Mass Audubon Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary

08/30/2026

Cape Cod Wildlife Festival returns Saturday, September 12 at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable!

🐋 Walk through a life-sized 45-foot North Atlantic right whale
🦅 Meet live animals
🔎 Get hands on with interactive exhibits, artifacts, and expert naturalists
🎵 Listen to live music
✨ Meet local conservation organizations working to protect birds, coastal habitats, and other vulnerable species, and discover ways you can make a difference, including Mass Audubon, Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Town of Barnstable, Cape Wildlife Center, Center for Coastal Studies, ifaw, New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance, Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Bring the whole family and spend the day exploring, learning, and connecting with nature!

Get all the details: http://massaudubon.org/capecodwildlifefestival

08/30/2026

Summer sunsets have a way of stopping us in our tracks.

08/27/2026

Join us and Governor Maura Healey this Sunday, August 30 at 10 AM for the YES on 6 Rally at Hammond Pond Trailhead in Chestnut Hill!

Show your support for protecting water and nature in Massachusetts, and pick up free campaign swag like lawn signs and buttons!

Save your spot: https://actionnetwork.org/events/yes-on-6-rally-w-governor-healey/

08/26/2026

Big news for a small amphibian! 🐸

After years of dedicated conservation work, Eastern Spadefoot toads are making remarkable progress at Mass Audubon's Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary. This summer marked a major milestone in the effort to restore this rare species to a place it once called home.

Learn more about this exciting breakthrough: https://www.massaudubon.org/places-to-explore/wildlife-sanctuaries/long-pasture/news/a-breakthrough-year-for-spadefoot-toads-on-cape-cod

08/24/2026

🐾 Cape Cod Wildlife Festival 🐋

Join us on Saturday, September 12, from 10 am–3 pm for a FREE day of wild fun!
🎶 Live music
🦉 Live animal shows at 11 am & 1 pm
🍦 Local food trucks
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Hands-on exhibits & family activities

Meet wildlife experts and discover how they protect Cape Cod’s incredible animals and habitats. We’re proud to partner with Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Town of Barnstable, Cape Wildlife Center, Center for Coastal Studies, ifaw, New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance, Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on this exciting event. Don’t miss this unforgettable day in nature!

Learn more and save your spot at http://massaudubon.org/capecodwildlifefestival

08/22/2026

Here's just a glimpse of what you can experience on one of our Cuttyhunk and Elizabeth Islands Boat Tours 👇

📅 September 6, 13, 20, and 27
⏰ 8:00 am–5:15 pm

Save your spot at massaudubon.org/longpastureprograms

08/21/2026

Join us tonight! 👇

🎬🎶 Experience Nature Through a Different Lens

Join us for The Living Screen: An Immersive Film and Music Experience, a captivating evening where short nature films and live music come together in a shared sensory journey. The Flushing Remonstrance, featuring percussionist Catherine Cramer and keyboardist Robert Kennedy, will perform original live scores that transform each film into a unique and reflective experience.

As sound, image, and place intertwine, you'll be invited to slow down, notice the details, and connect with the natural world in a fresh and unexpected way. The program features short films by acclaimed filmmakers including Stan Brakhage, Jean Painlevé, Guy Maddin, and others.

📅 Friday, August 21, 7:00-8:15 pm
📍 Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, Cummaquid
🎟️ Reserve your spot: https://www.massaudubon.org/programs/long-pasture/103387-the-living-screen-an-immersive-film-and-music-experience

Photo credit: Robert Allen

08/20/2026

Our Cecropia caterpillars are beginning one of nature's most remarkable transformations.

These hungry caterpillars are now spinning silky cocoons that will soon resemble dried leaves, helping them stay hidden through the seasons. Next year, they'll emerge as giant Cecropia moths, North America's largest native moth species.

Stop by the blue hutch near the sanctuary parking lot to follow their incredible journey from caterpillar to moth.

📸: Norma Ganderson

08/18/2026

🌿✨ A rare Cape Cod ecosystem, layered with life

Coastal plain pondshores are home to an incredible diversity of rare and protected plants—many found nowhere else in the world. At Ashumet Holly, this unique habitat reveals itself in distinct bands, shaped by changing water levels.

From upland pitch pine and oak forests, to shrubs like highbush blueberry and sweet pepperbush, down to the exposed pondshore where wildflowers like goldenrod, pink tickseed, and the elusive Plymouth gentian bloom—each zone tells a story. 🌸

Look closely and you might spot tiny pipewort flowers rising above the water, or water lilies floating in deeper areas. No two years—or ponds—are exactly alike, making every visit a new discovery.

👀 Come explore and see what’s growing at the water’s edge of Ashumet Holly’s one-of-a-kind coastal plain pondshore! Plan your visit at massaudubon.org/ashumet

Goldenrod photo credit: Max Masterson
Water Lily photo credit: Michael Tronerud
Sweet Pepperbush photo credit: Davin Tackabury

08/17/2026

Cuttyhunk & Elizabeth Islands Boat Tours are back!

📅 September 6, 13, 20, and 27
⏰ 8:00 am–5:15 pm

Leave the mainland behind and journey to the wild, remote islands beyond Cape Cod. Spend a full day exploring two extraordinary destinations in the Elizabeth Islands chain aboard a privately chartered boat.

Cruise through Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay as expert guides bring the region’s geology, wildlife, history, and coastal landmarks to life, then enjoy time ashore on both Cuttyhunk and Penikese Islands.

Save your spot: https://www.massaudubon.org/programs?prg%5Bpid%5D%5B%5D=17532&prg%5Bdaterange%5D=&prg%5Bquery%5D=Cuttyhunk&prg%5Bsubmit%5D=&prg%5Bage_min%5D=&prg%5Bage_max%5D=