The Coalition is building a growing network of Bay discovery sites in all corners of the Buzzards Bay watershed. These centers and reserves are places where we preserve important parts of the Bay ecosystem, restore damaged streams and wetlands, and invite everybody to explore and enjoy them. Learn more about our centers and reserves, and visit a Bay discovery site today!
Our Centers
The Buzzards Bay Center in downtown New Bedford is home to the Richard C. Wheeler Bay Learning Center, where people like you can visit to learn about the Bay and the Coalition’s work.
Discovering Buzzards Bay begins at our centers in New Bedford and Woods Hole. At these free, interactive learning centers, you can explore life in Buzzards Bay and learn about how we work to solve the Bay’s most pressing environmental problems. Our centers open the door to exciting experiences that help you understand and appreciate our local waterways.
Buzzards Bay Center
The Buzzards Bay Center in historic downtown New Bedford is more than just the Coalition’s headquarters. It is a learning center, a community resource, and a model for environmentally responsible design. In addition to our staff offices, the Buzzards Bay Center is home to the Richard C. Wheeler Bay Learning Center, the Emerson Riggs Laboratory (home of the Baywatchers program), and the Croll Conference Room, a community meeting space.
Onset Bay Center
The Coalition’s developing Onset Bay Center will offer high-quality on-the-water programming for thousands of people every year. Through a variety of outdoor activities such as sailing, paddling, shellfishing, and shoreline ecology, the center will help community members of all ages build a personal connection with Buzzards Bay.
Woods Hole Outreach Center
The Woods Hole Outreach Center is filled with interactive exhibits that delight adults and children of all ages. Get up close and personal with sea stars, hermit crabs, whelks, and bay scallops in our touch tank. From this seasonal discovery center, we’ll give you tips and recommendations to get outside and discover Buzzards Bay.
Our Reserves
The Bogs is one entrance to the Mattapoisett River Reserve, a network of more than 200 acres of protected forests, streams, and retired cranberry bogs where you can explore the outdoors.
Come explore fields, forests, and wetlands at the Coalition’s river reserves along the Acushnet River, the Mattapoisett River, Nasketucket Bay, and the Weweantic River. Whether you want to hike, paddle, fish, or simply enjoy nature, these conservation areas are available for you to discover and appreciate the beauty of the Buzzards Bay region.
Acushnet River Reserve
The Acushnet River Reserve is home to The Sawmill and LaPalme Farm, totaling approximately 70 acres. At these two properties, you can walk, paddle, and explore wildlife along the river.
Mattapoisett River Reserve
The 500-plus acre Mattapoisett River Reserve is home to The Bogs, Tripps Mill, Tinkhamtown Woodlands, and New Boston Trail. The reserve is a gateway to more than four miles of public trails through forest, freshwater swamp, and retired cranberry bogs.
Nasketucket Bay State Reservation
At Nasketucket Bay State Reservation, we created a new trail called Shaw Farm Trail. Stretching nearly a mile past farms and through the forest, Shaw Farm Trail links the state reservation with the popular bike paths through Fairhaven and Mattapoisett.
Weweantic River Reserve
The Weweantic River is home to the 34-acre Horseshoe Mill, where you can go fishing, paddling, and hiking. The Coalition is working to restore the Weweantic River at Horseshoe Mill to improve fish passage and create better access for local residents.
