Massachusetts Audubon Society

The Massachusetts Audubon Society, commonly known as Mass Audubon, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "protecting the nature of Massachusetts". Mass Audubon is independent of the National Audubon Society, and was founded earlier than the NAS. Mass Audubon protects more than 40,000 acres of land throughout Massachusetts, saving birds and other wildlife, and making nature accessible to all with its wildlife sanctuaries and 20 nature centers.

History

The Massachusetts Audubon Society was born out of Harriet Hemenway's desire to stop the commercial slaughter of birds for women's ornamental hats. Hemenway and her cousin, Minna Hall, soon enlisted 900 women and formed a partnership with many from Boston's scientific community to form their organization. They named the organization the Massachusetts Audubon Society in honor of the bird painter John James Audubon. In 1905, a national committee of Audubon societies was developed. This committee was vital in passing the Migratory Bird Conservation Act in 1913 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 with Great Britain. The passage of these measures effectively eliminated the commercial plume trade.
Mass Audubon's first wildlife sanctuary, Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon, Massachusetts, dates back to 1916 when the board accepts an offer of Sharon resident George Field to use his property as a bird sanctuary. Mass Audubon purchased the parcel in 1922.

Wildlife sanctuaries

Mass Audubon's statewide network of more than 100 wildlife sanctuaries welcomes visitors of all ages and is a home for more than 150 endangered and threatened native species. Some of the sanctuaries, as noted below, have staffed nature centers or museums.
For information about properties without a Wikipedia page, visit the Mass Audubon website's list of wildlife sanctuaries and select the property.

Name	Town	County	Location	Acreage	Open to public	Description	Photos
Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary	Westport	Bristol			Yes	With nature center	-
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary	Easthampton	Hampshire			Yes	With nature center
Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary	East Falmouth	Barnstable			Yes
Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary	Attleboro	Bristol			Yes
Barnstable Great Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary	Barnstable	Barnstable			Yes
Blue Hills Trailside Museum	Milton	Norfolk			Yes	small museum, outdoor exhibit area and event facility within the Blue Hills Reservation	-
Boston Nature Center	Mattapan	Suffolk			Yes	With nature center and event facility
Brewster's Woods Wildlife Sanctuary	Concord	Middlesex			Yes
Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary	Worcester	Worcester			Yes	With nature center and event facility
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary	Natick	Middlesex			Yes	With nature center and event facility
Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary	Spencer	Worcester			Yes
Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary	Pittsfield	Berkshire			Yes
Cedar Pond Wildlife Sanctuary	Wenham	Essex			Yes
Cheshire Pond Wildlife Sanctuary	Ashburnham	Worcester			No
Cold Brook Wildlife Sanctuary	Sandisfield	Berkshire			No	"Planning is now underway for the removal of buildings in disrepair at the home site, the creation of trails for passive recreation, and a parking area nearby."
Conway Hills Wildlife Sanctuary	Conway	Franklin			Yes
Cook’s Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary	Barre	Worcester			Yes
Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary	Marshfield	Plymouth			Yes
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary	Lincoln	Middlesex			Yes	With farm exhibit buildings, nature center, and event facility
Eagle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary	Holden	Worcester			Yes
Eastern Point Wildlife Sanctuary	Gloucester	Essex			Yes
Endicott Wildlife Sanctuary	Wenham	Essex			Yes
Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary	Edgartown	Dukes			Yes	With nature center
Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary	Fitchburg	Worcester			Yes
Graves Farm Wildlife Sanctuary	Williamsburg	Hampshire			Yes
Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary	Wareham	Plymouth			Yes
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary	Belmont	Middlesex			Yes	With nature center and event facility
High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary	Shelburne	Franklin			Yes
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary	Topsfield	Essex			Yes	With nature center
Joppa Flats Education Center	Newburyport	Essex			Yes	With nature center
Kettle Island Wildlife Sanctuary	Manchester-by-the Sea	Essex			No	Landing on the island is prohibited
Lake Wampanoag Wildlife Sanctuary	Gardner	Worcester			Yes
Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary	Hampden	Hampden			Yes
Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary	Sheffield	Berkshire			Yes
Lincoln Woods Wildlife Sanctuary	Leominster	Worcester			Yes
Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary	Barnstable	Barnstable			Yes	With nature center and event facility
Lost Farm Wildlife Sanctuary	Nantucket	Nantucket			Yes
Lynes Woods Wildlife Sanctuary	Westhampton	Hampshire			Yes
Magazine Beach Park Nature Center	Cambridge	Middlesex			Yes	Nature center within the Charles River Reservation
Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary	Marblehead	Essex			Yes
Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary	Sharon	Norfolk			Yes	With nature center and event facility
Museum of American Bird Art Education Center & Wildlife Sanctuary	Canton	Norfolk			Yes	Gallery closed as of July 2023
Nahant Thicket Wildlife Sanctuary	Nahant	Essex			Yes
Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary	Westford	Middlesex			Yes
North Hill Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary	Duxbury	Plymouth			Yes
North River Wildlife Sanctuary	Marshfield	Plymouth			Yes	With nature center
Norwood Mills Wildlife Sanctuary	Rockport	Essex			Yes
Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary	Attleboro	Bristol			Yes	With nature center
Old Baldy Wildlife Sanctuary	Otis	Berkshire			Yes
Pawtucket Farm Wildlife Sanctuary	Lowell	Middlesex			Yes	Opened in 2024
Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary	Dudley	Worcester			Yes
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary	Lenox	Berkshire			Yes	With nature center
Poor Farm Hill Wildlife Sanctuary	New Salem	Franklin			Yes
Richardson Brook Wildlife Sanctuary	Tolland	Hampden			Yes
Road's End Wildlife Sanctuary	Worthington	Hampshire			Yes
Rocky Hill Wildlife Sanctuary	Groton	Middlesex			Yes
Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary	Rowley	Essex			Yes
Rutland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary	Petersham	Worcester			Yes
Sampsons Island Wildlife Sanctuary	Barnstable	Barnstable			Yes	Much of the island is closed to visitors in spring and summer to protect nesting birds.
Sesachacha Heathlands Wildlife Sanctuary	Nantucket	Nantucket			Yes
Skunknett River Wildlife Sanctuary	Barnstable	Barnstable			Yes
Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary	Norfolk	Norfolk			Yes	With nature center
Straitsmouth Island Wildlife Sanctuary	Rockport	Essex			Yes	Open May 15 to August 30, accessible only by kayak.
Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary	Plymouth	Plymouth			Yes
Tracy Brook Wildlife Sanctuary	Richmond	Berkshire			No	No trails; observe heron rookery from road pull-off.
Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary	Princeton	Worcester			Yes	With nature center and event facility
Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary	Hopkinton	Middlesex			Yes
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary	Wellfleet	Barnstable			Yes	With nature center
West Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary	Plainfield	Hampshire			Yes