We want to support you in finding ways to complement your home or school curriculum with place-based explorations related to Trustees coastal and nature properties. Forests, beaches, marshes, and gardens across the state are teeming with life all year round. There is much to see and learn as we intentionally observe and wonder about the flora, fauna, and landforms on our own or with Engagement staff as our guides.
Coastal Science from Martha’s Vineyard
Designed For: Upper Elementary & Middle School
Comprehensive follow along interactive coastal science lessons with the Claire Saltonstall Education Program’s Molly Peach Mayhew
Fish Migration (32:39 mins)
Oysters (17:01 mins)
Sea Level Rise (23:08 mins)
Seaweed (20:56 mins)
Topographic Maps and Contour Lines (29:06 mins)
Weathering and Erosion (20:15 mins)
The Importance of Salt Marshes (20:10 mins)
Shorebirds and Beak Adaptations (19:10 mins)
Mytoi Garden Virtual Field Trip (16 mins)
Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge Virtual Field Trip (21 mins)
Before or after watching the videos, visit the properties on Martha’s Vineyard or any Trustees coastal property to explore and study the Massachusetts shoreline’s unique ecology and climate. If you go, don’t forget to take a sketchbook or notebook along to record your observations and ask yourself questions for later research and reflection.
For the full range of field study school programs offered on Martha’s Vineyard, download the brochure.
On the Coast Trustees Coastal Climate Change Initiative
Suited for: High School
Project-based learning and citizen science opportunities abound on the coast. A range of resources surrounding Trustees coastal activities and activism is at your fingertips.
360-degree interactive tours showing coasts and marshes and mitigation plans:
Crane Beach and Castle Hill in Ipswich
Wasque and North Point Beach on Martha’s Vineyard
Salt Marsh Citizen Science Project and other Volunteer Opportunities
One Waterfront Trustees Boston Waterfront Initiative:
The Trustees are active in Boston too! Check out our evolving plans in advancing collaboratively developed, climate-resilient open spaces for diverse audiences in the city.
Introductory video, white paper, and published resources
Waterfront Ambassadors program for Boston high school students
It takes experts and everyday citizens! Reach out if your students, school, class, or group is interested in being involved in climate change action in your area.
Nature Knowledge from Moose Hill Farm
Engaging on-site stories of seasonal discoveries with Maura O’Gara, Nature Educator at Trustees Cooperative Nature School.
Designed For: Preschool & Early Elementary
Vernal Pools (6:30 mins)
Early Wetland Bloomers (8:33 mins)
Super Snakes (9:58 mins)
Fabulous Frogs (11:59 mins)
The Power and Peculiarities of Pollination (10:18 mins)
Chickens on the Farm (9:58 mins)
Courtship Displays and Nesting Ways (10:11)
Early Wetland Bloomers (8:33 mins)
Visit Moose Hill Farm or any of The Trustees trails and parks or farms and gardens for your own personal and educational experience with the natural world. Or visit a woodland, wetland, park, or farm near you to discover the life cycles around us that enhance and support our daily lives. If you go, don’t forget to take a sketchbook or notebook along to record your observations and ask yourself questions for later research and reflection.
