Mass Audubon South Coast Sanctuaries

Mission To protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and for wildlife.

Vision A Massachusetts in which nature—whether found in a city park or deep inside the forests of western Massachusetts or within an urban greenway, or along the 1,500 miles of Massachusetts coastline—is valued as essential to quality of life in the Commonwealth, and people live with appreciation and respect for the complex ecological systems that sustain life on earth, working together to ensure that they are protected.

Values

Values are an organization’s essential and enduring tenets—a small set of general guiding principles. They do not change and should not be compromised. We are pleased to share with you Mass Audubon’s core values.

Love of Nature

We value the diversity and resilience of nature and treasure its beauty. Nature sustains and renews us, provides unexpected moments of joy, and inspires our daily work.

Passion and Commitment

We are committed to nature and to people. We share our passion with others to connect people with nature and to inspire everyone to be stewards of the environment.

People and Community

We care deeply about our colleagues, our partners, our members, and the communities in which we work. We learn from their experience, expertise, and beliefs, and together we build conservation communities that welcome and respect all people.

Inspiring Action

We believe that every person can make a positive difference. Through education, personal discovery, and transformational experiences, we foster a conservation ethic in current and future generations.

Credibility

We bring expertise, sound science, long-term thinking, and community knowledge to solving pressing and important environmental challenges. Our personal and organizational integrity serves as a foundation for our work.

Teamwork

We work together to embrace opportunities and challenges in an ever-changing world. We encourage creativity, innovation, and action, while respecting individual points of view.

Spanning hundreds of acres of protected beach, fields, woodlands, pond, and marsh, Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary was created by generous families who opted to conserve their land. Extensive trail systems offer ocean and pond views from many vantage points and afford visitors a full day of walking and birding.

Acres: 611

Trail Mileage: 7 miles

Sanctuary Highlights

• Three trailheads to begin an adventure: one on Allens Neck Road, one at 786 E. Horseneck Road, and one at the Field Station on Horseneck Road.
• More than 300 species of birds have been recorded here, including piping plovers, which nest on the 1.5 mile stretch of coastal beach.
• An agricultural landscape of wide open fields crisscrossed by stone walls and maintained through partnerships with local farmers.
• Rare butterflies in the butterfly garden and the sounds of chorusing toads and frogs in the vernal pools.
• Seasonal programs and year-round volunteer and citizen science projects, conducted at the historic 1860s-era Stone Barn.
• Managing the South Coast Osprey Project, in which we annually monitor the breeding activity of 80 pairs of osprey on nearly 100 nesting platforms in Westport and Dartmouth, MA.