On January 12, 2017, we held our annual Winterfest at MIT’s Endicott House.  Manomet Trustees, Councilors, supporters, and staff all came together to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and share plans for the new year.   

 

The evening began with a fun cocktail reception providing the opportunity for guests to have conversations with staff about our work, progress, successes, and setbacks. After the reception there was a short program of project updates and a presentation highlighting one of our projects.

From left: Beth Brazil, Manomet’s Senior Manager of Foundation and Corporate Giving; Dr. Brian Drayton of TERC; Molly Cornell, esteemed Manomet Trustee.

 

The evening’s program began with a warm welcome from Board Chairman Dean H. Steeger, and then Manomet President John Hagan took the floor to introduce the speakers for the evening and share his hopes for Manomet in 2017 and beyond. He asked guests to please help us share Manomet’s mission and accomplishments as there is still much work to do, and passionately shared that “the next generation is counting on us!” He ended with a quote by Terry Tempest Williams, Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert: “The eyes of the future are looking back at us, and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.”

 

The program presentation focused on a Manomet project that works directly with those ‘eyes of the future‘: our Climate Lab. Climate Lab is a partnership between Manomet and TERC, an education research organization. TERC is developing the program’s curriculum, while Manomet is providing scientific expertise and training to educators. Through Climate Lab, educators teach their students how to collect data on biological indicators of climate change in their own communities. Trevor Lloyd-Evans, Director, Landbird Conservation Program, Manomet; Brian Drayton, Co-Director, Center for School Reform, TERC; and Evan Dalton, Lead Instructor, Landbird Conservation, Manomet, all shared how the Climate Lab program has been successful for Manomet, TERC, and most importantly, educators and their students.

 

Through a $450,000 National Science Foundation grant, the goal of Climate Lab is to scale the program nationally to educate more teachers. This will enable us to reach more students, connecting them to nature so that they can learn how climate changes impact our world today and tomorrow.

 

And while Winterfest allows Manomet’s staff to share the highlights from their work, it is also an opportunity to thank our Trustees, Councilors, and key supporters for helping us make this work possible. Without them—and supporters like you—Manomet staff would not be able to fulfill our mission of applying science and engaging people to sustain our world. With you we can!

 

Please enjoy some selected pictures from the event on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Manomet/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155032748329658