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April 2019 Newsletter

Become a Lloyd Center Member or Renew Your Membership!


Dear Friend of the Lloyd Center,
 
Please join the Lloyd Center as a member or renew your current membership.
 
Membership support is essential to the Center’s operations. Due to the generosity of our members last year, the Lloyd Center was able to provide:
 
•  experiential environmental education to over 13,000 students;
•  outreach programs ranging from owl prowls to canoe trips for over 3,000 individuals;
•  monitoring of threatened and endangered species throughout the state.
 
From one of the many teachers we work with at the Lloyd Center:
 
“I wanted to let you know that Kid Wind was awesome! The students absolutely loved it. I am planning on saving money to purchase the materials for fourth grade to use in the future for their energy unit. It was a very powerful unit. Our students were so motivated to figure out the best way to generate energy. So, I wanted to send you a huge thank you! 
 
Thank you again for everything. Having this partnership with the Lloyd Center and fourth grade has breathed new life into our science teaching and I am so thankful for that. :)” - Heidi Lima, Site Facilitator - 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant, Grade 4 Teacher, A.J. Gomes School, New Bedford, MA
 
There are some big changes underway at the Lloyd Center. Our innovative new Welcome Center is under construction, and the Visitor Center is currently closed while undergoing a renovation!
 
During these important projects, the trails remain open and our outreach offerings for all ages continue.
 
Click here to become a member or to renew your membership.
 
Thank you for your support.
 
Sincerely,         
 
Rachel L. Stronach
Executive Director

Mark Your Calendars for Clambake XXXIV


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 not to be missed!
 
“This year’s event theme is “Sandcastles!”  and will feature live music by Lucky 13, a classic menu including whole lobsters, clams, barbeque chicken, and top-shelf open bar.” said Nina Weeks, who spoke enthusiastically about the Clambake. “The event will also have an extraordinary silent auction. We’ve already begun collecting lots of new exciting items which are coming in daily!” READ MORE
 

Lloyd Center Prowls at Dusk During Early Spring 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 and “perigee”, the period when the moon is at its closest point to the earth as a “supermoon”.
 
Because the wishes of Mother Nature determine activity levels of wild owls, our resident screech owl was brought before the sizeable group. With nightfall approaching, when owls are biologically attuned to begin exhibiting hunting behavior, Koko was noticeably fidgety and alert. The group saw how owls are structurally adapted to a nocturnal niche, and learned about unique traits possessed by screech owls. Then came the pursuit of owls on the property using callback tapes.   READ MORE

Cuttyhunk Seal Cruises – An adventure in your own back yard! by Katie Houseman, Lloyd Center Educator/Naturalist


Join us for our last Cuttyhunk Seal Cruise of the season on April 13 from 10:00am – 2:30pm!  Click here to register
 
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 of seals seen in Buzzards Bay. Harbor seals are the smaller of the two types, growing up to about 5 feet and weighing up to 250 lbs. They are easily recognizable with their v-shaped nose and round head. These seals often take up what is referred to as the “banana position,” laying on rocks with their tail and head hoisted into the air.
 
Gray seals grow to be much larger at 8 feet and weighing in at up to 800 lbs. The gray seal also boasts a more horse-like snout and a w-shaped nose as opposed to the round shape of the harbor seal head. Both seals have mottled patterns which make it possible to identify individuals. Seals, like many marine animals, have countershading.  This means they are dark on their backs and light on their bellies. Countershading helps many animals to blend in with their surroundings in the ocean, whether they are on the hunt or being hunted themselves. READ MORE

Upcoming events


Click HERE for more details and to pre-register. Pre-registration is required for most events.

Spring Evening Wildlife Walk
Monday, April 1, 6:00 pm -7:30 pm

Outer Cape Birding and Whale Watching Hike
Saturday, April 6, 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
 
Cuttyhunk Seal Cruise
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm

April Dusk Hike
Friday, April 26, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Lloyd Center Spring Bird Walk I – Migrants on the Move
Saturday, April 27, 7:00 am – 9:00 am

Lloyd Center Annual Meeting
Thursday, May 2, 6:00 pm

How You Can Help

Lloyd Center has a new online Wish List


Check out our Wish List on Amazon.com. Help if you can!

Hardscrabble Nature Preserve Visitor Hours


The Lloyd Center's Visitor Center is open from 10:00am to 4:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday and on Sundays, June - September, free of charge.

Trails are open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week.

Lloyd Center for the Environment
430 Potomska Road in Dartmouth MA 02748
508-990-0505 www.lloydcenter.org

The Lloyd Center’s Visitor Center is temporarily closed as the first phase of renovations and an addition to the main building begin. The driveway up to the main building will also be closed to the public, as well as a small portion of the Chaypee Woods Trail.


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