Lloyd Center for the Environment Awarded $225,000 Cultural Facilities Fund Grant from Massachusetts Cultural Council and MassDevelopment

Click to enlarge. Drawing by: Kathryn Duff, RA, CPHC, Founder studio2sustain inc architects consultants environmental evangelists 412 County Street New Bedford MA 02740 508.999.5145

The Lloyd Center for the Environment Inc. has received a $225,000 grant from the Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF), a state initiative co-administered by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) and MassDevelopment. The grant will finance renovations to the Lloyd Center’s main building and site improvements that will transform the Center into a regional Biodiversity Learning Center.

CFF grants are awarded through a competitive process. This grant signifies that the Lloyd Center for the Environment provides a high level of public value through its programs and community service. The Lloyd Center today has taught over 135,000 students in their education programs since 2006, has over 25,000 visitors annually from 40 states and 11 countries, and has over 30 years of monitoring threatened and endangered species. The Center also offer outreach programs such as canoe and kayak trips, birding and beach walks and hikes, whale and seal watches, story times, nature discovery programs, and much more, to visitors of all ages. Their hardscrabble nature preserve has over five miles of hiking trails.
 
“I’m ecstatic to hear of the Lloyd Center receiving this very generous grant and can’t wait to see the benefits of the CFF grant come to fruition. With the support of the MCC and MassDevelopment, the Lloyd Center will be enabled to reach new audiences, foster community development, and continue to provide top notch quality programing. This is wonderful!” – State Representative Christopher Markey

The Lloyd Center for the Environment, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, founded in 1978 and situated with its headquarters and spectacular nature preserve overlooking the scenic Slocum River estuary, has achieved a well-earned reputation for excellence in environmental research and education. Through its innovative outreach programs, it has established itself as a highly regarded leader in the ongoing effort to raise awareness of the area’s fragile coastal resources and the importance of protecting them.

Click to enlarge. Drawing by: Kathryn Duff, RA, CPHC, Founder studio2sustain inc architects consultants environmental evangelists 412 County Street New Bedford MA 02740 508.999.5145

The Center’s 82-acre property offers over five miles of walking trails, the “Bridge to Discovery” dock on the Slocum River, vernal pools, oak-hickory forest, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh, estuary views, and is home to two injured raptors (a screech owl and red-shouldered hawk).

The Visitor Center is open from 10am to 4pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays, and on Sundays, June – September, free of charge. There, aquarium exhibits offer unique views of live freshwater and saltwater species of fish and other marine critters.

The Center is also home to a fascinating collection of live local reptiles, amphibian and fish species. At the always popular touch-tank, youngsters learn the hands-on joy of socializing with gentle spider crabs, elusive minnows, sea stars (starfish), whelks, hermit crabs, periwinkles and mussels.
The top-floor Osprey Room Observatory, with its magnificent views of the Elizabeth Islands and Buzzards Bay, has been designated by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs as one of the Commonwealth’s top-fifteen “Special Places”. Through telescopes there, one can get a close-up view of formerly endangered Ospreys, and their chicks, nesting on platforms erected by members of the Center’s research staff.

Trails are open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week. The Lloyd Center for the Environment is located at 430 Potomska Road, Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

CFF grants have also helped restore and preserve many of our nation’s most cherished historic buildings, which attract cultural tourists to Massachusetts. More than 18 million people visit CFF-funded organizations annually, with nearly one third coming from out-of-state. MassDevelopment and MCC jointly administer the CFF, and an Advisory Committee appointed by the Governor provides oversight to its operation. The grants are supported through $10 million from the state’s fiscal year 2016 capital plan, authorized by the state Legislature and allocated by the Governor. CFF grants remain highly competitive: The Fund received 146 applications in this round seeking nearly $25 million for projects with total development costs of more than $200 million. For more background on CFF and its impact, go here.

About MCC:
The Massachusetts Cultural Council is a state agency supporting the arts, humanities, and sciences to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. The MCC pursues this mission through grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists.
 
About MassDevelopment:
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2016, MassDevelopment financed or managed 352 projects generating investment of more than $4 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create about 8,200 jobs and build or rehabilitate about 4,200 residential units.