In This Issue

♦ Action Alert
♦ Trailside to the Rescue
♦ Where Are We Now?
♦ Make Your Summer Count!

Hit the Water

Take in the sights and sounds of summer by cruise, canoe, or kayak. We even have stand-up paddleboarding!

Find and register for an upcoming program.

Last Month in Birding

Each month on our Your Great Outdoors blog we take a closer look at a few of the previous month’s most exciting bird sightings. May's picks do not disappoint.

Read the May entry as well as all the posts in this series.

Color Variations

Every now and then you might see an animal that looks like a member of a familiar species, but with a twist: it’s much darker or lighter than normal. What’s the story behind this unusual coloration?

	© Katharine Wall

Get the answer!

Calling All Shutterbugs!

Do you love taking photos of plants, wildlife, landscapes, or people enjoying all of the above? Enter the 2015 Picture This Photo Contest.

The deadline is September 30. Enter today!

You Did It!

Thanks to all of the Boston Globe subscribers who selected Mass Audubon as their favorite nonprofit. We placed second in the Globe GRANT contest, winning free advertising in the Boston Globe!

Check out the final results.

Power Hour Webinar

Wondering what our Make the Switch to Green Electricity program is all about? Join Mass Energy Consumers Alliance and Mass Audubon for a free Power Hour Webinar on June 22 at noon. We'll go over the program and answer your questions.

Learn more and register.

Action Alert: Migratory Birds at Risk

One of the oldest environmental laws in the U.S., the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is the primary piece of legislation established to protect over 1,000 species of migratory birds and makes it illegal to harm them except under very specific circumstances. Now this crucial law is coming under attack.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an amendment that would bar the Department of Justice from enforcing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and a similar amendment could be brought up in the Senate. If this amendment becomes law, it could set the cause of bird and wildlife conservation back decades.

Learn more and find out how you can take action.

Trailside to the Rescue

© Dan Burton

When four great horned owl chicks and their nest blew out of their tree near Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton due to high winds in early May, the team at Trailside knew exactly what to do.

Under the leadership of Sanctuary Director Norman Smith, the team has successfully placed 3,000 baby hawks and owls into foster nests over the past 30 years.

Find out what they did and why. And be sure to check out our baby bird primer.

Where in Mass Audubon Are We Now?

Congratulations to everyone who guessed that the last photo featured in Explorations was taken at Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Rowley. Of those with correct guesses, Ruth of Boxford, MA, was chosen at random to be the lucky winner of a pocket field guide.

Ready to guess another Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuary?

This wildlife sanctuary is part of one the most extensive parcels of uninterrupted protected land in central Massachusetts. Here, moderate-to-strenuous interlinking trails wind though cathedral-like stands of hemlock and white pine and along a boulder-strewn brook.

Email your guess by July 15 and you could win a pocket field guide.

Make Your Summer Count!

	© Justin Miel

The flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and butterflies are fluttering—it’s a wonderful time to explore the great outdoors!

However you plan to enjoy your summer, you can make a difference by donating today. With your support we can do even more to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife.

Find out how you can make a difference!

Connect With Us

Keep up-to-date, share photos and wildlife sightings, and more!