News

by Douglas McCulloch, Dartmouth Week This past year was a busy one at the Lloyd Center with building projects, fundraising, and an ever-growing list of events and educational programs. And there’s even more to look forward to in 2020. That was the message from Lloyd Center officials at the center’s 2019 annual meeting, held on…

In our region, April is a time of transition. Weather is unpredictable, birds are in migration, amphibians are slowly awakening, buds on trees are few, and the salt marshes are a dull brown. One has to work to find life on a somewhat barren coastal landscape. From a dusk hike at the Lloyd Center, to…

“Thank you for helping us become ornithologists. We all learned a lot and it was very fun.” “Thank you so much for letting us learn a lot about birds and bringing us to the Lloyd Center. Everything you teached (should this be taught, not sure if we can correct it since it’s a quote) us…

It’s time to mark your calendar and secure your ticket to one of the summer’s most popular events, the Lloyd Center for the Environment’s Clambake XXXIV “Celebrating Science and Education!” Those who have attended this event in the past, know it to be the unofficial “kick-off” of the South Coast’s summer season – an event…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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.…