Ecology

Join Lisa Hutchings and the crew of the Yankee Clipper for an exciting exploration of the lower Merrimack River ecosystem. Each month will feature a specific theme with hands-on science, interactive props, and seasonal wildlife. We'll also look for seabirds, seals, and waterfowl on every trip. Your family will have a wonderful time cruising and learning about this vital part of the area's natural history.

The Yankee Clipper is US Coast Guard inspected and licensed and has life jackets and a marine toilet for your convenience.

All children must be accompanied by adults. The deadline for preregistering for this program is 4:00 pm on the day before the program. We will run this program in all weather except thunderstorms or small craft advisories.

On selected Sunday afternoons through Winter, the refuge will be screening FREE, child-friendly films that feature a wildlife and/or environmental theme.  All films will be projected on the big screen in the refuge visitor center’s awesome auditorium. No preregistration; simply show up! All movies begin at 1:30 pm.

Experience what life is like as the largest rodent in North America. We will examine a beaver mound up close, and then take a walk to see a beaver lodge, dam, and scent mounds. Discover how beavers continue to change the habitats in which they live and how other species of plants and animals benefit. On our return, we will make beaver dioramas out of natural materials.

This one time screening in 3D at Cape Ann Community Cinema that will raise funds to benefit Kestrel Educational Adventures. It's a natural history epic. It's a compelling detective story. It's a scientific adventure at its best. It took Dr. Fred Urquhart almost 40 years to discover the monarch butterflies' secret hideaway and prove the most incredible migration on Earth.