’s annual Winter Waterfowl Survey. “People often think in winter not a whole lot’s going on,” Lloyd Center Research Associate Jamie Bogart said. “Well, if you look at the coast, there’s all kinds…

Each winter the Lloyd Center provides an opportunity for nature enthusiasts to stretch their legs to kick start the New Year, while learning about the dynamic Buzzards Bay shoreline. While many great locations exist for this event, perhaps none is better than Gooseberry Neck Island in Westport. Gooseberry, a 73-acre island purchased by the state…

by Jamie Bogart, Lloyd Center Research Associate For last season’s December waterfowl survey, we expected that high tides forecast during a “Supermoon” would cause a low count. To our surprise, survey conditions were perfect and the highest December numbers in a decade resulted for that 2017 survey. In this year’s first count, for the thirty-second…

by Katie Houseman, Lloyd Center Educator/Naturalist The Lloyd Center’s Turn-the-Tide program seeks to educate fifth-grade students in Dartmouth about the water quality in Buzzards Bay. In particular, the health of the Slocum River estuary is examined, as well as factors that contribute to poor conditions in this ecosystem. This program addresses interactions between earth and…

Please consider making a gift or monthly commitment, if you haven’t already. The Annual Fund is a critical piece of our operating budget. For the Center to continue to provide the full complement of programs throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we rely on your assistance and generosity. It is easy to make an initial gift…

By Jamie Bogart, Lloyd Center Research Associate In December, the Lloyd Center will embark on its 32nd Annual Winter Waterfowl Survey, for the first of two surveys aimed at documenting winter waterfowl use of our coastal systems. Since completion of the 25-year summary (1988-2013), it’s been apparent that a select few highly dominant species exist.…

Looking for fresh air, exercise or to learn more about the natural world around you? If so, this is the perfect trip for you! Join Research Director Mark Mello for this Lloyd Center tradition and celebrate the New Year with a peaceful walk on Gooseberry Neck beach. Focusing on coastal ecology and bird identification, Mark…

by Chloe Shelford, Dartmouth Week Sep 26, 2018 These high school students aren’t on a field trip to the Lloyd Center — they’re constructing every part of the new welcome center from the ground up and meeting tough environmental standards along the way. Carpentry teacher Frank Goncalves explained Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High…

The Lloyd Center Research Department is heralded for both intensive efforts to preserve species and habitats at highest risk, and traveling far and wide across the landscape to get it done. This field season was no exception. On the mainland, at the salt marsh that borders the Slocum River out to Demarest Lloyd State Park,…

The third project of Lloyd Center for the Environment’s facilities improvements gets underway September 1st! The Visitor Center (Exploration Center) will temporarily close on Thursday, August 30th for the first phase of the renovations and the addition of the main building. The driveway up to the main building will also be closed to the public,…

With the summer coming to an end also comes time for students to return back to the classroom. For a select group of students at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical (GNBVT) High School, September also means returning to work on the Lloyd Center for the Environment’s Living Building Challenge™ (LBC™) Welcome Center project. The students…

This color splash run is an un-timed fun run featuring a designated course around the Dartmouth Elementary and Middle school. Throughout the course participants will experience color splash zones where they will be doused in color, and finish with a color toss celebration! The Quinn Color Run and Community Fun Fest will include music, food,…

This past week we wrapped up both our Young Naturalist Programs for children ages five to seven, and our Coastal Studies Programs for older students, ranging from grades three to eight. Youngsters from all over came to the Lloyd Center to learn, explore, and enjoy the outdoors. Young Naturalists participated in multiple weeks, learning about…

by Katie Houseman, Lloyd Center Educator/Naturalist Geared towards children ages five to seven, the Young Naturalist Programs have been already running for a whole month! With different themes each day, participants have enjoyed hikes to the salt marsh, creative crafts and slimy science experiments! For the first time, these programs are now being offered Monday…

by Jamie Bogart, Lloyd Center Research Associate This was a different shorebird season for the Lloyd Center. For the first time in three decades, we weren’t in charge of protecting state-owned sites, most notably Horseneck Beach, which the Lloyd Center has managed since plovers became endangered in 1985. The site went into the hands of…

Summer is right around the corner ~ have you signed your children up for the Lloyd Center’s summer programs? Programs are filling up! “I love nature! I love looking for salamanders, flipping over rocks and exploring the marsh. It’s so much fun to be at the Lloyd Center. I can’t wait for summer!” – Summer…