208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773
Phone: 1 (800) AUDUBON
Website: https://www.massaudubon.org/
Most people assume Mass Audubon is a local chapter of the National Audubon Society. It is not. Mass Audubon was founded in 1896-nearly a decade before the national organization-by two pioneering women, Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall.
They started the movement by hosting tea parties to convince Boston's elite to stop wearing hats with bird feathers. Writing about the Lincoln headquarters as the modern "command center" for a movement started by socialite activists adds a sophisticated, historical narrative to the site.
The headquarters itself is located in Gordon Hall, part of the Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary.
This building was once the country estate of Louise Ayer Hatheway. She was so dedicated to her vision of the property that she had a private tunnel constructed under Route 117 (South Great Road) so she could access her farmlands from her house without crossing the road. Today, that legacy of connecting "home" with "nature" continues as the administrative heart of the state's largest conservation nonprofit.
The Environmental Learning Center (ELC) at the Lincoln site is a must-mention for sustainability enthusiasts. Completed around 2018, this facility was designed to be Net Zero Energy. It uses a massive solar array on the roof that actually produces a surplus of electricity, which is then used to power other buildings on the Drumlin Farm campus. It is a "living laboratory" where the building's performance is just as important as the birds outside.
Unlike many nature preserves that are "look but don't touch," the Lincoln headquarters is situated on a working farm. It is one of the few places in suburban Boston where sustainable "new-world" conservation meets "old-world" agriculture. High-level environmental advocacy happens in the offices while, just steps away, sheep are being sheared and organic crops are being harvested for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Established | 1896 (Oldest Audubon society in the U.S.) |
| Land Protected | Over 40,000 acres across MA |
| Headquarters | Located within the 291-acre Drumlin Farm |
| Claim to Fame | Independent from the National Audubon Society |
Note: Mass Audubon's headquarters was originally based in downtown Boston (on Newbury Street) before moving to the serene, 200-plus acre estate in Lincoln in the 1950s.
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