ENV 200 Principles of Environmental Science:D'Avanzo: Local Organizations

The Southeast Region is home to 84 towns and cities and the major islands of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth chain. It stretches from the southern suburbs of Boston to the Rhode Island border to Cape Cod.

The region boasts more than two-thirds of the Massachusetts coastline; Assawompset Pond, the largest natural body of fresh water in the state; and the Taunton River, one of only three Massachusetts waterways to have obtained a Scenic River Designation.

The regional office regulates more than 9,000 facilities - including the largest fossil fuel power plant in New England, more than 200 landfills, and 50 wastewater treatment plants - and oversees the cleanup of approximately 1,500 hazardous waste sites.

The Neponset River Watershed Association is a grassroots, member-supported conservation group working since 1967 to clean up and protect the Neponset River, its tributaries and surrounding watershed lands.

Mass Audubon protects 36,500 acres of land throughout Massachusetts, saving birds and other wildlife, and making nature accessible to all. As Massachusetts’ largest nature conservation nonprofit, we welcome more than a half million visitors a year to our wildlife sanctuaries and 20 nature centers. From inspiring hilltop views to breathtaking coastal landscapes, serene woods, and working farms, we believe in protecting our state’s natural treasures for wildlife and for all people—a vision shared in 1896 by our founders, two extraordinary Boston women.

Our mission is to protect and restore the watershed’s natural resources for current and future generations; to build and support responsible stewardship of fragile ecosystems, water quality, forests, farmland, and wetlands; provide opportunities for people to enjoy the river and the watershed’s open space; and to be voice for threatened land and water resources.

For over thirty years the Town of Easton has been a leader in acquiring land to protect wildlife habitat, provide outdoor recreational opportunities, and protect the public water supply. These conservation management areas are open to the public for passive recreation.

We provide environmental education and training and assistance for more than 2,000 conservation commissioners throughout Massachusetts who administer the Massachusetts Conservation Commission Act and Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act in their communities, protect and preserve wetlands and open space, own and manage conservation lands, and educate and advocate for environmental protection locally. Municipal and state staff and officials, consultants, lawyers, and other interested people also participate in our environmental education and training programs.