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5 Hikes for Families in Western MA State Forests and Parks
Take a Hike! Explore the State Forests and Parks of Western MA Explore the hills of Western Massachusetts – spend an afternoon hiking at one of the many local state forests and parks! The...
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The Ripple: Adopt Your Local Stream or River
Adopt Your Local Stream or River Rivers and streams are beautiful. That’s why we are drawn to them, deeply and elementally. The first colonists in Western Massachusetts hugged close to the rivers...
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The Ripple: Finding the Heart of the Watershed
Thinking Like A Watershed One of the funnier thoughts I’ve heard goes like this: “I want to be one with nature.” You might have heard of this thought, or a variation of it, too. The reason I find it...
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Volunteer as a Citizen Scientist on the Westfield River with Hilltown Families
Hilltown Families Event Volunteer Opportunity: Citizen Scientist Wednesday, October 17th @ 3:30pm West Branch of the Westfield River For the third year in a row, Hilltown Families will be partnering...
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The Ripple: Families Work as Citizen Scientists for the Westfield River
Families Learn about the Relationship Between Benthic Invertebrates and River Ecology with Hilltown Families & Biocitizen Halloween’s upon us and the leaves are almost down—and for river lovers...
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The Ripple: Winter Wetlands
When Our Wetlands Become Icelands Perhaps you love to walk in the woods in winter because, when the leaves are down, the shape (or “geomorphic character”) of our biome is exposed. I do, too! Winter is...
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Federal Fish and Wildlife Services’ Junior Duck Stamp Program
Supplement Habitat Studies with the Junior Duck Stamp Program Western Massachusetts is home to a wide variety of duck species. These beautiful birds make their homes in wetland areas, a habitat in...
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The Ripple: Rivers in the Sky
Clouds are Rivers Rains become rivers, so—if we think of the whole instead of the parts—clouds are rivers. How very unscientific is such a thought! If everybody thought clouds are rivers, how would we...
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The Ripple: River Otters in Western MA
Winter Otters It’s the end of winter (almost), when months of frigid winds have whipped the bare hills and leafless trees into a freeze-dried state. The best loggers cut trees for firewood now, just...
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The Ripple: Hunting for Springs in Western MA
Spring Hunting Spring has a leap of the leprechaun in it; who can deny that?—but spring’s called spring not because of its leapiness. Spring’s called spring because of the upwelling waters that appear...
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The Ripple: The Magic of Spring Peepers. The Science of Vernal Pools
How do spring peepers know when to start singing? How do spring peepers know when to start singing? They don’t have weather reports, or the ability to see the buds forming on trees, the snow melting,...
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The Ripple: Insects of Spring
Before May Flies, Meet the Mayfly Imagine never getting swarmed and bit by mayflies as you revel in the vivacities unleashed by the ubiquitous green fountain of spring. Imagine gardening, or hiking, or...
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The Ripple: Lessons in Floods
An Invitation to Think Outside about Floods Floods, like weeds, are problems. Occupying places we don’t want them to, they ruin things we are growing. Weeds are plants in the wrong place. And what’s a...
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Crash Course: 100+ Episodes in 6 Online Courses
Crash Course: 6 Courses. 112 Episodes. Research has shown that students can lose two months (or more!) worth of their learning in mathematics and language arts during the summer if they aren’t exposed...
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The Ripple: River Walking
This month in "The Ripple: Stories About Western MA Rivers," Hilltown Families Contributing Writer, Kurt Heidinger, writes about river access .Check out his 5 pointers on how to river walk, preventing...
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The Ripple: Stewards of Our Rivers!
Kurt's call to action this month in "The Ripple"... be stewards of the rivers! Take action in September as citizen scientists by joining Hilltown Families and Biocitizen for our 4th annual rivers...
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Citizen Scientists Opportunity: School of Ants
Call for citizen scientists! Adventurous, bug-loving families in Western MA can help to contribute to ongoing ant research and identification of species by participating in a project called School of...
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The Ripple: Engaging as Citizen Scientists Along the River
Last week an energetic group of Hilltown Families citizen scientists and Kurt Heidinger, Executive Director of Biocitizen, conducted our fourth annual rapid biotic assessment of the Westfield River in...
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The Ripple: Rivers and Experiential Learning
The leaves are down, so now is the time to discover the geomorphic character of your brook: how its pools, rapids and boggy spots sit in the land. Soon enough, it will freeze and its character will...
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The Ripple: Gifts Under the Hemlock
Our hills are gemmed with gifts—receive them by being present! This month in "The Ripple," Kurt poetically inspires us to get out along side our rivers that run through snow-laden hemlock forests to...
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