1874-2022
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Massachusetts Audubon Society Records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@wxzjnt.com.
There are restrictions on the use of this collection. Users must sign an agreement stating that they understand these restrictions before they will be given access to the collection.
Abstract
The Records of the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon) document the administrative, educational, scientific, and environmental activities of the organization from its founding in 1896 to 2022, with gaps. Included are administrative and financial records, records related to individual sanctuaries, historical records, ornithological records, records of related organizations, printed material, photographs, and audio-visual material.
Organizational Sketch
The Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon) was founded in 1896 when Boston residents Harriett Lawrence Hemenway and Minna B. Hall formed a group to discourage "ladies of fashion" from wearing the brightly-colored feathers of non-game birds in their hats, a market that had caused the birds to be hunted almost to extinction. Recruiting leading ornithologist William Brewster as their first president, the group became the first state Audubon society in North America. Headquartered in Boston, it was instrumental in the passage of an 1897 Massachusetts law outlawing trade in wild bird feathers and the 1900 Lacey Act, prohibiting interstate shipment of animals killed in violation of local laws. The group also helped to organize the National Association of Audubon Societies (incorporated in 1905), which later became the National Audubon Society.
Mass Audubon opened their first sanctuary, Moose Hill in Sharon, in 1916, initiating its mission in land stewardship, as well as bird and wildlife protection. In the 1930s and 1940s, Mass Audubon began to emphasize education, establishing natural history programs for schools and day camps, training teachers, and offering programs for children and adults. The organization began its program of professional research in 1956, with a scientific staff and laboratory facilities that by the 1970s and 1980s specialized not only in endangered species, but in environmental issues such as pesticides, water pollution, wetlands protection, and energy conservation.
Today Mass Audubon is the largest conservation organization in New England. It maintains over 50 field offices and wildlife sanctuaries that serve as a base for nature and environmental education courses, programs, scientific research, and conservation-related activities. It protects over 40,000 acres of open space from the Berkshires to Cape Cod and the Islands, publishes a nature magazine and newsletter for more than 100,000 members, and actively advocates for conservation laws and planning at the local, state, and federal levels.
Historical Timeline
1896 |
Massachusetts Audubon Society for the Protection of Birds is organized by Harriett
Hemenway and Minna B. Hall as the first such society in North America.
Leading ornithologist William Brewster (1851-1919) is elected board president, serving
from 1896-1913.
|
1897 |
Massachusetts passes a bill outlawing trade in wild bird feathers. |
1898 |
First Mass Audubon calendar was published and sold for fifty cents. |
1900 |
Mass Audubon and other state Audubon societies are influential in the passage of the
Lacey Act, prohibiting interstate shipment of birds killed in violation of local
laws. |
1901 |
Mass Audubon provides a traveling library of bird books to be circulated throughout the
state, with help from the Woman's Education Association. |
1902 |
National Committee of Audubon Societies is formed to bind together and make more
effective the work of the various state organizations. |
1905 |
National Association of Audubon Societies incorporates. |
1912 |
Mass Audubon begins working with public school teachers in "Junior Audubon"
classes. |
1913 |
Mass Audubon headquarters move to the basement of the Boston Museum of Natural History
at 66 Newbury St.
Winthrop Packard becomes secretary-treasurer, serving until 1936.
William Brewster resigns as board president, succeeded by state ornithologist Edward
Howe Forbush (1858-1929), who serves until 1925.
|
1915 |
Mass Audubon is incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts. |
1916 |
Mass Audubon is influential in the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of
1916.
Mass Audubon acquires its first sanctuary, Moose Hill in Sharon, initiating its
program of land stewardship.
|
1917 |
Mass Audubon first publishes Bulletin, a monthly
magazine. |
1925 |
Robert Walcott becomes board president, serving until 1956.
The first volume of Birds of Massachusetts is
published.
|
1929 |
Mass Audubon hires L. Raymond Talbot as an educational field agent to give public high
school lectures throughout the state. Lecture program continues until 1937. |
1930 |
Mass Audubon receives its largest bequest to date, $100,000, from the estate of Annie
H. Brown of Stoneham. |
1936 |
Mass Audubon merges with Federation of Bird Clubs of New England and acquires two
sanctuaries: Annie H. Brown Sanctuary on Plum Island and Paine Sanctuary on Tern Island,
Cape Cod.
Carl W. Buchheister becomes secretary-treasurer, serving until 1939.
|
1937 |
Mass Audubon publishes Birds of the Connecticut Valley in
Massachusetts. |
1939 |
C. Russell Mason becomes secretary-treasurer, and in 1947, assumes the title of
executive director, serving until 1957.
Mass Audubon begins supplying consultants and natural science teachers to public and
private schools.
|
1942 |
Mass Audubon transfers Plum Island property to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a
site that would become Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. |
1943 |
Mass Audubon moves from the Boston Society of Natural History at 66 Newbury Street to
155 Newbury Street. |
1944 |
Mass Audubon acquires Arcadia Sanctuary in Northampton/Easthampton as its first major
sanctuary in western Massachusetts. |
1948 |
Mass Audubon acquires Cook's Canyon Sanctuary in Barre. |
1949 |
Wildwood Nature Camp is established at Cook's Canyon, continuing at this site for 33
years. |
1950 |
Mass Audubon acquires Pleasant Valley Sanctuary in Lenox. |
1951 |
Mass Audubon acquires Ipswich River Sanctuary in Topsfield/Hamilton/Wenham. |
1955 |
Mass Audubon's Education Department, in conjunction with the Boston Children's Museum,
sponsors the television series Discovery on WGBH. |
1956 |
Drumlin Farm property in Lincoln is donated to Mass Audubon by the estate of Louise
Ayer Hatheway.
Mass Audubon begins professional research programs with scientific staff headed by Dr.
William Drury.
|
1957 |
Allen H. Morgan becomes executive vice president and secretary, serving until
1980.
Education Department moves to the Hatheway School of Conservation Education at Drumlin
Farm.
|
1958 |
Bulletin is replaced by a quarterly publication, Massachusetts Audubon.
Mass Audubon acquires Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary in South Wellfleet.
|
1959 |
Staff offices and activities move from Newbury Street in Boston to Drumlin Farm in
South Lincoln. |
1961 |
Mass Audubon newsletter begins production. |
1963 |
Mass Audubon acquires Broadmoor/Little Pond Sanctuary in Natick/Sherborn. |
1966 |
Mass Audubon acquires Laughing Brook Sanctuary in Hampden. |
1971 |
Massachusetts Audubon becomes Man and Nature.
National Audubon Society and the Massachusetts Audubon Society begin sharing a joint
scientific staff.
|
1972 |
Mass Audubon hires MIT physicist Jim MacKenzie as energy specialist to work on energy
conservation issues. |
1974 |
Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton, interpretive center for the Blue Hills
Reservation, comes under Mass Audubon management. |
1976 |
Mass Audubon passes the milestone of 10,000 acres of open space acquired. |
1977 |
Mass Audubon publishes Sanctuary.
|
1978 |
Allen Morgan installs a solar heating system as a model project at Drumlin
Farm. |
1980 |
Gerard A. Bertrand, a 36-year-old scientist with international environmental and legal
experience, becomes president, serving until 1999. |
1984 |
Mass Audubon begins cooperative work with the Belize Audubon Society, forming Programme
for Belize in 1988. |
1986 |
Mass Audubon launches Coastal Waterbird Program in response to declining populations of
piping plovers and terns. |
1991 |
Broad Meadow Brook in Worcester opens as the largest urban wildlife sanctuary in New
England. |
1993 |
Mass Audubon organizes the Center for Biological Conservation, which studies ecological
issues on a regional basis. |
1994 |
Wildwood Nature camp moves to Camp Collier in Gardner.
Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary opens in Belmont.
|
1998 |
Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary opens on the site of the Boston State
Hospital in Mattapan, with a focus on programming for inner-city Boston schools. |
1999 |
Laura Johnson becomes president, serving until 2012.
Visual Arts Center opens in Canton as a professional art museum and wildlife
sanctuary.
|
2003 |
Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport opens as the gateway to Parker River
National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island and the Merrimack River. |
2012 |
Conservationist Henry George Tepper becomes Mass Audubon's president, serving until
2015. |
2015 |
Gary Clayton, formerly Mass Audubon's Vice President of Conservation Programs, becomes
president, serving until his retirement in 2020. |
2018 |
Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, once a working cranberry farm, opens in Plymouth. |
2019 |
Brewster's Woods Wildlife Sanctuary, once part of the farm of Mass Audubon's first
president, William Brewster, is donated as the largest gift in Mass Audubon's
history. |
2020 |
David J. O'Neill becomes Mass Audubon's president. |
Collection Description
The records of the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon) comprise 121 record cartons, 11 document boxes, and 5 oversize boxes dating from 1874 to 2021. They are divided into eight series: Administrative records; Sanctuary records; Histories and historical material; Ornithological records; Records of related organizations; Printed material; Photographs and audio-visual material; and Gary Clayton additions.
Administrative records include the records of the Mass Audubon board of directors and their related committees; annual and monthly reports; financial records; executive office records, largely the correspondence and subject files of Winthrop Packard, C. Russell Mason, and Allen H. Morgan; and records of the departments of education, membership and development, sanctuary operations and management, and conservation science.
Sanctuary records contain documents generated by or related to individual sanctuaries, including administrative records, subject files, ornithological records, historical property records, printed material, and photographs. The quantity of records for each sanctuary varies considerably, ranging from one or two folders to multiple cartons, and in most cases is neither comprehensive nor complete. The most heavily represented sanctuaries in the series are Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Drumlin Farm, Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary and Education Center, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and Wellfleet Wildlife Sanctuary. In many cases, sanctuary records contain information about the history of the property before it was owned by Mass Audubon, most notably the records related to the Thornton Burgess house and property at Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Hampden.
The collection contains histories of Mass Audubon including a series of unpublished histories by former director Allen Morgan, John Galluzzo's 2005 Mass Audubon, and scrapbooks of historical material. Ornithological records include reports of Mass Audubon birding activity, including checklists, summaries, and field notes, as well as the personal birding records of Francis H. Allen, Norman Winslow Hall, John B. May, Allen H. Morgan, and others. Records of the Oliver L. Austin Ornithological Research Station contain over 30 years of tern research on Cape Cod.
Records of related organizations within this collection include a small amount of research and correspondence of the Nuttall Ornithological Club; the records of the Nantucket Ornithological Society; and the administrative and financial records of Morse-Allen, Inc., a film production company that was donated to Mass Audubon along with the property, which is now home to the Museum of American Bird Art.
Printed material comprises one of the largest series in the collection, including Mass Audubon bird calendars from 1898 to 2004 (with gaps) and the periodicals Bulletin of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Massachusetts Audubon, Sanctuary, Connections, and The Curious Naturalist. Also in this series are books, pamphlets, and reports related to ornithology, nature studies, and environmental issues that were published by Mass Audubon, as well as brochures, field guides, program catalogs, and other printed material. The collection also includes a small amount of photographs, audio cassette tapes, and film prints.
The records of Gary Clayton, added to this collection in 2023, consist of papers compiled by Clayton from 1989 to 2020 in his capacities as Sanctuary Department director, vice president for Conservation Programs, and Mass Audubon's president. They include general correspondence and papers; board of directors records; strategic planning, capital campaign, and financial records; Sanctuary Department records, including records pertaining to individual sanctuaries; other departmental records; and subject files. These additions are closed until 1 January 2051.
Acquisition Information
Deposited by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, 2006-2022.
Restrictions on Access
The Massachusetts Audubon Society Records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@wxzjnt.com.
There are restrictions on the use of this collection. Users must sign an agreement stating that they understand these restrictions before they will be given access to the collection.
Restrictions on Use
The records of the Massachusetts Audubon Society have been placed on deposit at the Massachusetts Historical Society. The Massachusetts Historical Society does not claim ownership of the literary rights (copyright) to this collection. The Massachusetts Historical Society cannot give permission to publish or quote from documents to which it does not hold copyright. Use of these materials does not imply permission to publish. It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to obtain formal permission from the owners of the literary rights (copyright) to publish or quote from documents in this collection.
All reproductions, including photocopies and digital photographs, are for personal use only. Personal use copies may not be donated to or deposited in other libraries or archives, or made available to other researchers, without the written permission of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Administrative records, 1883-2021
This series contains the records of the Mass Audubon board of directors and their related committees; annual and monthly reports; financial records; executive office records; records of the departments of education, advocacy, development, sanctuary management, and conservation science; records related to the offices of Mass Audubon: Boston and Mass Audubon: North Shore; and various interdepartmental records. A small amount of records related to the National Audubon Society are also found here.
A. Board of directors records, 1896-1999
Records in this subseries include incorporation records and by-laws; meeting minutes and records; and planning records consisting of master plans, lists of goals, and strategic planning documents.
i. Incorporation records and by-laws, 1914-1987
Arranged chronologically.
Included are minutes of the first incorporators' meeting in 1914, Massachusetts incorporation papers, and by-laws as amended in 1940 and 1987. Additional versions of by-laws can be found in the board meeting minutes (see index to meeting minutes).
ii. Meeting minutes and records, 1896-1970
Arranged chronologically.
Meeting minutes dating from 1896 to 1906 are recorded in a single volume and include a record of the first informal meeting of the Massachusetts Audubon Society on 10 Feb. 1896, handwritten meeting minutes, and typed copies of the 1904 by-laws. Typed, unbound minutes begin in 1913 (although the 1914 minutes can be found with the incorporation records in carton 1) and include monthly board of directors' meetings, annual meetings, special meetings, board correspondence, and related topical correspondence. Also included are papers related to legislative advocacy, treasurer's and auditor's reports, correspondence and reports related to individual sanctuaries, committee reports, memos to the board from Executive Vice-President Allen Morgan, outlines of society goals and objectives, and development plans. Board meeting minutes for years 1940-1970 are indexed.
iii. Planning records, 1973-1999
Arranged chronologically.
Planning records contain lists of goals, master plans, and strategic plans, for the organization as a whole and for individual departments and sanctuaries. They include planning for educational, environmental, structural, and financial goals set by the board and occasionally by board/staff committees.
iv. Board of Directors manual, 1985
The manual contains Mass Audubon records including its charter and bylaws, a brief history, annual report, organizational chart, staff list, bios of the president and trustees, board committee charters and assignments, board and committee meeting minutes, and master plan. It provides a broad overview of the organization as it existed in 1985.
B. Board Committee records, 1945-2005
This subseries contains the records of various committees of the board of directors. While this collection holds only a few documents of the records of some committees, those more fully represented include the Conservation (Land Stewardship) Committee and the Sanctuary Committee.
i. Budget-Finance Committee records, 1955-1957
Arranged chronologically.
Records contain only lists of investments for the Hatheway and General Funds and a March 1956 meeting agenda.
ii. Conservation (Land Stewardship) Committee records, 1966-2005
Arranged chronologically.
Previously known as the Land Committee and the Land Stewardship Committee, the Conservation Committee reviews and makes recommendations about conservation programs and policies within the sanctuaries. Records include statements of purpose, memos, correspondence, policy summaries, and meeting minutes. Later records include detailed documentation related to individual properties and acquisition recommendations. Records after 1991 are closed to protect the privacy of donors.
1991-2000 CLOSED UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2030
2001-2005 CLOSED UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2035
iii. Education Committee records, 1945-1973
Arranged chronologically.
The Education Committee defines the educational goals of the society, preparing long-range plans, and advising educational activities. Documents include a mission statement, correspondence, reports, agendas, memos, and recommendations. The bulk of the records date from 1955 to 1960.
iv. Long-Range Planning Committee records, 1971-1975
Arranged chronologically.
Records of the Long Range Planning Committee include research related to educational and environmental projects, membership, land acquisition, and other strategic planning issues.
See also: Series I.A.iii. - Planning records.
v. Program Committee records, 1987-1992
Arranged chronologically.
This committee monitors and helps to prioritize Mass Audubon's environmental interests and actions through research, advocacy, education, and conservation. Records include correspondence, meeting agendas, meeting notes, reports, annual reviews, and subcommittee records related to the Wildwood Nature Camp.
vi. Sanctuary Committee records, 1958-1990
Arranged chronologically.
The Sanctuary Committee is an advisory committee that drafts objectives, plans, and policies for the sanctuaries. Included here are meeting minutes, correspondence and memos, policy statements and reports, and records of a subcommittee related to the Wildwood Nature Camp.
For information about individual sanctuaries, see Series II, Sanctuary records.
vii. Special Committee records, 1977
Arranged chronologically.
The Special Committee was charged with studying the organization and recommending changes and improvements to help with efficiency. Included here are transcripts of interviews with board members and senior staff, as well as the committee's report.
viii. Miscellaneous committee records, 1978-1996
Arranged chronologically.
Included here are records related to various short term or ad hoc committees.
C. Annual and monthly reports, 1897-2021
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains annual and monthly organizational reports in a variety of formats. While some reports were printed and sent to Mass Audubon members, others were compiled for the use of the executive secretary, the board, and major donors. The first report of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, dated October 1897, contains lists of officers, local secretaries, secretary and treasurer's reports, by-laws, and lists of founders, associates, and members. The second report includes the years 1897 to 1902, and the third, 1902 to 1910. The 1914 report contains a list of activities from 1911-1914, a description the organization's advocacy activities, financial statements, and lists of members and the board of directors. There are no reports from 1914 until 1958. Reports from 1958-1967 include Executive Secretary Allen Morgan's annual report to the board and membership (not formal annual reports) and list the activities of all departments. Reports from 1968-1971 include statements from departments and special projects as reported to Morgan, along with additional supporting material such as brochures, copies of newspaper clippings, and lists of visits. Annual reports from 1973-2021 are printed brochures.
Monthly activity reports begin in 1984 and vary in format. They contain summaries of activities at each sanctuary, as well as some departments. There are no reports for 2006-2008 in this subseries.
For annual reports of individual sanctuaries, see Series II, Sanctuary records.
D. Financial records, 1914-2005
Records include audited financial statements, general ledgers, journals, trial balances, and miscellaneous budgets and accounts.
i. Audited financial statements, 1914-2005
Arranged chronologically.
Included in this subseries are financial statements from 1914, 1940, and 1944-2005. The 1914 statement is simply a letter from an accountant to the audit committee verifying his examination of the records. Later years include balance sheets, statements of income and expenses, changes in funds, lists of investment securities, and schedules of endowment funds and investments.
ii. General ledgers, 1916-1946
Arranged chronologically.
General ledgers include sections that record annual dues, accounts payable and receivable, funds and legacies, advertising revenue from charts and calendars, birdhouses and birdfood, donations, and sanctuary expenses. An index is included in the front of each volume. Loose papers (foldered separately) include lists of securities.
iii. Journals, 1940-1970
Arranged chronologically.
Journals include a chronological listing of all expenses and income. Loose papers (foldered separately) include notes, standard journal entries, and adjusted entries.
iv. Trial balances, 1948-1968
Arranged chronologically.
Trial balances include month-to-month balances of receipts and expenditures itemized by type of expense or transaction. Loose papers include standard journal entries and costs of sales.
v. Miscellaneous budgets and accounts, 1954-1959
Arranged chronologically.
These records describe the expenditures of individual departments and sanctuaries from 1954-1959. They include rough drafts and loose ledger sheets, and many compare quarterly or fiscal year expenditures and income.
E. Executive Office records, 1883-1980 (bulk: 1943-1965)
The bulk of this subseries consists of the correspondence and subject files of the secretary-treasurer (later known as the executive secretary, executive vice-president, and president). They include the records of Winthrop Packard who served from 1913 to 1936; Carl W. Buchheister, 1936 to 1939; C. Russell Mason, 1939 to 1957; and Allen H. Morgan, 1957 to 1980. In the early years, the board of directors held most of the executive power, but under Mason and Morgan this office managed more of the day-to-day functions of the organization. The arrangement of the general correspondence and subject files has been kept in the order used by the executive office.
Other records in this subseries include Russell Mason's lecture journals, Allen Morgan's administrative files, Morgan's research material for an unpublished history of Mass Audubon, and the subject files of the public relations department, which at one time was part of the executive office.
i. General correspondence, 1911-1965
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent's name within each year.
Records include members' correspondence; committee correspondence; requests for information; reports of bird sightings; and letters related to lectures, publications, activities, public relations, and the management of physical buildings. Much of the correspondence under Mason and Morgan related to birding, as both were active birders. The subseries also contains related printed material such as newsletters, advertisements, newspaper clippings, and brochures, as well as several articles and essays submitted for publication in the Bulletin.
Correspondence was not consistently saved or preserved, and there are many gaps within this subseries. Correspondence is substantial in 1933, but scant from 1934-1948. The year 1948 consists only letters of correspondents whose name begins with B. There is no correspondence from 1949; 1953 to 1956; or from 1961. After 1962, correspondence includes the original letters sent to Morgan and copies of letters Morgan sent in reply.
Before 1962, additional correspondence was filed in the department's subject files.
ii. Subject files, 1883-1980 (bulk: 1950-1965)
Arranged alphabetically by name or subject.
Files consist of correspondence, clippings, printed materials, and reports on a large variety of topics collected by the executive office under Mason and Morgan. Topics include conferences, individual sanctuaries, legislative actions, types of birds, committees, and related organizations. Some files consist strictly of correspondence, including that of many board members, sanctuary directors, and other prominent people within the organization. Correspondence with Board President Robert Walcott from 1936-1954 provides insight into the history of Mass Audubon. Beginning in 1962, all correspondence is filed together in General Correspondence.
A full list of folder titles can be found in Appendix I at end of the collection guide.
iii. Winthrop Packard papers, 1918-1940
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
Packard's correspondence includes general membership letters; thank you notes for donations of service, money, or property; lobbying efforts for various conservation campaigns; and other society administrative and financial matters. Notable topics include the Barney's Joy property in Dartmouth, Massachusetts (1924), protection of the Heath Hen (1925), the ongoing disagreement between Packard and Robert Walcott about Packard's right to sell birding merchandise, and Packard's forced retirement as Mass Audubon secretary/treasurer in 1936.
Subject files include correspondence, notes, and printed material related to Packard's work with Mass Audubon, most notably the establishment of Moose Hill Sanctuary, agreements with the Federation of Bird Clubs over the management of Plum Island Sanctuary, and various national environmental and conservation campaigns.
Subject files, 1919-1940
iv. C. Russell Mason lecture journals, 1943-1949
Arranged chronologically.
Mason's journals consist of typewritten notes describing meetings, programs, and other events at which he spoke, as well as other activities and plans he made on behalf of Mass Audubon. Numerous newspaper clippings are pasted onto the pages. Notes include location, other speakers, prominent attendees, and attendance numbers for each event.
v. Allen H. Morgan papers, 1936-1980
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
These files contain background material for Morgan's history of Mass Audubon, including documents sent to him in 1980 by Carl Buchheister related to his tenure as secretary/treasurer of Mass Audubon in 1936-1939. Other material, dating from 1952 to 1979, includes photocopies of articles written by Morgan, memos to staff and board of directors, copies of correspondence, meeting minutes, financial statements, and other administrative records. Much of the material is related to open spaces, pesticide use, sanctuaries, education, and membership. Morgan's files also include research notes and a preliminary outline of his history. Written in the style of a personal memoir, the book was never published.
For drafts of Morgan's book, see the Allen H. Morgan papers, 1923-1990 (Ms. N-2224).
These files, the bulk of which date from 1962, include memos to staff and the board of directors, as well as position papers largely related to pesticide use. Filed separately by Morgan from his History of Mass Audubon papers, it is unclear if they were collected as background material for the book or were part of a larger administrative file.
vi. Public relations subject files, 1938-1959
Arranged alphabetically.
These files are the records of Mary Lela Grimes, Director of Public Relations, who worked for Russell Mason in the Executive Office. They contain correspondence, memos, and notes related to advertising in newspapers, publications, radio, and television. Public relations committee records include activity reports and statistics that illustrate Mass Audubon's public relations efforts in the 1950s. Bird Walk files relate to the coordination and advertising of the walks.
For further information about Bird Walks, see Series IV.A.- Ornithological Records-Mass Audubon records-Birdwalk Checklists.
F. Education Department records, 1936-2008
Records of the Education Department include administrative records; subject files; records related to long-term and regional programs; audio-visual and media records; records of conferences, workshops, and field schools; and educational publications. Records from the 1940s and 1950s are primarily those of Director of Education Charles Roth, while those from the 1980s and 1990s were created or collected by Director of Education Cleti Cervoni. A small series of subject files were collected by educator Robert Grayce from 1944 to 1958.
For information about the Hatheway School of Conservation Education before it merged with the Education Department in 1964, see Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary records.
i. Administrative records, 1936-2000
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Records in this subseries consist of meeting minutes and agendas; and correspondence, memos, and reports related to the day-to-day running of the department. They include interactions with sanctuaries, regional offices, and the Mass Audubon Sanctuary Department. Monthly and annual reports to the board and to Mass Audubon president Jerry Bertrand include a detailed report for FY 1974 and abbreviated reports for 1991-1999, with gaps.
Only one record in this subseries dates from 1936. The remainder begin at 1955.
ii. Robert Grayce subject files, 1938-1958
Arranged alphabetically.
Robert Grayce worked under executive secretary Russell Mason from about 1944 to 1958, teaching courses, working with school groups at sanctuaries, giving public lectures to adults and children, coordinating nature films, and creating slide presentations. He also served as an assistant editor and advertising manager for the Bulletin. His subject files reflect his varied duties.
iii. Subject files, 1960-2001
Arranged alphabetically.
These files were primarily kept by Director of Education Cleti Cervoni.
iv. Long-term and regional programs, 1972-2001
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
This subseries includes administrative records, correspondence, memos, and printed material related to various long-term, school, or regional environmental education projects run by the Education Department.
v. Audio-visual and media records, 1947-1994
Arranged chronologically.
Records relate to slide shows, video, and film productions produced as part of various environmental education programs. Correspondence and receipts include inquiries and orders for slide shows and films that were rented to schools and community groups by Mass Audubon.
See also Series I.F.ii. - Robert Grayce subject files - Nature films and Series VII. - Photographs and audio-visual materials.
vi. Conferences, workshops, and field schools, 1949-1999
Arranged chronologically.
Records pertain to conferences, workshops, and field schools either hosted by Mass Audubon or in which they were involved, as well as training workshops and schools for educators within Mass Audubon.
vii. Education publications, 1940-2008
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
This subseries includes material produced by Mass Audubon for use in sanctuaries, schools, and in other educational programming. The "Education Programs and Materials" manual contains sections for adult programs, junior programs and publications, public school programs, and curriculum materials in two versions: 1971 and 1974. Education brochures and programs were largely 1950s and 1960s office file copies that include class and workshop schedules and brochures, article reprints, study guides, teaching aids, and mailers, many from the Hatheway School. The subseries also contains records of the Educational Resources Office, a unit of the Education Department set up to centralize the marketing and distribution of Mass Audubon publications. Also included here are several issues of a departmental newsletter and newsletters of the Audubon Teacher Center.
See also Series VI. - Printed material.
Educational Resource Office, 1972-2005
G. Legislative Affairs/Advocacy department records, 1968-2002
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Staff testimony includes the statements of Allen H. Morgan before the Massachusetts General Court, a U.S. Senate subcommittee, and various legislative committees, as well as the testimony of Robie Hubley, Richard Marley, Alvah W. Sanborn, William H. Drury, James C. Colman, James Baird, and James J. MacKenzie, all representing Mass Audubon. Topics include wetlands, pesticides, open spaces, air pollution, hunting, oil and gas development, recycling, and power plant placement. Administrative records contain staff memos, meeting minutes, and position papers. The series also includes several fact sheets on legislative issues, a 1990 letter concerning the aerial spraying of malathion in Massachusetts, and a planning document for the Mass Audubon Center for Conservation Action, compiled in 1993. It also contains newsletters, brochures, and other printed material.
H. Membership/Development department records, 1897-2020
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Included in this subseries are several early membership certificates, a bound volume listing life members, a membership scrapbook containing appeals, brochures, and mailings from 1907 to 1975, and records related to non-monetary gifts and donations to Mass Audubon. Also included is correspondence, fundraising packets, and other records related to the "Shares Campaign" initiated by Allen Morgan from 1959 to 1961, which sold $5 shares in support of local sanctuaries.
A 1960 grant application to the Charity Fund illustrates the organizational and financial structure of Mass Audubon in 1959-1960. A 1971 grant proposal appendix (the original grant application doesn't survive) includes detailed and comprehensive material on Mass Audubon finances, fundraising, membership, staff, publications, sanctuaries, education, publicity, research, volunteers, affiliations, animal care, and legislative activity.
Annual meeting records include mailing lists, briefing materials, and correspondence related to preparation for annual meetings in 1987 and 1988. 90th anniversary celebration records contain schedules, correspondence with vendors, pricing, and memos in preparation for the 1986 event. Also included are membership appeals, marketing research reports, member segment profiles, and a 1997 marketing and development presentation. Issues of the "MAS Babbler," the department newsletter (1986-1993), give a detailed view of the department and its activities.
i. Membership records, 1897-1990
ii. Donor records, 1956-1995
iii. Campaign records, 1959-1997
iv. Grant records, 1960-1988
I. Sanctuary Department records, 1956-2010
The Departments of Sanctuary Operations and of Sanctuary Planning oversee Mass Audubon field offices, nature centers, staffed and unstaffed wildlife sanctuaries, and protected open space. Records include the department's working files or "chronos," wildlife inventories and permits, Bird Seed Day records, policies and procedures files, and other miscellaneous records.
See also Series II - Sanctuary records, for records related to individual sanctuaries, as well as Series I.C. - Annual and monthly reports, for summaries of sanctuary activities.
i. Working "Chronos" files, 1956-2010
Arranged chronologically.
Records primarily consist of correspondence with attachments that include policy guidelines, reports, advisory committee conference records, policy guidelines, and inter-departmental and staff memos. Early records were generated by Executive Vice-President Allen Morgan from 1957 to 1980, followed by David Blanchard (Sanctuary Operations) and Bill Giezentanner (Sanctuary Planning) beginning in the late 1970s. After about 1990, under department head Gary Clayton, the working files or "chronos" included reports, site analyses, recommendations to the sanctuary committee, correspondence with sanctuary staff and directors, policy statements, planning documents, meeting minutes and agendas, time logs, budgets and financial documents, quarterly reports, and memos from other departments that pertain to sanctuaries. Records after 1991 remain closed to respect donor privacy.
July 1992-Dec. 1994 CLOSED UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2030
Jan. 1995-Aug. 1997 CLOSED UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2030
Sept. 1997-Dec. 2000 CLOSED UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2030
2001-2010 CLOSED UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2035
ii. Wildlife inventories and permits, 1972-1985
Federal and state wildlife permit records consist of eagle and raptor salvage permits, exhibitors' licenses, wildlife transfer and import permits, syringe permits, and rehabilitation permits. Included are wildlife inventories for state and federal reports, forms, and correspondence.
iii. Bird Seed Day records, 1978-2008
Records include statistics and spreadsheets about the number of pounds of bird seed bought and sold per sanctuary, annual comparisons, memos, correspondence, orders, budgets, and printed flyers.
iv. Policies and procedures, 1972-1993
Records include the 1979 Guide to Sanctuary Planning, a manual for resource management and environmental education programs for all Mass Audubon sanctuaries. The 1986 Sanctuary Department Enforcement Manual outlines policies and regulations to be enforced at each sanctuary, including standard operating procedures; information on hunting, trespass, and property destruction; public relations; education; security; liability; safety; and training. Also included is a 1988 Design Standards manual for sanctuary structures, Sanctuary Advisory Committee policy statements, and miscellaneous procedural memos and reports.
v. Subject files, 1972-2003
Arranged alphabetically.
J. Scientific Staff/Conservation Science Department records, 1948-2019
First organized by Dr. William Drury in 1956, the Scientific Staff later became the Science Department, the Environmental Science Department, and then the Conservation Science Department. Its records include numerous reports and project records, a series of subject files, and a small amount of miscellaneous administrative records.
i. Projects and reports, 1948-1999
Arranged alphabetically by title.
Records in this subseries include the Ecosystem Conservation Priority paper, a Mass Audubon policy paper by John Fitch which served as review of environmental policies and resources in Massachusetts in the 1980s. Records related to the Endangered Species Act, which Mass Audubon helped to reauthorize and amend, include reports, correspondence, memos, copies of the bill and amendments, copies of congressional testimony, mailings, and a National Audubon Society speakers kit.
The Short-eared Owl Ecology Study researched ecological requirements, population levels, breeding process, and food habits at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Directed by John H. Fitch, its records include research notes, pellet data, and a final report.
The Tern Conservation Program began in 1960 when William H. Drury, director of research, observed that terns were being replaced in New England by gulls. Early studies were conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but by 1966 Mass Audubon developed their own conservation program with Dr. Ian Nisbet conducting field research on the declining tern population. Later studies were conducted at one of two remaining tern colonies at Monomoy Wilderness colony. Records include reports, field research data, correspondence, memos, tern warden reports, project proposals, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and maps.
Endangered Species Act, 1973-1988
ii. Subject files, ca. 1950-1991
Arranged alphabetically.
Subject files were reference files used by the scientific staff containing printed pamphlets, reports, newspaper clippings, memos, and articles on various subjects including birds, mammals, endangered species, pesticides, and wildlife diseases. Some files contain only a few items.
See the complete list of subject files in Appendix II.
iii. Miscellaneous administrative records, 1973-2019
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Miscellaneous records include correspondence, memos, notes, annual reports (with gaps), criteria for research projects, objectives and priorities of the scientific staff, policy papers, and a report on the department's reorganization in 1987-1988. They are not comprehensive, nor are they necessarily representative of the department's complete administrative records.
K. Natural History Services records, 1968-1987
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
The Natural History Services department was created in the 1960s under the direction of James Baird, with the goal of "encouraging the interest of people in the out-of-doors." Its programs included staff lectures, film rentals, bird walks, the Voice of Audubon telephone line, wild bird death investigations, bird censuses, natural history tours, pamphlets and publications, and the breeding bird atlas. In 1972, the department added an Environmental Affairs section. The department's services were later largely incorporated into the Conservation Science and Education departments.
Records in this series, primarily those of James Baird, include annual reports, memos, planning documents, budgets and records of expenses, lists of slide talks, cardinal-tufted titmouse census results, reports on tern management, public service information bulletins, 1972 to 1974 call logs for the Voice of Audubon, and animal care policies.
L. Mass Audubon: North Shore records, 1978-2005
Resources for Cape Ann began in 1979 as a five-year project of Mass Audubon, funded by Philip S. and Anne Weld and headed by Dan Greenbaum. According to promotional material, it was "designed to help Cape Ann conserve its resources and plan for an environmentally sound future." Based in Gloucester, it was the first Mass Audubon office outside its Lincoln headquarters. Resources for Cape Ann became Resources for the North Shore in 1986 and Mass Audubon: North Shore in 1988. In 1990, the organization moved to Endicott Center in Wenham, opening the North Shore Conservation Advocacy Office. The office combined "research, technical assistance, and advocacy to protect water quality, wildlife communities and their habitat throughout the North Shore." Records in this subseries include administrative records, activities records, reports, and printed material for both Resources for Cape Ann and Mass Audubon: North Shore.
i. Resources for Cape Ann records, 1978-1983
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Included are early organizational records that contain correspondence between Philip Weld and Mass Audubon board members related to the initial funding of the organization; project proposals; internal board and committee correspondence; Cape Ann steering committee meeting minutes, notes, and memos; newspaper clippings; timetables, reports, financial records, and correspondence related to the hiring and early work of Dan Greenbaum.
Activities files include external correspondence, research, reports, comments, and press releases related to community projects and activities. Also included is an index to Resources for Cape Ann activities, files on the "House Warming" project that renovated an older home in Gloucester using energy efficient technologies, and a 1979 environmental study report on Ten Pound Island in Gloucester.
ii. Mass Audubon: North Shore records, 1983-2005
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Correspondence and administrative files include outgoing correspondence, inter-company memos, meeting minutes and agendas, and accompanying material related to the North Shore office and its mission. Monthly reports date from 1988 to 1993, with gaps, and describe Mass Audubon: North Shore's activities, events, and progress on research. Environmental impact comments are those of Mass Audubon: North Shore in response to requests for comments on statements and reports of the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other local, state, and national organizations. Also here are the records for the Gloucester and Boston Harbor monitoring programs, including correspondence, maps, database and data collection information, summary reports, and final reports. Final reports for Beverly, Marblehead, Salem, and Manchester harbors are also found here.
iii. Printed material, 1979-2004
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This subseries contains office newsletters dating from 1979 to 1998, with gaps. News clippings pertain to the North Shore office, Mass Audubon, or a conservation issue on the North Shore. A scrapbook illustrates the first ten years of the North Shore office with photos, text, maps, and other print material.
M. Mass Audubon: Boston records, 1986-1995
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
This series contains the records of Mass Audubon's Boston office. It includes administrative records; program spreadsheets listing Boston public school programs by date, location, school, and grade level; newsletters; and brochures.
N. Interdepartmental records, 1954-2001
This series contains records that relate to more than one department or office of Mass Audubon. They include general staff records; records of multi-departmental committees such as the Land Protection Review Committee, the Biological Conservation Coordinating Committee, the Program Policy Committee, and the Publications Review Committee; and records of various task forces and conferences.
i. Staff records, 1954-1999
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Staff directories contain copies of the organization's annual report, financial statements, list of directors, committees, by-laws, history of the organization, long-range plans, lists of sanctuaries, open spaces policy, easement and restrictions policy, personnel policy, and memos to department heads and sanctuary directors. Other staff records include staff lists, memos, newsletters, a 1979 departmental reference manual providing a basic introduction to the policies and procedure of Mass Audubon, reports related to the use of personal computers, and position descriptions. This subseries does not contain a comprehensive collection of staff records.
ii. Land Holdings/Protection Review Committee records, 1982-1991
Arranged chronologically.
Preceded by the Land Committee, the Land Holdings Review Committee operated from 1983 to 1986 and was replaced by the Land Protection Review Committee in 1987. It met before Board Sanctuary Committee meetings to give a staff evaluation of land proposed for acquisition.
iii. Biological Conservation Coordinating Committee records, 1983-1997
Arranged chronologically.
The Biological Conservation Coordinating Committee is an interdepartmental staff committee charged with planning, coordinating, and evaluating program activities that support Mass Audubon's biological diversity and water resources priorities and to develop and review policies and management proposals that relate to Mass Audubon properties. Records include correspondence, memos, meeting minutes, reports, and other administrative records.
iv. Program Policy Committee records, 1978-1999
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
The Program Policy Committee acts as an intermediary between the staff and board for issues related to Mass Audubon's programming, including long-range planning, policy proposals, and operating decisions. The 12 members are appointed through nomination, society-wide, and meet once a month. Many of the records in this subseries are those of Cleti Cervoni. They include meeting agendas and minutes, policy statements, reports, and memos. Also here are Program Guidance documents, records related to the 1992 all-staff retreat for the centennial campaign, customer service surveys and analyses, and records of the Publications Task Force, which is charged with reviewing and evaluating the present status of Mass Audubon publications.
v. Publications Review Committee records, 1991-2000
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains administrative records of the Publications Review Committee, which reviews all publication ideas and assists staff in development of new publications.
vi. Miscellaneous committees, task forces, and conferences, 1980-2001
Arranged chronologically.
O. Records related to National Audubon Society, 1966-1979
Arranged chronologically.
Records within this subseries include correspondence between the National Audubon Society and Mass Audubon, National Audubon Society guidelines for state chapters, internal memos concerning Mass Audubon's affiliation with the National Audubon Society, membership statistics of both organizations, a 1975 formal agreement between National Audubon Society and Mass Audubon, National Audubon Society annual reports for 1976-1977 and 1979, a list of National Audubon Society chapters, and correspondence from National Audubon Society president Russell Peterson to the chapter presidents.
II. Sanctuary records, 1874-2010
Arranged alphabetically by sanctuary name.
This series contains records generated by or related to individual sanctuaries and education centers, including administrative records, subject files, ornithological records, historical property records, printed material, and photographs. The quantity of records for each sanctuary varies considerably, ranging from one or two folders to many cartons, depending on the material that each sanctuary has deposited in the collection. Sanctuary records should not be considered comprehensive or complete, although it is anticipated that additions will be forthcoming.
The most heavily represented sanctuaries in the series are Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Broodmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Drumlin Farm, Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary and Education Center, Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and Wellfleet Wildlife Sanctuary. (Very few records are dated later than 2000 except for newsletters and other printed material.)
See also Series I.I.i. Sanctuary Department records, Working "Chronos" files.
A. Allen's Pond Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1989-2012
Located in Westport and South Dartmouth, Allen's Pond Wildlife Sanctuary contains a coastal salt pond and surrounding land, where over 300 bird species have been recorded. Records include sanctuary newsletters, a 2001 monograph, The Birds of Allen's Pond, and plans for the 2004 salt marsh restoration.
B. Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1932-2005
Established in 1944 in Northampton and Easthampton on the Connecticut River, Arcadia's original 100 acres were given to Mass Audubon by Professor Zechariah Chafee, Jr. and his wife, Bess (nee Searle) in memory of their son Robert Searle Chafee for use as a wildlife refuge and for conservation education. The land had previously been established in 1904 as a private hunting ground and then a sanctuary by Leroy S. Combs. The sanctuary was later expanded by donation and purchase to over 700 acres. Its records include administrative records, subject files, records related to environmental and property issues, ornithological records, printed material, and photographs.
i. Administrative records, 1937-1996
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Arcadia's administrative records primarily consist of correspondence, but also include meeting minutes, press releases, deeds, and other legal and financial documents. Topics include the initial interest in the sanctuary as an Audubon property in 1938, the property's purchase, the appointment of Edwin Mason as the first sanctuary director in 1944, early efforts to acquire additional land, later fundraising drives including records of the Arcadia Development Committee to raise funds for a nature center (1968-1970), correspondence with architect E. Verner Johnson, the acquisition of the Allen land in 1970 and Ned's Ditch in 1974, as well as day-to-day operations of the sanctuary, largely through the correspondence of directors Robie Hubley and Judith Hubley. The bulk of correspondence ends in 1982.
Also in this series are the sanctuary director's annual reports, which include narratives of sanctuary activities, financial information, newspaper clippings, program flyers, brochures, and other items to illustrate the year's events. Planning documents include planning guidelines, lists of goals, and strategic planning records pertaining to Arcadia.
ii. Subject files, 1945-1996
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Subject files contain records of programs and events or reports that relate to Arcadia and its activities. Programs include Focus Outdoors, an annual conference and natural history weekend, and the Bilingual Nature Education Program, designed primarily as an outreach program to the Hispanic community in Holyoke.
iii. Environmental and property issues, 1955-1992
Arranged chronologically by subject.
This subseries contains records related to legal actions against the Northampton dump, a long-running conflict involving burning and pollution violations on Arcadia land. It includes newspaper clippings, court documents, and correspondence with Northampton officials. Also here are papers related to the Ox Bow property wetlands violation, including actions taken against the Ox Bow Water Ski Club and proposed building renovation. Other records relate to hazardous materials buried at the Northampton dump site, and the 1972, 1977, and 1988 oil spills that affected the sanctuary. Documents related to the asphalt plant legal action, opposing the construction and operation of the plant in Easthampton, include correspondence, legal briefs, affidavits, and other trial documents.
iv. Ornithological records, 1944-1970
Ornithological records include early bird counts, daily field cards, cumulative lists, and annual Christmas bird censuses recorded at Arcadia.
v. Printed material, 1938-2005
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Included in this subseries are sanctuary newsletters; brochures such as trail guides, nature walks, and fundraising material; and articles and reprints, largely from the Massachusetts Audubon Society Bulletin about Arcadia. Yearly Nature Day Camp and Camp Out brochures are also found here. Newspaper clippings, especially for the 1940s and 1950s, provide a thorough narrative of the sanctuary and its programs.
vi. Photographs, 1932-1984
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
C. Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1963-2010
Located in East Falmouth, this sanctuary was originally a holly plantation owned by Wilfred Wheeler, a former Massachusetts commissioner of agriculture. Josiah K. Lilly III purchased the farm and willed it to Mass Audubon upon his death in 1964. Lee C. Davis became the first director of the sanctuary, which held over 65 varieties of holly trees. This subseries includes administrative records, subject files, and printed material.
i. Administrative records, 1963-1992
Administrative records consist of correspondence, annual and quarterly reports, and planning documents. The bulk of correspondence is between Mass Audubon's president, sanctuary department staff, and the Sanctuary Advisory Committee. A letter from Josiah K. Lilly III discusses the donation of the property to Mass Audubon. Also included are memos related to Sanctuary Committee meetings, discussion of the sanctuary's mission, and fiscal issues. Planning documents contain annual goals, quarterly work projects, and educational plans.
ii. Subject files, 1971-1991
Subject files include records related to 1990-1991 educational programming; historical material, largely essays by and about Wilfred Wheeler, Sr.; and records related to holly management and pesticide use, the bulk from 1990 and 1991.
iii. Printed material, 1964-2010
Printed material consists of a small, incomplete set of newsletters; several brochures that give detailed information about the sanctuary's species of holly; trail maps; the guide, "The Changing Nature of Cape Cod" (2010); and other miscellaneous material.
D. Blue Hills Trailside Museum records, 1967-2005
Located in Milton, the Blue Hills Trailside Museum is the interpretive center for the Metropolitan District Commission's 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation. The Trailside Museum opened in 1959 under the direction of the Museum of Science, then the Boston Zoological Society, and in 1974, Mass Audubon. In 1980, they merged with the Chickatawbut Hill Education Center located atop the second highest hill in the reservation, which became the museum's field site. Included in this series are administrative records and printed material.
i. Administrative records, 1974-2005
Administrative records consist of planning documents, financial statements, and annual reports. Planning documents include a five-year master plan developed when Mass Audubon took over the operation of the Trailside Museum in 1974, a 1974 inventory and set of recommendations for Chickatawbut Hill, a 1982 Trailside Museum exhibit master plan, and 1983 program development guidelines. Financial statements are reports prepared by independent auditors, primarily in the 1970s and 1990s. The sequences of both the financial statements and annual reports contain significant gaps. Miscellaneous records include lists of goals and several 1993 and 1994 quarterly reports.
ii. Printed material, 1967-2002
Printed material includes early trail maps, museum brochures, day camp brochures, bird checklists, and group program brochures. Newsletters, dated from 1981 to 2002, also contain program listings.
E. Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1995-2020
Arranged chronologically by record type.
The Boston Nature Center is an environmental education center and urban wildlife sanctuary built on the 67-acre site of the Boston State Hospital in Mattapan. Mass Audubon acquired the site in 1996 and officially opened in 1998, focusing on programming for inner-city Boston schools. It includes the George Robert White Environmental Conservation Center and Clark-Cooper Community Gardens.
Records in this series consist of the preliminary interpretive planning report for the nature center and its exhibits, meeting results, program evaluations, a 2011 strategic plan, and other administrative documents. Also included are annual reports dated from 2000 to 2020 (with gaps) and printed material such as brochures, program guides, newspaper clippings, and a 1993 history of the property.
F. Brewster's Woods Wildlife Sanctuary records, 2007-2019
Donated to Mass Audubon by Nancy Beeukes in 2019, Brewster's Woods consists of 143 acres in Concord. Part of a 300 acre farm previously owned by William Brewster, Mass Audubon's first president, the land along the Concord River includes Brewster's October Farm homestead.
Records include articles about Brewster and October Farm, newspaper clippings chronicling the donation of the land to Mass Audubon in 2019, and papers related to preservation efforts by the Concord Land Conservation Trust.
G. Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1989-2017
Located in Worcester, Broad Meadow Brook is the largest urban wildlife sanctuary in New England, owned by a consortium of the City of Worcester Conservation Commission, New England Power Company, and Mass Audubon. Opened in 1991, it consists of a visitor's center, environmental resource center, and the Central Massachusetts Advocacy Office (formerly the Worcester Co. Environmental Affairs Office, then the Conservation Advocacy Office). This subseries holds a small amount of the sanctuary's administrative records and printed material.
The newsletters of the Worcester Co. Conservation Advocacy office are filed with the records of the Legislative Affairs/Advocacy Department (Series I.G.)
i. Administrative records, 1990-1998
The bulk of administrative records are proposed action plans and programming for the new sanctuary. Also included are reports, memos, program lists, committee meeting minutes, and correspondence.
ii. Printed material, 1989-2017
Included here are brochures for educational services, summer day camp brochures, bird checklists, newspaper articles, a brochure related to the campaign to acquire the sanctuary in 1989, and newsletters dating from 1991 to 2002. Until 1997, newsletters contained only news and program listings for Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary. In 1999, the newsletter also began to cover the Education Center and Conservation Advocacy Office. In 2001, the newsletters of Broad Meadow and Wachusett Meadow Sanctuaries were combined.
H. Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary records, ca. 1900-2012
The first parcel of the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary was land gifted to Mass Audubon by Henry M. Channing in 1963 as Little Pond Sanctuary in Sherborn. Between 1968 and 1972, Dr. and Mrs. Carl Stillman added land along the Charles River that included the historic Praying Indian site of Waban's Meadow and the site of Thomas Sawin's 1686 gristmill. Sanctuary staff created an endowment with fundraising drives and an auction of the contents of the Stillman home, which was later razed. Red Wing Farm in South Natick, across Indian Brook from the sanctuary, was purchased in 1973.
Open to the public since 1969, Broadmoor contains over 600 acres of forests, trails, observation decks, and a nature center. Its records include administrative records, subject files, printed material, photographs, and audio-visual material.
i. Administrative records, 1968-2012
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Included in this subseries are annual and monthly reports (with gaps) prepared by the sanctuary director, containing summaries of activities, educational programs, visitation, building and grounds improvements, personnel changes, animal care, and lists of major accomplishments. Planning documents include lists of annual objectives and annual operating plans prepared by the director, as well as master plans prepared by the Sanctuary Committee (later, the Advisory Board). Sanctuary Committee records contain documents related to the committee's formation in 1974; correspondence; meeting minutes; reports; deeds; proposals; records related to land donation and purchase, building construction and renovation; long-range planning subcommittee records; barn raising subcommittee records; the committee's 1996 strategic plan; and their 1998 orientation manual.
Also in this subseries are fundraising records for major campaigns, including the endowment of the Stillman property in 1968, the purchase of the Red Wing Farm in 1973-1974, the capital fund drive in 1979, and the development of the Nature Center in 1983, as well as annual appeals. Financial records consist of reports of sanctuary income, internal fund transfers, and miscellaneous bills and receipts for 1980 and 1981. The Workbook for Sanctuary Planning includes a natural history inventory, site map, several histories of the property and its owners, a fundraising prospectus, a survey of environmental programs, and building plans.
ii. Subject files, ca. 1959-2009
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
This subseries contains documents organized by subject as originally filed in sanctuary offices. Notable topics include the purchase of Red Wing Farm and related construction projects (1973-1976), barn construction and renovation (1979-1992), ongoing issues with horseback riders in the sanctuary (1962-2005), and the Natural Valley Storage Area program conducted on the Charles River by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
iii. Printed material, 1902-2011
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Included in this subseries are quarterly newsletters dating from 1978 to 2009 listing public and educational programs, summer camps, birding programs, and guided walks. Plans and maps include Red Wing Farm bridge schematics, aerial maps of Indian Brook wetland, plans of Natick and Sherborn lands, and schematics of utilities locations. Also here are trail maps; fundraising and informational brochures; flyers related to activities and events; The Mills at Broadmoor, 1696-1976, prepared by the Broadmoor Sanctuary for the Natick Bicentennial Commission; and other printed material.
iv. Photographs, ca. 1900-1999
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
v. Slide collections, 1954-2004
Arranged in numerical order as kept by the sanctuary office.
Containing approximately 420 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Location map; Wetlands graphics; Historical; Ponds, woods, and fields; 1978 storm; and Spear Point.
Containing approximately 400 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Aerials; Indian Brook; Little Farm Pond; Vernal pools and vernal pool overlook; Accessible boardwalk; Nature Center; Red Wind Farm; Green Barn; Stillman house and barn; and South Street barn renovations.
Containing approximately 480 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Dams; Sewage treatment; and Flooding.
Containing approximately 300 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Solar homes; Mass Audubon Trail interpretive devices; Sturbridge Village; Natick aerials and land; Field/pasture environments; and Pollution.
Containing approximately 50 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Special events and celebrations; and Offsite programs and events.
Containing approximately 550 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Birds and Breakfast; School programs; Summer camp; Rebuilding and repairs; Volunteers; and Visitors, Nature Center, and trail.
Containing approximately 360 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Loons; and Grebes through Shorebirds.
Containing approximately 360 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Skvas; Jaegers; Gulls; Terns through Finches; and Bird banding.
Containing approximately 110 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Insects; Mammals; Reptiles; and Amphibians.
This collection contains approximately 500 slides.
Containing approximately 320 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Maps and diagrams; Miscellaneous; Ferns; Wetland grass and plants; Mushrooms and lichens; and Trees.
This collection contains approximately 650 slides.
This collections contains approximately 50 slides.
Containing approximately 500 slides, this collection contains the following sections: Neponset River; Mystic River; Charles River; and Cape Cod.
This collection contains 48 slides.
This collection contains 25 slides.
This collection contains 9 slides.
This collection contains 33 slides.
vi. Audio-visual material, 1973-2009
Arranged chronologically.
To access audio-visual material, contact the Digital Preservation Archivist.
Dr. Carl Stillman, "Oral History of Broadmoor," ca. 1973 (7 in. audio reel, AV 0003)
Voices and music, final tape, 1981 (audio cassette, AV0010)
Charles River, "Chronicle," WCVB-TV, 1992 (VHS, AV0004)
Springfest - George Middlemass and Ruth Peinze, 1993 (audio cassette, AV0014)
"The Broadmoor Story," 2002 (VHS, AV0005)
Solar tour, 2009 (audio cassette, AV0007)
Lisa Ramsay, "The Wetlands," undated (audio cassette, AV0006)
"Alfred Alga and Frieda Fungus," undated (audio cassette, AV0008)
Broadmoor Nature Center Tour, undated (audio cassette, AV0009)
Dr. Carl Stillman, Oral history at Broadmoor, tape 1, undated (audio cassette, AV0011)
Dr. Carl Stillman, Oral history at Broadmoor, tape 2, undated (audio cassette, AV0012)
"Discovery songs and sun songs," undated (audio cassette, AV0013)
Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary (see Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary)
I. Cook's Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1897-1984
Located in Barre and originally known as Barre Falls, this land was purchased by George W. Cook in 1896. Cook systematically planted thousands of trees to create a public park on the 60 acres, and after he died in 1934, his wife later bequeathed the land to Mass Audubon. It became a Mass Audubon sanctuary in 1948. Documents in this subseries include administrative records, historical material, ornithological records, printed material, and photographs.
i. Administrative records, 1948-1974
Arranged chronologically.
The bulk of administrative records are annual reports. Also included are memos, meeting minutes, and a copy of the 1948 will of Mary Cook.
ii. Historical material, 1924-1954
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains lists of trees planted by George W. Cook, biographical material about Cook, and essays related to the site.
iii. Ornithological records, 1932-1948
Arranged chronologically.
Records include a bird list completed in 1932 and a calendar of "bird notes" for 1948.
iv. Printed material, 1897-1965
Arranged chronologically.
Records largely consist of newspaper clippings related to George Cook and his development of Cook's Canyon. An offprint of a 1949 Bulletin article about the acquisition of Cook's Canyon and two 1949 newsletters are also here.
v. Photographs, 1910-1984
Arranged chronologically.
Included in this subseries is a 1910 photograph of Mary Peckham, mother of George W. Cook, a 1984 view of Cook's Canyon, and an undated day camp group photograph.
Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary (see South Shore Sanctuaries)
J. Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1953-2019
Located in Lincoln, Drumlin Farm contains over 230 acres of meadows, woodlands, gardens, haylands, and ponds. 175 acres of the sanctuary was once the Hatheway estate, purchased by Louise Ayer Hatheway and her husband Donald Gordon, which they operated as a working farm for school groups and other educational organizations. Hatheway donated the land to Mass Audubon in 1955, along with the large red barn that became the Drumlin Farm Nature Center in 1957 and the 1914 brick mansion known as Gordon Hall, which became Mass Audubon's headquarters when the administrative offices moved from Boston in 1959. In 1965, Mass Audubon added the Boyce farm to the sanctuary, and in 1974, it converted the Drury house into the Conservation Services Center. Although additional land reverted to Mass Audubon when a U.S. Army site was abandoned in 1975, plans to move its headquarters to the site were abandoned due to financial concerns and strong public opposition.
Documents in this subseries include administrative records, subject files, and printed material.
i. Administrative records, 1953-2019
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Planning documents in this subseries consist of a master plan overview, education and interpretive plans, annual plans, and strategic five-year plans. Meeting minutes and committee records include those of the Drumlin Farm Committee, which formed to help determine the best use of the newly acquired property; the Board of Overseers for the Hatheway School of Conservation Education, which developed the scope and curriculum of its programs and classes; and the Sanctuary Advisory Committee, which oversaw the activities of the sanctuary and its programs. Legal records include wills, petitions to Lincoln's board of appeals, quitclaim deeds, and conservation restrictions pertaining to the property. Records also include a fairly complete run of annual reports and miscellaneous records including lists of farm, wildlife, and environmental programs.
Correspondence is largely that of the committee members, Mass Audubon board, executive office, and sanctuary staff, discussing the initial vision for the sanctuary and its education programs, the curriculum of the Hatheway School, building expansions and conflicts with property abutters and the Town of Lincoln, the sanctuary's solar energy program, the 1980 barn fire and the barn's subsequent rebuilding, and the daily activities of the sanctuary. Also included is correspondence between Mass Audubon and the heirs of the estate related to the use of the property per the restrictions in Louise Hatheway's will; and correspondence with the board of appeals of the Town of Lincoln. Correspondence of Crawford Gordon, the son of Louise Ayer Hatheway, relates to the establishment of the Drumlin Farm sanctuary and the Louise Ayer Hatheway School of Conservation Education. It also details the disposition of some of the furniture belonging to the estate. Correspondence of D'Arcy and Lucia Todd MacMahon discusses the wishes of Louise Ayer Hathaway (Lucia's grandmother) about the use of the Drumlin farm property.
This series also includes committee and board of overseers meeting minutes, annual and quarterly reports from 1964 to 1999 and from 2010 to 2019, and a 2012 policies and procedures manual.
ii. Subject files, 1955-1999
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Subject files include a 1955 insurance inventory containing photographs of the house and grounds taken when Mass Audubon acquired the property; Massachusetts Historical Commission historic structures reports on the major buildings on the estate; copies of the will of Louise Hatheway; and various topics related to the management of the property and programming of Drumlin Farm.
iii. Printed materials, 1955-2019
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This series consists of articles and newspaper clippings, including those related to the barn fire and reconstruction in 1980-1981. Brochures include trail maps, tour and program brochures, and day camp brochures. Newsletters and program guides were at first printed separately, but later combined into one publication.
iv. Photographs, 1955-1972
Arranged chronologically.
Photographs include images of childrens' classes, tours, and animals.
K. Eagle Lake Wildlife Sanctuary records, 2004-2013
Eagle Lake is a 332-acre sanctuary in Holden that was donated to Mass Audubon by Hilda and Clifford Appleton in 1984. This subseries contains a 2004 printed trail map and a 2013 sanctuary fact sheet.
L. Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1968-2005
Located in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, part of this sanctuary's land was acquired by George M. Moffett in 1968 and given to Mass Audubon. Other portions were managed by the officers and trustees of the Martha's Vineyard Natural History Society as the Felix Neck Wildlife Trust. The two organizations managed the sanctuary together until 1983, when the Trust dissolved and the board became the Mass Audubon Sanctuary Advisory Committee. Documents within this series include administrative records and printed material.
i. Administrative records, 1968-1996 (bulk: 1971-1977)
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Administrative records consist largely of correspondence related to Mass Audubon's relationship with the Felix Neck Wildlife Trust and the various management arrangements between the two organizations. Other correspondence is between Mass Audubon and its members and patrons and between sanctuary directors and Mass Audubon departments. Also included here are board meeting minutes of the Felix Neck Wildlife Trust, which were originally appended to correspondence.
Legal records include a 1968 deed from George M. Moffett to Mass Audubon; various agreements and leases between Mass Audubon and the Felix Neck Wildlife Trust; and undated by-laws of the Martha's Vineyard Natural History Society. Reports and planning documents include various lists of goals and objectives, as well as annual and quarterly reports for 1982-1983. Surveys include a 1979 flora and fauna inventory and a 1983 list of endangered wildflowers on the property. Educational programming includes program objectives, outlines, and examples of education handouts.
ii. Printed material, 1970-2005
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Printed material consists of newsletters and program guides, printed from 1972-1983 by the Felix Neck Wildlife Trust and from 1983-2005 by Mass Audubon. Other printed material includes a 1970 edition of Felix Neck Naturalist, several brochures, trail maps, and a self-guided nature walk.
M. Graves Farm Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1989-2003
Located on 683 acres in Williamsburg, Graves Farm Wildlife Sanctuary was operated as a dairy farm for over 125 years. Most of the land was bequeathed to Mass Audubon in 1990 by Dwight and John Graves, and came under Mass Audubon’s management in 1994 after the brothers’ deaths. Some of the original nine farm buildings have been demolished, and a farmhouse and barn were sold to private owners in 2001. Records consist of administrative records, subject files, printed material, photographs, and digital material.
i. Administrative records, 1989-2003
Arranged chronologically.
Administrative records consist of correspondence; legal records, including wills, quitclaim deeds, real estate records, and correspondence related to the estates of John P. and Dwight L. Graves; property management plans and reviews; press releases; progress reports; logging agreements and timber rights agreements; sanctuary goals; and strategic plans. Also included are meeting notes, building proposals, letters of support and opposition for demolishing the farm buildings, sanctuary committee votes, and cliff swallow management plans.
ii. Subject files, 1991-2002
Arranged alphabetically.
Subject files are organized as originally filed in sanctuary offices. They include a 1998 Massachusetts Historical Commission report documenting the architectural and historical significance of the property, with photographs; a 1992 oral history interview with John Graves; and reports concerning the management and conservation of a cliff swallow colony located on the property.
iii. Printed material, 1990-2002
Arranged chronologically.
Printed material consists of newspaper clippings chronicling the donation of the property to Mass Audubon, biographies of the Graves brothers, and controversy over the disposition of the farm buildings.
Oversize material includes schematics of wetland locations and proposed building removals (1998), and a survey of Mass Audubon easements on Williamsburg land (2002).
iv. Photographs, ca. 1992-1998
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
Photographs include images of the farm house, barn, Potash Brook, and other landscape details.
v. Digital material, 1995-1999
Graves Farm buildings, 1995-1999 (3.5 inch floppy disk, DM004)
Records include requests for proposals for adaptive reuse of the farm buildings, sanctuary department memos, correspondence with vendors and the general public, press releases, and position papers for the disposition of the buildings.
To access this record, contact the Digital Preservation Archivist.
N. Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1946-2018
Habitat is a 90-acre preserve in Belmont, created from the former lands of Habitat, Inc. and Highland Farm Sanctuary. In 1970, Ruth Hornblower Churchill died, leaving a trust (the Greenough Foundation) to preserve her 1913 neo-Georgian home and surrounding property for educational purposes. The trust founded Habitat, Inc. in 1970, headed by educator Bert A. Roens and Churchill's son, Elisha Atkins. In Sept. 1971, the Habitat Inc. School of Environment opened, providing a one-year post-high-school enrichment experience. Habitat became a membership organization, the Habitat Institute, in 1976. The organization merged with Mass Audubon in July 1994, the culmination of a five-year planning process.
Highland Farm, part of an old dairy farm in Belmont, was donated to Mass Audubon by Mr. and Mrs. William Claflin with the support of neighbors and others in the 1960s. The property merged with the former Habitat, Inc. property in 1994, becoming Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary.
i. Administrative records, 1946-1998
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This subseries includes the administrative records of the Mass Audubon sanctuary's predecessor organization, Habitat, Inc., including deeds and land transactions, articles of organization, capability statements, monthly and annual reports, correspondence, trustees' records, Greenough Foundation trustees' records, financial statements, planning documents, and other administrative records.
A small amount of records pertain to Highland Farm Sanctuary, including sanctuary committee records (1974-1988) and planning documents (1986-1987). Additional administrative records include documents related to the merger of Habitat, Inc. and Highland Farm as a Mass Audubon property (1988-1994), as well as the administrative records of the newly formed Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, including monthly reports, a 1997 strategic plan, annual plans, and sanctuary committee records.
ii. Subject files, 1946-1995
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
This subseries contains documents organized by subject as originally filed in sanctuary offices.
iii. Printed material, 1962-2018
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This subseries contains a complete set of Habitat newsletters from 1973 to 2009; seasonal lists of courses and workshops held at Habitat, Inc.; newspaper clippings related to the property; summer camp program brochures; general information brochures; trail guides; and program and event flyers.
O. High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1970-1999
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Located in Shelburne, this 586-acre sanctuary was deeded to Mass Audubon by Ellesworth and Mary Barnard in 1970, with a reserved use of the property's buildings during their lifetimes. The Barnards left the property in 1999. Records in this series include a 1970 land appraisal; Ellesworth Barnard's memo concerning the sanctuary's use; a trust document; and a 1987 biological inventory of the property. Other records include trail maps and a series of aerial photographs of the sanctuary.
P. Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1930-2009
One of Mass Audubon's largest sanctuaries, Ipswich River contains over 2,200 acres in Topsfield, Hamilton, and Wenham. In 1898, Thomas Proctor purchased the farm of Samuel Bradstreet, including the house built by Bradstreet in 1763. Proctor, a horticulturalist, planted 150 acres with over 3,500 exotic trees and shrubs. In March 1951, Mass Audubon purchased 2,000 acres of the Proctor Estate with $50,000 bequeathed to them by Annie H. Brown of Stoneham. (Mass Audubon first used this bequest to purchase the Plum Island sanctuary, but it was returned to the society when Plum Island was transferred to the federal government as the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.) Originally called the Proctor Wildlife Sanctuary and Annie H. Brown Reservation, it later become the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary and Annie H. Brown Reservation. Documents in this series include administrative records, subject files, printed material, and digital material.
i. Administrative records, 1943-2000 (bulk: 1950-1951)
Arranged chronologically.
The bulk of administrative records date from 1950 to 1951 and relate to the transfer of the Proctor estate to Mass Audubon. They include correspondence, sanctuary advisory committee meeting minutes, committee reports, a copy of the property deed, and development plans. Documents also include proposals for natural history education programs and for a scout/youth development program. Annual reports date from 1965 to 2000 with gaps. The Workbook for Sanctuary Planning contains land surveys, schematics, fact sheets, a description of the sanctuary's environmental education programming, program objectives, and resource management objectives with related administrative records.
ii. Subject files, 1931-1996
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
This subseries contains documents organized by subject as originally filed in sanctuary offices. Parker River National Wildlife Refuge records are largely correspondence between Mass Audubon and congressional representatives in 1946-1947 concerning H.R. 4362, which would have abolished the refuge. Plum Island real estate records relate to the land owned by Mass Audubon that was taken over by the federal government for the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in 1940, including the original Annie H. Brown reservation. Salem/Beverly flow control structure records contain correspondence between Mass Audubon and the Salem and Beverly Water Supply Board related to the construction of a flow control structure and its impact on the Ipswich River.
iii. Printed material, 1930-2009
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This subseries contains articles, newspaper clippings, sanctuary brochures and flyers, newsletters, program guides, trail maps, and maps and other printed material related to Plum Island. The bulk of newspaper clippings relate to the movement to close Parker National Wildlife Refuge in 1946-1947. Beginning in 1979, newsletters and program guides are those of the Mass Audubon Northeast Region, which included Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, as well as Endicott Regional Education Center in Wenham. Newsletters were printed separately for the two locations beginning in 1989.
iv. Digital material, 1998-2005
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary photos, 1998-2005 (CD-R, DM0001)
The CD includes approximately fifty photos of flora, fauna, meadows, trails, marshland, sanctuary buildings, and daycamp activity.
To access this record, contact the Digital Preservation Archivist.
Q. Joppa Flats Education Center records, 1996-2004
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Located in Newburyport, Joppa Flats consists of 54 acres of salt marsh habitat on the Merrimack River. Mass Audubon first purchased 3.3 acres of this land in 1993, and temporary offices were located in downtown Newburyport from 1996-2003. The Education Center opened in April 2003 as the gateway to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and the Merrimack River.
R. Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1874-2010
Located in Hampden, Laughing Brook is the former home and studio of Thornton W. Burgess (1874-1965), an author of children's animal and nature stories including Peter Cottontail and Mother West Wind. After his death, Mass Audubon purchased 84 acres of his land for Laughing Brook Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, named for Burgess's home on the property. Opened in 1968, the sanctuary included the Storyteller's House (built by Calvin Stebbins in 1782 and now on National Register of Historic Places) furnished as Burgess had left it and interpreted for visitors. The sanctuary also included a Nature Center and originally housed live native New England animals. In 1977, Mr. and Mrs. Russell B. Neff donated 175 acres to Laughing Brook as the Emily Jones Neff Bird Sanctuary. The Environmental Education Resource Center opened in 1980, built with capital campaign funds. In 1992, Mass Audubon received an 81-acre property in Hampden from the Gerrish family known as "Old Acres Farms," which was managed in conjunction with Laughing Brook.
Documents in this series include administrative records; Thornton Burgess's house and property records; records related to site renovations; subject files; printed material; photographs; and scrapbooks.
i. Administrative records, 1928-1997
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Records consist of correspondence and memos related to the daily management of the sanctuary, including correspondence with the Mass Audubon Sanctuary Department and with Mass Audubon president Allen Morgan, internal memos, and a September 1978 letter from Theodore S. Geisel (Dr. Seuss) granting permission to use an image of the Lorax in a sanctuary program.
Also included are annual reports, grant proposals and reports, and long-range planning documents. A 1970 grant report contains photographs and documents in a scrapbook format to illustrate the property and the sanctuary's programs. A 1985 capital campaign resource book contains detailed information about the growth and organization of the sanctuary, as does a 1990 "situation analysis."
ii. Thornton Burgess house and property records, 1947-1990
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This subseries contains papers that relate directly to Thornton Burgess; his former home; and other literary, intellectual, and physical property owned by Burgess. It includes a 1947 letter from Burgess related to local bird watching, as well as papers related to his estate settlement, including his will, estate inventories, and correspondence between Mass Audubon and the Burgess family. Also here is correspondence with Burgess's publishers, Little, Brown, and Co., about the sanctuary's rights to use his characters and stories. Interpretive material created to help the staff present the Burgess house to visitors includes excerpts from Burgess stories, essays about Burgess and his work, a "Storyteller's House Resource Book," self-guided tours, and bibliographies. The 1978 Thornton Burgess Collection catalog and its 1983 supplement lists Burgess's work held by the sanctuary (much of which is currently held by the Massachusetts Historical Society). The series also contains records pertaining to the application and listing of the Burgess house on the National Register of Historic Places.
See the Thornton Burgess scrapbook (Vol. 25) for additional Burgess correspondence, photographs, and writings used for interpretation at the sanctuary.
iii. Site renovations, 1968-2000
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Records in this series pertain to the renovation of the buildings and landscape within the sanctuary property, primarily in 1982-1983, 1988, and 1996-1997.
iv. Subject files, 1971-1999
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
This subseries contains documents organized by subject as originally filed in sanctuary offices.
v. Printed material, 1944-2010
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This subseries contains magazine, journal, and newspaper articles about Laughing Brook and its programs and activities. Additional printed material includes sanctuary newsletters, course lists, general informational brochures, brochures for Laughing Brook's Natural History Day Camp, trail maps, and fundraising material.
See also News clipping scrapbooks (Vols. 26-30), which contain newspaper clippings related to Laughing Brook from 1968 to 1995.
vi. Photographs, 1922-1988
Arranged chronologically by subject.
A small collection of loose photographs include images of Thornton Burgess in 1922 and ca. 1955, various views of the Thornton Burgess house in 1967, and miscellaneous photographs of the property and sanctuary activities.
For additional photographs of Burgess, his family, and his home dating from 1874 to 1965, see the Thornton Burgess Scrapbook (Vol. 25).
vii. Scrapbooks, 1874-1995
Arranged chronologically.
Volume 25 is a scrapbook of the life and work of Thornton Burgess compiled by Laughing Brook staff for use as an interpretive aid for the Burgess or "Storyteller's" House. It contains original photographs, essays, reproductions of correspondence and other documents, newspaper and magazine clippings, drawings, and photographs. Notable items are photographs of Burgess with illustrator Harrison Cady, ca. 1955; copies of Burgess's birth and marriage certificates; early photographs and articles related to the Burgess house; a photograph of Burgess's father and scenes of Sandwich, Massachusetts, ca. 1874; and photographs of Burgess as a child and throughout his life, with family and working in his studio. The scrapbook presents a full biographical record of Burgess, and most photographs are well identified.
Volumes 26-27 are scrapbooks of newspaper clippings compiled by Audubon member Gertrude LaPointe as a gift for Laughing Brook Sanctuary. They cover the years 1968 through 1991, but the completeness of coverage is irregular. Included are articles from the Springfield Daily News, the Springfield Sunday Republican, and other newspapers, as well as a few brochures and other printed material.
Volumes 28-30 are oversize scrapbooks of newspaper clippings compiled by Jean Onelette for Laughing Brook. Articles are dated, but few newspaper attributions are noted. Volumes also contain additional printed material related to sanctuary classes, activities, and events.
S. Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1991-2007
Arranged chronologically.
Located on 248 acres in Sheffield, Lime Kiln Farm is managed by Pleasant Valley Sanctuary. Originally known as Mt. Everett Wildlife Sanctuary, its records consist of a 1991 memo discussing sanctuary management and an October 2007 press release announcing the opening of Lime Kiln Farm.
T. Lincoln Woods Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1966-1996
Arranged chronologically.
This sanctuary contains 68 acres in Leominster and houses the offices of the Worcester County Programs Office. Records consist of annual reports and planning records for 1971, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, and 1983; wills and quitclaim deeds related to the property; and a 1971 day camp brochure.
U. Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary records, 2010
Located in Barnstable, Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary includes 110 acres of beaches, tidal flats, and meadows. It serves as a base of operation for sanctuaries in mid and upper Cape Cod, and is utilized by the Coastal Waterbird Program. Established over several years culminating in 1996, the sanctuary was the gift of Sherman Parker and Edmund Beck, with Parker’s home currently serving as a visitors’ center. Records consist of printed material including trail guides, educational brochures, and design concepts for the sanctuary’s Discovery Center.
V. Lost Farm Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1979-1983
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Located on Nantucket Island, Lost Farm Wildlife Sanctuary consists of 50 acres of land on Hummock Pond. The property was a 1979 bequest from the estate of Eleanor Ham. Records include an inventory of sanctuary flora and fauna; land surveys and blueprints; and a 1979 Workbook for Sanctuary Planning, which contains information related to the acquisition of the property, plant surveys, slides and photos, an education survey, sanctuary objectives, and planning documents.
Oversize maps and plans include a 1979 map, saltbox house plans and elevations, and a geographic map of Nantucket.
W. Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1954-1987
Led by the Marblehead Neck Improvement Society, in 1953 local residents purchased 16 acres of land in Marblehead and raised an endowment, then gifted the land to Mass Audubon. The sanctuary is managed by the Ipswich River Sanctuary. Records consists of a 1954 Bulletin reprint describing the property and a 1987 pamphlet, "Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary: A Birder's Paradise."
X. Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1903-2010
Mass Audubon's first wildlife sanctuary and one of the first private wildlife sanctuaries in the United States, Moose Hill is located on over 1,900 acres in Sharon. Mass Audubon director George W. Field donated his 225-acre estate for use as the Sharon Bird Sanctuary in 1916, and Mass Audubon hired noted ornithologist Harry G. Higbee in 1918 as a resident warden. This land was used as a sanctuary until 1922, when Mass Audubon purchased the adjoining property of Frederick H. Briggs and moved the sanctuary and headquarters to this site. Over the years, additional gifts and purchases included the farm of Leonard Lorenzo Billings, donated to Mass Audubon by his step-daughter Laura S. Fiske in his memory; a large parcel funded in part by a grant from the Environmental Preservation Support Trust; land donated by the Kendall family; land purchased from Moose Hill Realty Trust; and land from the farm of Dr. Walter Griffyn and the Griffyn Trust. Mass Audubon forged a partnership with the town of Sharon, which purchased a conservation restriction for the property through town meeting funds and a grant from the Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services.
Records in this series include administrative records, subject files, ornithological records, printed material, and photographs.
i. Administrative records, 1903-2006
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This subseries includes land records such as property deeds, lists of acquired property, valuations, votes to authorize land purchases, conservation restrictions, and leases. A "Real Estate Book," 1922-1944, includes both Moose Hill and Plum Island real estate transactions, alterations, repairs, and insurance costs.
Monthly and annual reports were written by sanctuary superintendents and are only sporadically represented in the collection. Early reports (1919-1923) primarily contain information about birding activities, while later reports (1960s-1990s) discuss programs, membership, education, camps, staff, buildings, and other topics of day-to-day sanctuary management.
Included in sanctuary correspondence is a lengthy series of letters (1923-1924) between superintendent Harry Higbee and directors Winthrop Packard and Francis Allen concerning negotiations with the Field family over sanctuary land, including photographs. Also included is correspondence and memos from the 1970s through 2000 between sanctuary staff, Mass Audubon directors, members, and neighbors, largely related to the daily operations of the sanctuary.
Planning documents include surveys and maintenance plans, development plans for capital improvements, annual plans and goals, and other management plans. The bulk of grants and proposals found in this series relate to the Kendall Foundation (1977-1997), including correspondence, memos, proposals, and grant reports. Also found here are records of the sanctuary advisory committee and design review committee.
ii. Subject files, 1903-2002
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Subject files are organized as originally filed in sanctuary offices. Included are files related to specific parcels of land, such as Allen's Ledge, the Griffyn property, the Kendall property, and Wolomolopog Pond; a 1988 biological inventory of the sanctuary; and files related to the history of Moose Hill, including Harry Higbee's "A Bird Paradise," David Clapp's "Notes from Moose Hill," and historical material photocopied from an early 20th-century scrapbook.
iii. Ornithological records, 1964-1968
Arranged chronologically.
This series consists of reports and lists related to bird counts conducted in February 1964-1968.
iv. Printed material, 1933-2010
Arranged chronologically by record type.
The bulk of this series is a nearly complete run of newsletters and program brochures from 1977 to 2010, describing seasonal programs and activities in the sanctuary. Other printed material consists of sanctuary brochures, trail maps, articles, newspaper clippings, a 1923 map of the Moose Hill property, and a privately printed pamphlet about the life of George W. Field.
v. Photographs, ca. 1916-1992
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
Y. Museum of American Bird Art, 1984-2020
The Museum of American Bird Art, formerly Mass Audubon's Visual Arts Center, is a professional art museum that houses an extensive collection of natural history art and photography and is located on the site of the 124-acre Mildred Morse Allen Wildlife Sanctuary in Canton. It opened in 1999 as a bequest to Mass Audubon from natural history artist and film-maker Mildred Morse Allen (1903-1989) and was formerly her estate. Records consist of administrative records and printed material.
See also Series V.C., the records of Morse-Allen, Inc., the corporation held by Mildred Morse Allen and her husband George Lockwood Allen under which her lithographic prints and nature films were produced.
i. Administrative records, 1984-2017
Arranged chronologically.
Administrative records consist of correspondence and memos related to the donation of the Allen property and its subsequent bequest; mission statements of the Mildred Morse Allen Center; a 2010 strategic plan for the Visual Arts Center; a 2016 charter and collections management policy for the Museum of American Bird Art; and annual reports from 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2017.
ii. Printed material, 1992-2020
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Printed material includes exhibition invitations, newsletters, program guides, newspaper clippings, article reprints, and fundraising literature.
Z. Nahant Thicket Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1949-1990
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Consisting of four acres of red maple swamp along the coastline of Nahant, Nahant Thicket was originally known as Maple Swamp. It was acquired by Mass Audubon in 1950 through Richard D. Fay and Henry H. Perry. Administrative records in this series include general correspondence, sanctuary advisory committee records, memos related to daily management of the sanctuary, and correspondence with neighbors concerning parking and boundary issues. Several newspaper clippings contain information about sanctuary programs.
North Hill Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (see South Shore Sanctuaries)
North River Wildlife Sanctuary (see South Shore Sanctuaries)
AA. Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1991-2019
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
This sanctuary originated in 1994 as the Attleboro Environmental Program before becoming the Oak Knoll Wildlife Center in 1997, when Mass Audubon received a donation of 46 acres of land in Attleboro. This series contains administrative records related to MassAudubon proposals to establish an environmental center in Attleboro. Printed material includes newsletters, program guides, and miscellaneous records that date from the organization's founding, chronicling the development of the sanctuary.
BB. Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1928-2019
Pleasant Valley is situated on over 1,300 acres in Lenox. The sanctuary originated in 1929 when Mary Parsons, Bishop Thomas Davies, and other members of the Lenox Garden Club purchased the Powell family farmstead to create Pleasant Valley Sanctuary, Inc. Early directors Maurice Broun, Morris Pell, George Wallace, and later Alvah W. Sanborn led the sanctuary's activities, including the construction of exhibits and nature trails, a beaver pond, development of nature classes for public schools in western Massachusetts, and a summer nature camp. Lacking financial support, in June 1950 the board decided to turn over the sanctuary and its assets to Mass Audubon. Shortly thereafter, the sanctuary added the Trailside Museum to the property.
Canoe Meadows, located in Pittsfield along the Housatonic River, was acquired by Mass Audubon in 1976. It joined with Pleasant Valley in 1980 to create the Berkshire Sanctuaries, sharing the same director and administrative facilities. Their joint administrative records and correspondence are included in this series, as are separate Canoe Meadows records created before 1980. Also in this series are subject files, ornithological records, printed material, and photographs.
i. Administrative records, 1928-1997
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
This series contains board of directors' records including meeting minutes, reports to the board from the warden (later director) of the sanctuary, committee reports, by-laws, and educational activity reports. After 1950, when the sanctuary ownership shifted to Mass Audubon, the board became the Sanctuary Advisory Committee.
Financial records include accounts, receipts, and reports of routine sanctuary expenses, as well as a journal of gifts and admission fees kept from 1961 to 1973. Correspondence largely consists of letters between the board or advisory committee and the sanctuary director, patrons, vendors, and benefactors. Annual and monthly reports appear sporadically, and those dating before 1950 are included in the board of directors meeting minutes.
Barn Restaurant records consist of a guest book, account book, checking account records, and tax records related to a restaurant run at the sanctuary in the early 1960s. Other administrative records in this series include deeds; press releases; and planning documents such as sanctuary master plans, feasibility studies, and capital campaign plans.
ii. Subject files, 1929-1995
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
This series includes early records such as a daily diary of sanctuary activities kept by warden Maurice Pell in 1929, Pell's 1932 journal describing his establishment of a beaver colony at Pleasant Valley, and historical essays by sanctuary founders Mary Parsons and Bishop Thomas Davies. Other records concern educational and environmental projects conducted by sanctuary staff, as well as an inventory and record of the sale of antique furniture and a "museum collection" donated to the sanctuary in 1965. A large body of records relate to a 1970s proposal by the state to locate a reservoir on 55 acres of sanctuary property and Mass Audubon's efforts to deter it. These include correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, notes, and newspaper clippings.
iii. Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1973-1996
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Located on 264 acres in Pittsfield, Canoe Meadows became a Mass Audubon property in 1976. Records in this subseries primarily relate to the inventory, acquisition, and development of the sanctuary. Administrative records include correspondence and steering committee meeting minutes; planning documents include environmental analyses, master plans, recommendations for development, education plans, an archaeological survey, an ecological management plan, and design plans for a visitors center. The Workbook for Sanctuary Planning contains information about the geology, vegetation, and history of Canoe Meadows, as well as lists of objectives, plans for future use, educational program goals, physical plans, and financial plans. A photographic presentation and newspaper clippings related to the property's acquisition are also found here.
Additional administrative records related to Canoe Meadows may be found within the Pleasant Valley administrative records, specifically within correspondence and advisory committee records.
iv. Ornithological records, 1929-1982
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries includes 1929-1930 bird-banding records by species, cards containing species reports from 1929 to 1945, a 1931 volume of bird records kept by warden Maurice Broun, three volumes of bird records kept by director Morris Pell from 1933 to 1935, bird records and daily bird lists kept by director George J. Wallace from 1938 to 1940, 1946 species reports, check lists, daily field cards kept by director Alvah Sanborn, and first sightings lists from 1977 to 1982 reported primarily by Marilyn Flor.
v. Printed material, 1929-2019
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Included in this subseries are articles about Pleasant Valley reprinted from the Bulletin; pamphlets including the 1940 and 1941 editions of Pleasant Valley, which contain essays about the history and nature of the sanctuary; newspaper clippings; program guides listing classes, activities, and events held by the sanctuary, the bulk from 1978 to 1990; brochures and trail maps; and newsletters of the Berkshire Sanctuaries from Spring 1983 and from 1991 to 2001.
See also the Pleasant Valley Sanctuary scrapbooks for additional newspaper clippings and other printed material.
vi. Photographs, 1929-2000
Arranged chronologically or alphabetically by subject.
This series contains a large number of photographs taken at or related to Pleasant Valley and Canoe Meadows sanctuaries. Photographs of the two sanctuaries are organized separately by date. Undated photographs have been organized alphabetically by subject.
Pleasant Valley undated photographs
Canoe Meadows undated photographs
vii. Scrapbooks, 1929-1981
Arranged chronologically.
Albums in this subseries consist largely of newspaper clippings from the Berkshire Eagle related to Pleasant Valley, along with occasional brochures, programs, and other printed material. Volumes labeled "scrapbooks" also contain a few letters, reports, and meeting minutes. Two albums contain copies of the Berkshire Eagle newspaper column "Our Berkshires," written in 1940-1941 by various authors, including Pleasant Valley director George J. Wallace.
CC. Rutland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1916- ca. 1974
Rutland Brook Sanctuary is located on 1,500 acres in Petersham. It includes land originally owned by Charles L. Allen and later Mary Norton Allen of Petersham.
i. Administrative records, ca. 1974
Administrative records include an undated annual report, an undated topographical map, and a ca. 1974 list of goals for the sanctuary.
ii. Allen family camp records, 1916-1965
Records relate to the land and buildings owned by the Allen family that eventually became part of Rutland Brook Sanctuary. They include correspondence, accounts, and plans for the construction of the kitchen house, caretaker's house, and a dam on the property, as well as landscaping accounts and plans, and correspondence concerning damages to the property from 1938 and 1953 tornadoes.
DD. Sampson's Island Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1953-1977
Arranged chronologically.
Located on 16 acres off the coast of Cotuit, Sampson's Island is an important breeding ground for terns. Previously leased to Mass Audubon in the 1940s, it was gifted to the Society by Harry L. Bailey in 1953 and is managed by Mass Audubon's Coastal Waterbird Program.
Items in this series include a letter acknowledging Mass Audubon's receipt of the property deed in May 1953, the sanctuary warden's reports for the 1963 and 1965 summer seasons, a 1964 newspaper article, and a 1977 list of birds on the island.
EE. South Shore Sanctuaries records, 1964-2009
Records of the South Shore Sanctuaries include those of: Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, 506 acres in Marshfield on the site of the former Dwyer farm; North Hill Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, 137 acres in Duxbury formerly known as Malachi Brook, now jointly owned by Mass Audubon and the town of Duxbury; North River Wildlife Sanctuary, 184 acres in Marshfield; and South Shore Natural Science Center, located on the site of the former Killam-Rogers estate in Marshfield. It also includes records of the former sanctuaries Black Pond Nature Preserve and Stump Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. These sanctuaries were managed by a central office and referred to collectively as the South Shore Sanctuaries. Annual reports, newsletters, and other material were created and issued jointly. Records consist of administrative records, subject files, printed material, and photographs.
i. Administrative records, 1964-1999
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Administrative records include correspondence related to the acquisition and development of Malachi Brook (later North Hill) Wildlife Sanctuary and the sanctuary's relationship with its neighbors and the town of Duxbury. Other records include correspondence related to the acquisition of the North River sanctuary, press releases, and correspondence created in day-to-day sanctuary management. The Workbook for Sanctuary Planning includes plans for the Southeast Regional Center (formerly the Killam-Rogers property) and the North River Wildlife Sanctuary. It contains correspondence related to its construction, planning reports, historical essays, photos and schematics of the estate, an environmental education program inventory, sanctuary objectives, programming goals and plans, construction plans, and town permits. Also included are monthly and quarterly reports for the combined South Shore sanctuaries.
ii. Subject files, 1964-1998
Arranged alphabetically.
Subject files largely relate to individual properties and sanctuaries managed under the South Shore Sanctuaries, and their predecessor organizations and reflect the original filing order.
iii. Printed material, 1977-2009
Arranged chronologically by record type.
The bulk of printed material consists of newsletters and program guides, with a gap between 2006 and 2009. The series also contains program and event flyers, newspaper clippings, and a South Shore Sanctuaries brochure.
iv. Photographs, 1979-1992
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
FF. Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1938-2009
Opened in 1964, Stony Brook is located on 116 acres in Norfolk adjoining Bristol Blake State Reservation. Documents include administrative records, records related to fishing regulations and disputes, printed materials, and photographs.
i. Administrative records, 1938-1995
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Administrative records contain the 1938 correspondence of property owner Bennet Bristol with his lawyer and Mass Audubon concerning the property deed and legal restrictions on the land and lakes within it. Other administrative records, which date from the early 1960s, include correspondence related to the potential closing of the sanctuary in 1978; planning records; programming information; a 1990 land management agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management; internal memos; and a Centennial Project case study. Also included here are annual reports and a 1974 ten-year review of sanctuary operations.
ii. Fishing regulations and disputes, 1965-1974
Arranged chronologically.
Records in this subseries relate to Mass Audubon efforts to restrict fishing in sanctuary ponds, in accordance with the wishes of the former owner. They include correspondence between Mass Audubon, the Department of Natural Resources, the Division of Fisheries and Game, and the donor, as well as a copy of the 1973 state regulation enforcing these restrictions.
iii. Printed material, 1963-2009
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Printed material includes brochures and trail maps; newspaper clippings, newsletters and program guides (with a gap between 2006 and 2009), several brochures, program flyers, field guides, bird lists, and an undated booklet entitled Stony Brook's Past.
iv. Photographs, 1957-1964
This series contains one 1957 and numerous 1964 photographs of Stony Brook's Day Camp staff and campers, as well as various views of the sanctuary. Several loose pages of a scrapbook contain photos and text that describe the sanctuary.
GG. Straitsmouth Island Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1981-2020
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Straitsmouth Island is owned by Mass Audubon, although the island's lighthouse and a small piece of land are owned and maintained by the town of Rockport. The island was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and visitors were allowed on the island beginning in 2019. Records include a 1981 application to and certificate from the National Register of Historic Places, newsclippings, newsletters from 2019 and 2020, and photographs of the island before and after 1998 storm damage.
HH. Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary records, 2014-2018
Arranged chronologically.
Located in Plymouth, Tidmarsh Farms Wildlife Sanctuary contains 481 acres of cold water streams, ponds, forest, and woodlands. Once a working cranberry farm, it underwent a large freshwater ecological restoration and opened to the public in 2018. Records consist of printed material including periodical and newspaper articles, fundraising material, program invitations, and a 2018 calendar.
II. Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary records, 1956-2017
Acquired by Mass Audubon in 1956, Wachusett Meadow contains 1,200 acres in Princeton. A gift of Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Crocker, the property included 633 acres of woodland, an inn, and a main house built in 1786 by Edward Goodnow that remained in the Goodnow family for several generations. Documents in this series include administrative records, records related to the history of the property, and printed material.
i. Administrative records, 1965-1999
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Administrative records consist of annual and quarterly reports, a 1970 file containing statistics on visitors to the sanctuary and correspondence related to sanctuary visits, 1970 advisory committee meeting minutes, a 1983 fact sheet, and a 1998 annual operating plan. The Workbook for Sanctuary Planning also includes information about the Flat Rock Wildlife Sanctuary. It contains geographic and demographic statistics for each city and town in its service area, and a 1980 environmental education planning project.
ii. History of the property, 1956-1984
Arranged chronologically.
Records in this file include reports and historical research on the Goodnow Farm, Wachusett Meadow, and its environs.
iii. Printed material, 1956-2017
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Printed material includes property plans, newsletters and program guides, trail maps, a 1956 article about Wachusetts Meadow, newspaper clippings, a bird checklist, brochures, and a 1996 booklet entitled Wachusett Meadow: Land and People. After 2001, newsletters were combined with Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, and they are filed with Broad Meadow's newsletters.
JJ. Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary records, ca. 1958-2019
Acquired by Mass Audubon in 1958, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary contains 1,100 acres in South Wellfleet. Part of the sanctuary was originally the Oliver L. Austin Ornithological Research Station, established in 1930, where Oliver L. Austin, Sr. and his son Oliver L. Austin, Jr. banded over 650,000 common terns and wrote scientific papers. When Austin, Sr. died in 1957, Mass Audubon launched a campaign to purchase the land and save the 340 acres of salt marsh from development. The Austins's comprehensive ornithological records were transferred to Mass Audubon along with the purchase of the research station and its land.
Documents in this series include administrative records, plant and wildlife studies, subject files, printed material, scrapbooks, and photographs. See also Series IV.C., the records of the Austin Ornithological Research Station.
i. Administrative records, 1958-2013
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Records in this series include correspondence, several annual reports, a 1958 history of the Austin Ornithological Research Station, and a 1985 planning summary. The Workbook for Sanctuary Planning contains a planning overview, history of the site, correspondence, property inventory, archaeological survey, environmental education market survey, educational goals, budget estimates, architectural and landscape plans, personnel plans, and maps.
ii. Plant and wildlife studies and inventories, 1977-1984
Arranged chronologically.
Inventories and studies include a 1983 preliminary study of the mammals living in the sanctuary, a 1983 heath community study, a 1984 Lepidoptera study, and an undated inventory of the sanctuary's flora.
iii. Subject files, 1971-1990
Arranged alphabetically.
iv. Printed material, 1959-2019
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Includes a complete set from 1985 to 2006, with a gap between 2006 and 2009.
v. Scrapbooks, ca. 1958-ca. 1965
Arranged chronologically.
Two scrapbooks consist of typewritten paragraphs, photographs, and other illustrations. The first, compiled ca. 1958, gives a brief history of the property and illustrates the goals for purchasing and developing the sanctuary. The second, compiled ca. 1965, offers an illustrated overview of the sanctuary.
vi. Photographs, ca. 1988-1989
Photographs depict the "Cape Cod from the Bottom Up Oceanography Cruise."
KK. Wildwood Overnight Camp records, 1955-1999
Wildwood is Mass Audubon's residential camping program. It is included in this series because the Sanctuary Department routinely included Wildwood in its planning, organization, and budget. Opened in 1948 at Cook's Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary in Barre, it moved in the 1990s to Camp Collier in Gardner on Lake Wampanoag, a property owned by the Monadnock Trust. In 2001, the camp moved to Rindge, New Hampshire on the shores of Hubbard Pond. Records include a 1979 Workbook for Sanctuary Planning and various printed materials.
i. Workbook for Sanctuary Planning, 1979-1980
Thw workbook contains staff memos related to the continuation of camp programming, a study on the camp's future, a marketing survey, meeting notes, and camp schematics.
ii. Printed material, 1955-1999
Arranged chronologically.
Printed material includes article reprints, brochures, a 1961 book of Wildwood camp songs, and a 1999 brochure of camp programs.
LL. Worcester County Program Office records, 1985-1994
Arranged chronologically.
Originally known as the Central Sanctuaries Program Office, the department was located in the sanctuary residence at Lincoln Woods Wildlife Sanctuary in Leominster. It developed programs and educational services for schools and other groups, both within Worcester County sanctuaries and on other sites. Records include quarterly reports, correspondence, memos, reports, and teachers' guides.
MM. Other Mass Audubon land records, 1953-1999
Arranged alphabetically.
i. Barney's Joy, 1967-1980
Barney's Joy is an approximately 156-acre parcel of land that was donated to Mass Audubon with a conservation restriction in 1971. Records consist of correspondence and memos between Mass Audubon director Allen Morgan and staff, property donors Angelica L. Russell and D. Lloyd MacDonald, and Massachusetts state agencies. The bulk of the correspondence is related to the property's conservation restriction.
ii. Brockton Audubon Society land, 1999
Records consist of a natural resources inventory and analysis of Brockton Audubon Society land in Brockton prepared for Mass Audubon in 1999.
iii. Mongan residence, 1965-1966
Records of the Mongan residence in Rockport consist of owners' records of the property (largely correspondence between the owners and architects), as well as specifications for an addition to the house and related plans.
iv. Norman's Woe, 1966-1991
Norman's Woe is a 27.5-acre parcel of land and buildings in Gloucester that was a bequest to Mass Audubon from the estates of Charles Russell Codman and Theodora D. Codman. Administrative records include the 1966 will of Theodora Codman; correspondence between Mass Audubon and the donors; internal memos and correspondence; legal correspondence related to the bequest and the use of the land; records related to the development of the land as a wildlife sanctuary; and several bills and accounts related to the management of the property. Also included is a 1981 annual report.
v. Popponessett Split, 1953-1976
Popponessett Split is open space in the town of Mashpee that was donated to Mass Audubon in 1954. Records include correspondence related to the donation, a map of the property, a copy of the transfer of title, and newspaper clippings. 1976 records consist of correspondence between Mass Audubon and the town of Mashpee regarding a conservation restriction for the property, a draft of the conservation restriction, and correspondence discussing the return of the property to Mashpee.
vi. Rocky Knoll Nature Center, 1955-1974
Donated to Mass Audubon in 1955 by trustees of the Henry B. Martin Fund and Eleanor P. Martin, Rocky Knoll consisted of a 19th-century house and a woodland tract in Milton. It became the educational headquarters of Mass Audubon until 1957, when administrative offices moved to Drumlin Farm. Records consist of annual reports for the years 1971, 1972, and 1974; a 1955 program guide; and a 1958 brochure.
vii. Salt Pond, 1955-1990
Salt Pond in Falmouth was managed by Salt Pond Area Bird Sanctuaries, who gave the title to Mass Audubon in 1962. In 1974, Mass Audubon returned the land to Salt Pond Area Bird Sanctuaries with the condition of a preservation restriction. Records include bird counts; correspondence and memos related to incorporating Salt Pond Area Bird Sanctuaries; correspondence and reports of the Salt Pond committee; correspondence between Mass Audubon and the Salt Pond committee concerning the management of Salt Pond; a copy of the transfer of title; deeds; annual reports (with gaps); mortgage loan documents; appeals; and hearings. Also included are maps and plans of Salt Pond and various landholdings, as well as several newspaper clippings about the property.
viii. Tern Island, 1962-1966
Mass Audubon acquired Tern Island in Chatham when it merged with the Federation of Bird Clubs of New England in 1936. The island was then one of the most important tern nesting areas along the east coast and was part of the Oliver L. Austin Ornithological Research Station (AORS) program. Records consist of Mass Audubon correspondence related to dredging and fill operations on the island.
See also Series IV. C., the records of the Austin Ornithological Research Station, which include studies conducted on Tern Island.
ix. Tick Thicket, 1972-1986
This folder contains correspondence and field reports about Tick Thicket, a property in West Falmouth donated to Mass Audubon by the Iddings family. Tick Thicket was managed by Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary before Mass Audubon turned the property over to the Salt Pond Area Bird Sanctuaries in 1990.
III. Histories and historical material, 1916-2009
A. Historical material, 1916-1996
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains two scrapbooks of printed material produced by Mass Audubon including program announcements; membership solicitations and renewals; advertisements for bird charts and calendars; Bulletins; lecture tickets; the Common Birds series of pamphlets and other early publications, including Outdoor Bird Study (1921) and The Utility of Birds (1924) by Edward H. Forbush; and other educational and promotional material. Loose material includes 1897 and 1923 membership certificates, a 1967 biographical pamphlet about John James Audubon, and a 1996 letter and historical material concerning Mass Audubon's founding and its relationship to the town of Brookline. Also here are several certificates and proclamations from the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, governor of Massachusetts and other organizations recognizing the service of Mass Audubon.
See also the Allen H. Morgan papers for historical material that Morgan collected as research for his unpublished history of Mass Audubon.
B. Mass Audubon histories, 1921-2009
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains an outline of Mass Audubon history, a 1958 letter of Audubon remembrances, and several undated historical essays, timelines, and sketches. Also included are a series of published and unpublished histories of Mass Audubon, and several college theses.
IV. Ornithological records, 1880-1984
This series includes records of birding activities that were compiled by Mass Audubon, including bird checklists, summaries, and surveys; records related to the compilation of the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas; monthly field notes; public service announcements; and a bird specimen accession register. Also in this series are personal birding records donated to or collected by Mass Audubon, including those of Francis H. Allen, E. D. Boardman, Norman Winslow Hall, A. C. Dyke, John B. May, and Allen Morgan. This series also includes the records of the Oliver L. Austin Ornithological Research Station, which contain over 30 years of tern research and reports in Wellfleet, Tern Island, and other areas of Cape Cod.
See also Series I.J.i., the Mass Audubon Scientific Staff/Conservation Science Department Tern Conservation Program records.
A. Mass Audubon records, 1932-1984
Arranged chronologically by record type.
Bird checklists include annual lists for the years 1932, 1949-1950, and 1954, containing the number, location, and time of bird spottings submitted by members from across the state. Additional checklists were completed on Audubon Day in early May. Checklist summaries are compilations of members' birding checklists written annually in narrative form.
The Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas was a cooperative project of Massachusetts Division of Fish and Game and Mass Audubon that lists the species, habitat, and nesting dates of Massachusetts birds. Records include a few newsletters, lists of species, and checklists.
Monthly field notes for eastern and western Massachusetts are official Audubon records listing observations, weather, spottings, and events. Public service information notices include bulletins for rare bird alerts, bird programs, and bird observer announcements. The bird specimen accession register (1952-1957) documents the popular and scientific name of each bird specimen held by Mass Audubon, as well as its locality, collector, date collected, source, accession date, and remarks. It includes previously acquired birds dating from 1877-1905 collected by Dr. Harris Kennedy through the Children's Museum, as well as later specimens. Also here are surveys on the Cardinal Tufted Titmouse and Nighthawk migration, and the 1973 "Birder's Kit," a compilation of public service announcements, lists of bird club meetings, instructions for building birdhouses, census information and other information of interest to Massachusetts birders.
B. Personal birding records, 1880-1980
Arranged chronologically by individual.
i. Francis H. Allen records, 1880-1942
Allen's birding records include 13 birding journals dating from 1880 to 1901. The first four volumes (1880-1884) are boyhood journals that he kept in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Later volumes are larger and were kept almost daily in West Roxbury, Boston, and Bridgewater, New Hampshire. His records also contain lists of birds he observed from 1881-1889, including those in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia (1887); Compton, New Hampshire (1888); and various places in Nova Scotia, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts. Also included are records of migrations observed in West Roxbury and its vicinity (1889-1942). Membership records related to Allen's affiliations with the American Ornithologists' Union and Mass Audubon.
ii. Unidentified birding journal, 1885-1896
The majority of entries in this unidentified journal were made in California in 1888. Other locations include Cambridge, Massachusetts; San Diego, California; Provincetown, Massachusetts; Ontario; and New York.
iii. Unidentified birding journals, 1892-1948
These three volumes include the anonymous diarist's daily observations by species, as well as lists of eggs and nests.
iv. Miss E. D. Boardman birding journals, 1899-1929
These seven volumes contain birding notes and weather observations, primarily from Manchester, Massachusetts. Formatted as page-a-day diaries, with space for multiple years on each page, the daily entries allow the reader to compare birding activity on each day for several years. Numerous newspaper clippings within the journals relate almost exclusively to the weather.
v. Norman Winslow Hall birding records, 1910-1954
Hall was a taxidermist and collector who developed two gunning camps at Island Creek in Duxbury. In 1917, he opened a taxidermy shop on Court St. in Boston. His records include "Records of Birds Observed" (1910-1954), a loose-leaf notebook with species listed alphabetically. A collection handbook (1911-1915) lists Hall's collection of birds, animals, birds eggs, insects, etc., as well as cash paid for mounted birds, diagrams for determining male and female birds, labels to be used for mounted specimens, gunning trips, recipes for taxidermy, egg collecting, the value of mounted specimens, and a description of his gunning camp and stand. His "Record of Mounted Birds" (1911-1950) contains two volumes, an original and a copy, which include date, place shot, shooter, mounter, and descriptive remarks.
"Gunning Plans and Shop Design" (1914-1917) contains maps and plans, places hunted, costs, results, and a 1914-1915 gunning diary. It also includes the 1917 designs for his taxidermy office and shop at 4 Court St. in Boston, including furniture, pictures, and bird display cases. Three volumes of "Gunning Stand Records" (1916-1920) contain records of Hall's gunning stand at Island Creek, including a brief history, lists of visiting gunners, certificate of ownership and records of ducks shot in the fall of 1916, 1917, and 1918. Volumes list species, date, shooter, time, wind, and flock remarks. Miscellaneous papers include memos and lists of Hall's mounted collection. Also here are records of Hall's Maine camp from 1947-1950.
vi. A. C. Dyke birding journals, 1919-1950
Dyke's records consist of five small bound journals describing birds he observed in list or narrative form. Most are observations from Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
vii. John B. May, "Down the River to Perce" draft, 1949
This unpublished manuscript draft with editorial corrections is subtitled, "Ramblings of a Naturalist on the Gaspe Peninsula in Eastern Quebec." Dr. John Bichard May was the state ornithologist for the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture.
viii. Allen Morgan birding records, 1949-1980
Morgan's birding records largely consist of census lists for birds in the Sudbury Valley, both for specific dates and by yearly comparison. Also in this subseries is an article or speech he wrote about birding in Sudbury Valley, some personal notes, a few Mass Audubon yearly checklists, and a small amount of correspondence related to bird counts.
ix. Unidentified bird journals and notes, n.d.
These 19th-century journals contain musical notations of bird songs, lists, and bird song observations. They were donated to Mass Audubon in 1987.
C. Austin Ornithological Research Station records, 1909-1973
Along with the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, in 1958 Mass Audubon acquired the complete tern records compiled by Dr. Oliver L. Austin, Sr. and his son Oliver L. Austin, Jr. The Austins banded and kept observations on terns at the Austin Ornithological Research Station in South Wellfleet from 1927 to 1957. Dr. Austin, Sr., a retired physician, became interested in studying birds through the work of his son, Austin, Jr., a noted ornithologist, and the pair banded almost 600,000 birds at the station and on Tern Island off the coast of Chatham. Their records include correspondence, activity journals, and reports on banding, locations recovery, and tern survival. Additional miscellaneous records consist of an early birding journal of Oliver Austin, Jr.; an anonymous shorebird trapping journal; articles and research papers by both Austins, as well as other authors; and a bibliographic file largely compiled by Mass Audubon president William Brewster.
i. Correspondence, 1933-1957
Arranged chronologically.
Correspondence is related to bird sightings, bandings, returns, and other data, between Austin and the Bureau of Biological Survey (United States Department of the Interior), the Massachusetts Department of Conservation, and various universities and research facilities.
ii. Activity journals, 1932-1957
Arranged chronologically.
Activity journals dating from 1932-1934 and 1939-1957 record daily weather, sightings, nesting, banding, and attacks, primarily on Tern Island, but also on Egg Island, Jeremy's Point, Nauset Point, Ram Island, Billingsgate Island, Plymouth Point, and North Point. Observations include those for arctic roseate, common, dougalli, hirundo, and parisaea terns.
iii. Reports, 1922-1957
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
Tern reports include banding records organized alphabetically by type of tern; reports listing locations where terns were identified; recovery reports listing the person recovering the band, the type of tern, and the recovery's chronology; survival reports listing the years the bird survived after its banding and its location; and combined reports containing banding, recovery, and survival records.
iii. Miscellaneous ornithological records, 1909-1973
Arranged chronologically.
V. Records of related organizations, 1876-1994
A. Nuttall Ornithological Club records, 1876-1937 (bulk: 1925-1937)
Founded in 1873, the Nuttall Ornithological Club is one of the first organizations in North America devoted to ornithology. Its members included William Brewster, Ludlow Griscom, Ernst Mayr, Roger Tory Peterson, and 24 other Mass Audubon directors. Its elected members continue to meet monthly.
Records in this series are those of Charles Batchelder, including 1925-1926 correspondence in response to his letter to present and former members inquiring whether they had authored any ornithological works. Batchelder also sent out brief biographical paragraphs to members for comment or correction in 1937. Almost all records here are biographical or bibliographical in nature. Printed material includes two bulletins and printed meeting minutes.
i. Members' biographies and publications, 1925-1937
Arranged alphabetically by members' names, records consist of notecards containing date of election; birth date and place; names of parents; education; residence; and date and place of death. Some cards include newspaper clippings and lists of published works. This subseries also contains correspondence from members themselves or members' families or friends pertaining to members' biographies or publications. Included are biographies of Mass Audubon members William Brewster, Francis H. Allen, John B. May, and Carl Buchheister.
ii. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1915-1935
This subseries consists of correspondence that doesn't relate to biographies or publications or relates to multiple biographies.
iii. Printed material, 1876-1907
Included here is a Nov. 1876 Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club (Vol. I, No. 4), an Oct. 1879 Bulletin (Vol. IV, No. 4), and an abstract of 1907 meeting minutes.
B. Brush Hill Bird Club report, 1914
A bound, printed volume, this is the first report of the Brush Hill Bird Club of Milton, Massachusetts. It contains a history of the club, descriptions of its exhibitions, essays, a treasurer's report, the club's constitution, a list of members, and several illustrations.
C. Morse-Allen, Inc. records, 1938-1994
Mildred (Vining) Morse Allen (1903-1989) was a natural-history artist and a pioneer in natural-history film-making. She won the Grand Award in the 1966 New York International Film and TV Festival for her first movie Nature Remains, a 28-minute color film which she shot on 130 acres of her backyard in Canton, Massachusetts. Her later films, such as Nature's Palette and Many Worlds of Nature, won international awards and were shown on public television stations. She also painted watercolors of birds which she published and sold as lithographic prints. Allen bequeathed her Canton property to Mass Audubon, and it opened as the Mildred Morse Allen Wildlife Sanctuary and the Visual Arts Center (later the Museum of American Bird Art) in 1999.
Mildred and her husband George Lockwood Allen incorporated Morse-Allen, Inc. in 1965. Records in this series include administrative records, financial records, film scripts and proposals, subject files, records of the subsidiary The Film Group, Inc., printed material, and photographs.
See also the records of the Museum of American Bird Art and the film prints of Morse-Allen, Inc.
i. Administrative records, 1965-1994
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries includes incorporation papers and other corporate records such as by-laws, sample stock certificates, board and stockholder meeting minutes, and other legal documents. Also here are correspondence and records related to the sale of Mildred's lithographic prints, including those of retailers, printers, framers, and museum curators.
The subseries also includes records related to the production and marketing of Mildred Morse Allen's natural-history films, including correspondence with lawyers, contracts and correspondence with motion-picture distributors, and correspondence with film producer and Morse-Allen employee Cliff Hauptman. Later administrative records relate to the transfer of the corporation to Mass Audubon by the executors of George Lockwood Allen's will and the dissolution of the company by Mass Audubon in 1994.
ii. Financial records, 1965-1994
Arranged chronologically and by record type.
Tax records include federal, state excise, and Massachusetts Certificate of Condition documents; correspondence with accountants; handwritten notes; and accounts. Bills and invoices are for general expenses, including office maintenance, mail order lists, cameras, film, advertising, mailing supplies, legal fees, equipment, and framing.
Some financial records relate to the production of lithographic prints, including mailers, order forms, invoices, and letters requesting prints. The ledger entitled "Bird Painting Account Book" lists the costs and sales of prints.
Records related to the production of nature films include two account books, invoices and expense accounts, and the timesheets and invoices of Cliff Hauptman, who worked for Morse-Allen as a producer of the nature films. Royalty statements include those from Screenscope, Inc. and other broadcasters, and royalty account books list income by film. Also found here are bank registers and bank statements from the last years of the company.
iii. Film scripts and proposals, 1965-1974
Arranged chronologically.
These include various iterations of the scripts for Nature Remains (1965), Nature's Palette (1966), The Many Worlds of Nature (1973), and several unproduced scripts by Ed Knowlton.
iv. Subject files, 1938-1981
Arranged alphabetically.
Included here are bills, invoices, and correspondence related to Mildred Morse Allen's Arriflex camera and her automobiles; copyright certificates for her lithographic prints; samples of Morse-Allen, Inc. letterhead; correspondence and records related to the Meriden Gravure Co. which produced Mildred's prints; lists of retail prospects; papers related to the estates of Mildred's relatives Abner and Elsie Morse, from whom she inherited the Canton property; personal correspondence; and biographical information about Mildred written by her husband George Lockwood Allen.
v. The Film Group, Inc. records, 1968-1987
The Film Group was incorporated by George L. Allen and several film producers in 1968. It was created to produce the films of Mildred Allen, as well as other commercial films, and existed as a separate company from Morse-Allen, Inc., even though George was one of its directors and the company received most of its financial support from the Allens.
Administrative records include correspondence, incorporation records, contracts and other legal documents, and meeting minutes of stockholders and the board of directors. Financial statements are unaudited balance sheets prepared by accountants for the company. Printed material includes an advertisement and a company brochure.
vi. Printed material, 1966-1969
Items include a brochure for Nature Remains, newspaper and magazine advertisements for lithographs, and newspaper clippings related to the release of Nature Remains and the film's subsequent awards. Also included are biographical articles about Mildred Morse Allen.
vii. Photographs, undated
Photographs are 8" x 10" black and white prints of Mildred Allen photographing wildlife in numerous poses.
D. Nantucket Ornithological Society records, 1960-1991
The Nantucket Ornithological Society was created in 1962 to manage a trust property on Nantucket. In 1986, it transferred its sanctuary land to Mass Audubon. Records in this series include administrative records, financial ledgers, tax records, and a property report produced for Mass Audubon.
i. Administrative records, 1960-1986
This subseries largely consists of minutes of agreement establishing the organization, approving or replacing trustees, acquiring land, and establishing financial accounts. Also here are deeds and legal agreements related to the land, and correspondence concerning the administration of the organization, deeds, and finances.
ii. Financial ledgers, 1962-1986
Financial ledgers include a general journal, a cash receipts journal, and journals for cash disbursements, trial balances, bank accounts, stock holdings, real estate, tangible personal property, contributions, and other expenses.
iii. Tax records, 1964-1991
Tax records include the corporation's 501(c)3 non-profit annual reports, tax returns, and financial correspondence related to taxes.
iv. "Preliminary Report on Flora and Fauna," 1980
This report was prepared for Mass Audubon by Marcia Litchfield in Oct. 1980.
VI. Printed material, 1896-2022
A. Mass Audubon calendars, 1898-2004
This series of annual Mass Audubon bird calendars contains numerous gaps, including one between 1949-1980. Between 1910 and 1915, and after 1983, calendars were printed in a larger format and are stored according to size.
The calendars were first published by L. Prang and Co. of Boston for Mass Audubon, containing bird prints with information about birds and birding appropriate to the month. By 1920, Mass Audubon published the calendars itself, with prints of paintings by Bruce Horsfall, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and Allen Brooks. In the 1940s, the calendars became small and less elaborate, with photographs as illustrations. By 1980, they were published in association with Mass Audubon by independent publishers as Teaching Calendars and Bird Identification Calendars, with illustrations by John Sill.
B. Mass Audubon periodicals, 1917-2022
Beginning in February 1917, Mass Audubon published the Bulletin of the Massachusetts Audubon Society nine times a year. In September 1958, the publication became Massachusetts Audubon, the Bulletin of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. It was published five times a year from 1959-1961, then quarterly from 1962 to 1972. The periodical became Man and Nature in 1972, consolidating Connecticut Conservation, Maine Field Naturalist, Massachusetts Audubon, and Narragansett Naturalist; it was published quarterly. By January 1977, the periodical's title was Massachusetts Audubon Newsletter, published monthly except for June and September. The publication became Sanctuary Magazine with the August/September 1980 issue. This set of periodicals contains gaps, most notably between 2006 and 2012.
Connections is a newsletter for Mass Audubon members published three times a year. The publication became Explore with the October 2016 issue. This set contains gaps between 2009 and 2011.
Curious Naturalist, a publication for children, was published 10 times a year beginning September 1961. In the fall of 1976, it became a quarterly publication. A Guide to the Seasons features selections from Curious Naturalist, compiled in 1982. This set is complete from September 1961 to Summer 1982.
Additional newsletters in this series include the Coastal Waterbird Program Newsletter and the Belize Conservation Fund Newsletter.
For newsletters related to individual sanctuaries, see Series II, Sanctuary Records, in the specific sanctuary subseries.
i. Bulletin of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, 1917-1958
ii. Massachusetts Audubon, 1958-1980
iii. Sanctuary, 1980-2013
With gaps between 2006 and 2012.
iv. Connections/Explore, 2003-2022
With gaps between 2009 and 2011.
v. The Curious Naturalist, 1961-1982
v. The Coastal Waterbird Program Newsletter, 2004-2010
v. Belize Conservation Fund Newsletter, 2010-2019
C. Mass Audubon monographs, pamphlets, and reports, 1898-2020
Arranged chronologically and by size.
This series includes books, pamphlets, and reports related to orthography, nature studies, and environmental issues that were published by Mass Audubon or in association with Mass Audubon.
2 copies.
A curriculum companion to Certified: A Citizen's Step-by-Step Guide to Protecting Vernal Pools.
D. Mass Audubon brochures, articles, newsletters, and ephemera, 1900-2020
Arranged chronologically by record type.
This series contains are a variety of articles and brochures, including sanctuary guides, program and publications catalogs, a series of laminated field guides, teaching sheets related to a variety of nature subjects, and ephemera such as programs and tickets to Mass Audubon events.
For brochures related to individual sanctuaries, see Series II, Sanctuary Records, in the specific sanctuary subseries.
Brochures include those for Audubon Junior Club, Wildwood Camp, membership and development, programs, products, energy and environmental issues, and general sanctuary guides.
Laminated field guides, 1988-2006
Subjects include amphibians and reptiles; animals; earth; insects; nature activities; plants, flowers, trees and fungi; and the seashore.
Included are Audubon conference programs (1900); programs and tickets to Audubon events; daily field cards; and other ephemera. Much of this material is undated.
E. Printed material of other organizations, 1896-1953
Arranged chronologically.
This series largely consists of material collected by Mass Audubon for their natural history collections, including much donated material. It includes National Audubon Society numbered and illustrated educational leaflets, each highlighting a specific bird; early ornithological publications; and bird illustrations, including copies of Audubon lithographs and U.S. postal stamps bearing an Audubon illustration.
Includes pamphlet and illustrated bird cards.
This automobile catalog contains bird illustrations painted by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
This scrapbook includes numerous wildflower postcards published by C. A. Mitchell in 1932, as well as coloring books, leaflets, and educational worksheets published by the New England Wildflower Preservation Society. Also here are several 1942 copies of the Bulletin of the Junior Conservation Club of the New England Wildflower Society.
VII. Photographs, audio-visual, and digital material, 1921-2015
A. Photographs, 1921-1985
This series includes publicity photos for programs, several photographs of Gov. Christian Herter celebrating Arbor and Bird Day and Audubon Week (1954), Gov. Endicott Peabody signing a National Wildlife Week proclamation (1964), and nature views. Also included are several portrait photos of Allen H. Morgan, and a series of photographs of Dan Greenbaum and the Energy Education Program, ca. 1985.
Photographs related to individual sanctuaries may be found in Series II, Sanctuary Records, under the specific sanctuary subseries.
B. Audio cassette tapes, ca. 1982-1993
See also Series I.F.v., Education Department-Audio-visual and media records for more information on the production of these audio slide presentations.
Tapes #3 and #4.
C. Film prints, ca. 1944- ca. 1984
i. Mass Audubon film library prints, ca. 1944-1968
Arranged alphabetically by title.
Most of these 16mm films were rented by the Mass Audubon Education Department or the Public Information Office to schools and community groups. Almost all are undated and production is unattributed.
Colorsound print.
16mm color silent print.
ii. Morse-Allen, Inc. films, 1965-ca. 1984
See also Series V.C., Morse-Allen, Inc. records.
Feature films, 1965-1968
Arranged chronologically.
First version of the film, before it was sold to American Optical.
American Optical Competition film.
Descratched print, produced by the Film Group, Inc.
Many Worlds of Nature series, [1975-1984]
Arranged alphabetically.
Reversal print, 28 minutes.
D. Digital material, 2006-2015
To access these records, contact the Digital Preservation Archivist.
Mass Audubon overview, 2006 (CD-R, DM0002)
This CD contains an 11-slide powerpoint entitled "Building Conservation Communities: Families, Schools, Citizens, and You." It is a general introduction to Mass Audubon's sanctuaries, history, and staff.
Museum Open House, Episode 1, 2015 (DVD, AV0001)
This DVD contains a television show hosted by Jay Sugerman who interviews MAS President Gary Clayton.
Museum Open House, Episode 2, 2015 (DVD, AV0002)
This DVD contains the second episode of Gary Clayton's interview with Jay Sugerman.
VIII. Gary Clayton additions, 1987-2020
RECORDS IN THIS SERIES ARE CLOSED UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2051
This series consists of records compiled by Gary Clayton in his capacity as Mass Audubon's president from 2015 to 2020, as well as his previous positions as Sanctuary Department director and Conservation Programs vice president. While records are not comprehensive, they reflect Clayton's day-to-day responsibilities as president as well as his activities with various sanctuaries, committees, and departments. Included are general correspondence and papers; board of directors records; strategic planning; financial records; Sanctuary Department records, including legal, financial, and land records pertaining to individual sanctuaries; other departmental records; and subject files.
A. General correspondence and papers, 1989-2020
Arranged chronologically.
Included in this subseries are Clayton’s March 1989 letter of application for the position of Sanctuary Department director and correspondence surrounding his interviews and hiring. Also included are drafts of his fiscal year 1991 goals, letters and certificates of appreciation, memos from Mass Audubon presidents Jerry Bertrand and Laura Johnson, all-staff and sanctuary memos written by Clayton, letters recognizing his work with specific sanctuaries, personal correspondence related to his work at Mass Audubon, and congratulatory letters on his five- and ten-year anniversaries. The bulk dates from 2015 to 2020, corresponding to Clayton’s position as Mass Audubon’s president. It includes letters related to his 2015 appointment, lists of his annual objectives, correspondence and supporting documents related to his daily activities, copies of his speeches and remarks, printed invitations to events for which he was speaker, newspaper clippings covering events in which he participated, and correspondence surrounding his retirement in 2019 and 2020.
B. Board of directors records, 2000-2020
This subseries consists of records compiled by Clayton that are related to Mass Audubon’s board of directors, council of advisors, and various board committees with which he interacted. Except for the board of directors meeting minutes from 2015 to 2020 – the years in which Clayton served as president - the records are not comprehensive and contain gaps. Many records include Clayton’s handwritten notes.
See also Series I.A. – Board of directors records, 1896-1999
i. Board and council records, 2000-2020
Arranged chronologically.
Included is the June 2000 proposal to establish the advisory council, a 2003 annual review, various board presentations, the president’s reports to the board, reports on board attendance, memos on strategic plans and by-law changes, a 2015 board assessment, board management policies, a 2019 council survey, copies of board votes with supporting material, and correspondence from Clayton to the board. There are no records between 2003 and 2009.
ii. Board of directors meeting records, 2015-2020
Arranged chronologically.
These records originally consisted of a set of notebooks compiled by Clayton, which includes meeting agendas, minutes, and supporting material containing background information and specific action on board votes. Also included are Clayton’s handwritten notes, strategic plans, financial reports, board presentations, and newspaper clippings.
Meeting records, 2015-2018
Meeting records, 2019-2020
iii. Board committee records, 2002-2020
Arranged chronologically.
Records consist of charters, goals and priorities, meeting minutes, and votes of various board committees, including the Conservation Committee, Administration and Finance Committee, Land Protection and Stewardship Committee, and Habitat Protection Committee. Until 2010, records are mostly those of the Conservation Committee. Also included are records of the Search Committee established in 2020 to find Clayton’s successor.
C. Strategic planning records, 1999-2019
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains meeting agendas and minutes, correspondence, presentations, and detailed reports related to strategic and fiscal year planning from 1999 to 2019.
D. Capital campaign records, 1994-2008
Arranged chronologically.
Included is a 1994 feasibility study and records related to the 2005-2007 campaign, “Connecting People and Nature.”
E. Financial records, 1993-2020
Arranged chronologically.
The bulk of financial records date from 2015 to 2020 and include accounts of the Board Reserve Fund, reports to the board, 2017 operating and capital budget approval packages, fiscal year 2020 budgets for wildlife sanctuaries and programs, and other financial reports.
F. Sanctuary Department records, 1987-2020
Records in this subseries reflect Clayton’s tenure as Sanctuary Department director and vice president for Conservation Programs, as well as president. They include sanctuary directors’ meeting records, records related to land protection policies, general sanctuary operations policies and reports, and records related to the acquisition and management of individual wildlife sanctuaries. Transition briefing materials give a detailed overview of the department and Mass Audubon operations in 1998.
See also Series I.I. -- Sanctuary Department records, 1956-2010.
i. Sanctuary directors meeting records, 1989-2020
Arranged chronologically.
Sanctuary directors’ meetings were held quarterly at rotating sanctuary locations. Records consist of meeting agendas and supporting documents including lists of upcoming programs, vision statements, memos, internal policy updates, and other materials for discussion. Also included are Clayton’s handwritten notes.
ii. Land protection records, 1987-2019
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
Included are records related to policies and procedures, such as excerpts from policy manuals; votes on policies; correspondence pertaining to abutters, policy violations, and legal issues; action plans for land protection strategies; reports and inventories; and five-year plans. Land protection and acquisition statistics include lists of properties with the year acquired, number of acres, prices, locations, names of donors or sellers, and a brief description of projects as prepared by the Land Protection Department. Land protection research material largely consists of photocopies of information about properties of interest. Records of the Land Protection Task Force, whose mission was to develop a long-term strategy to protect sanctuary lands, include its 2018 charter, meeting notes, memos, and a 2019 report to the board of directors.
Policies and procedures, 1987-2017
Land protection and acquisition statistics, 1989-2019
Research material, ca. 2017
Land Protection Task Force records, 2018-2019
iii. Sanctuary operations records, 1988-2016
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
Records consist of subject files related to day-to-day sanctuary operations. Included are policy manual excerpts, memos, draft policies and procedures, supporting documents, printed visitor information, and press releases pertaining to issues such as mosquito control, staff and visitor safety, and pricing. Also included are best practices interviews with sanctuary directors in 2004 and 2005.
Mosquito control, 1988-2001
Staff and visitor safety, 1989-2007
Visitor services, 1991-2016
Pricing, 2001-2013
Best practices interviews, 2004-2005
Day camps-marketing effectiveness, 2004-2005
Wildlife sanctuaries program summaries, 2005
iv. Transition briefing materials, 1998
Arranged chronologically.
This notebook, compiled in 1998, contains a detailed overview of the Sanctuary Department. It includes Mass Audubon’s strategic plan, organizational chart, and mission statement; Sanctuary Department priorities, budget, current land projects, and policies and procedures; descriptions of the department’s educational programs, facilities, construction projects, and visitors’ services; and brief information on each of the major sanctuaries.
v. Wildlife sanctuaries, 1987-2020
Arranged alphabetically by sanctuary name.
Records in this subseries are Clayton’s working files for individual sanctuaries, and contents vary widely. They include correspondence and memos related to donors and site visits; proposals for acquisitions and sales; votes; strategic plans; budgets; legal records; building proposals; correspondence with sanctuary managers, Mass Audubon officers, and government agencies; and records related to conservation restrictions, preservation plans, fundraising goals, and other management decisions.
Sanctuaries with the largest number of records include Blue Hills Trailside Museum, Boston Nature Center, Drumlin Farm, Laughing Brook, Museum of American Bird Art, Tidmarsh Farms, Wellfleet Bay, and Wildwood Camp.
See also Series II. – Sanctuary records, 1874-2010.
Allen's Pond, 1999-2015
Records, 1999-2015
Digital material, 2003 (CD-R, DM0003)
Blue Hills Trailside Museum, 1988-2014
Boston Nature Center, 1993-2015
Brewster's Woods, 2017-2020
Records, 2017-2020
Digital material, 2018 (Flash drive, DM0005)
Broad Hill, 2004-2014
Broad Meadow Brook, 1989-2012
Broadmoor, 1990-2014
Burncoat Pond, 2011-2012
Canoe Meadows, 2007-2014
Cook's Canyon, 1991-2013
Conway Hills, 2003-2013
Drumlin Farm, 1992-2017
Audubon Shop, 1992-2001
Branding and marketing research, 2005-2007
Capital campaigns, 2000-2011
Conservation restriction, 2000-2012
Miscellaneous administrative records, 2000-2015
Planning records, 1992-2017
Preschool proposal, 2006-2011
Regulatory issues, 1995-2004
Retreats, 2006-2007
Site plan review, 1996-2004
Eastern Point, 2010-2013
Elm Hill, 1996-2013
Endicott, 2005-2015
Felix Neck, 1995-2002
Graves Farm, 1994-2003
Habitat, 1994-2013
Deeds and land records, 1994-1996
Miscellaneous administrative records, 1994-2013
McClean open space, 2000-2005
High Ledges, 1992-2003
Ipswich River, 1992-2014
Beaver management, 1992-2010
Preschool, 2013-2014
Joppa Flats, 1993-2013
Laughing Brook, 1996-2012
Lime Kiln Farm, 1989-1991
Lincoln Woods, 2001-2002
Long Pasture, 2000-2015
Moose Hill, 1990-2014
Museum of American Bird Art, 1993-2020
Nahant Thicket, 2009-2017
Nantucket sanctuaries, 1999-2011
Nashoba Brook, 1990-2001
Norman's Woe, 1995-2014
Norwood Mill, 1989-2008
Oak Knoll, 1996-2014
Pierpont Meadow, 1987-2002
Pleasant Valley, 1994-2014
Road's End, 1997-2013
Rocky Hill, 1998-2013
Rough Meadows, 1996-2013
Rutland Brook, 1993-2013
South Shore sanctuaries, 2001-2012
Stony Brook, 1989-2006
Tidmarsh Farms, 2013-2018
Wachusett Meadow, 1989-2015
Wellfleet Bay, 1989-2009
Administrative records, 1989-2008
Capital campaign, 2000-2006
Oyster reef restoration, 2007-2008
Sanctuary defense-Harm's Way, 1990-2006
Sanctuary defense-Lieutenant's Island, 2009
Wildwood, 1992-2014
G. Other departmental records, 1988-2020
This subseries contains records related to departments other than the Sanctuary Department with which Clayton worked in his capacity as vice president for Conservation Programs and as president. They include the Capital Assets and Planning Department, Education Department, Conservation Science Department, and Advocacy Department. Also included are 2012 briefing materials related to Conservation Programs and a 2016 organizational resources manual.
i. Capital Assets and Planning Department records, 1988-2020
Arranged chronologically.
Records include reports on capital maintenance; contingency fund budgets; and annual facilities, maintenance, and construction reports.
ii. Education Department records, 1993-2017
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
Records consist of Master Plan Task Force records, which include meeting notes, memos, survey responses, and a draft report; the 2000-2017 master plan; urban program initiatives reports dating from 2005 to 2011; and other miscellaneous records.
See also Series I.F. – Education Department records, 1936-2008.
Master plan task force records, 2000
Master plans, 2000-2017
Urban program initiatives, 2005-2011
Miscellaneous records, 1993-2015
iii. Conservation Science Department records, 1997-2017
Arranged chronologically and by subject.
Records include memos, reports, research material, meeting agendas, and a 2017 five-year master plan.
See also Series I.J. – Scientific Staff/Conservation Science Department records, 1948-2019.
Beaver management, 1997-1999
Review of MAS science programs, 2000
White-tailed deer, 2005-2015
Ecological management and bird conservation, 2014
Five-year plan, 2017
iv. Conservation Programs transition briefing materials, 2012
Arranged chronologically.
After a 2012 departmental reorganization, Conservation Programs, with Gary Clayton as vice president, oversaw the departments of Advocacy, Education and Diversity, Land Conservation, Ecological Management, and Sanctuaries. This set of materials gives an overview of the new division, including an organizational chart, budget, fact sheets on each sanctuary and department, legislation, position descriptions, and background material.
v. Advocacy records, 2015-2019
Arranged chronologically.
Records include memos, reports on federal laws and programs, meeting agendas, and Clayton’s handwritten notes.
vi. Organizational Resources Manual, 2016
Designed to assist new staff to become familiar with departments and resources, this 2016 manual contains a senior staff directory, list of sanctuaries, calendar of events, policies directory, and a list of departments and their responsibilities.
H. Subject files, 1995-2020
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Subject files are organized as originally filed in Clayton's office. They reflect his activities as Sanctuary Department director and Conservation Programs vice president, as well as Mass Audubon's president.
All-staff outings, 2015-2019
Annual meeting materials, 2000-2019
Bottle Bill referendum, 2011-2014
Centennial celebration, 1995-1996
Climate action plan, 2018-2020
Nantucket Beach project, 2005-2008
Presidential transition plans, 2012-2015
Program catalog workgroup, 2002-2003
Programme for Belize, 2009-2015
State/regional awards, 2015-2018
Tanglewood, 2016-2018
Task force charters and initiatives, 2015-2019
Thorton, Marian obituary, 2019
Veterans' programs, 2014
Appendix I - Executive Office Subject Files
Carton 17 - "Advertising" to " Bird Food"
Carton 18 - "Bird Garden" to "Contribution Acknowledgments"
Carton 19 - "Cooks Canyon Wildlife Sanctuary" to "Foye, Elmer P."
Carton 20 - "Frattasio, Vincent P." to "Huckings, Stuart"
Carton 21 - "Insurance" to "May, John B."
Carton 22 - "Membership" to "Open Spaces"
Carton 23 - "Parker River" to "Sanctuary Posters"
Carton 24 - "Salt Marshes" to "Watson, Ina"
Carton 25 - "Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary" to "Workshop, Natural Science"
Appendix II - Science Department Subject Files
Carton 35 - "ACEC" to "Endangered Species"
Carton 36 - "Furbearers" to "Wildlife Diseases"
Preferred Citation
Massachusetts Audubon Society records, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.