DARTMOUTH – The Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth, Massachusetts has been teaching children about nature for more than 40 years.

Executive director Rachel Stronach said they’ve been around so long they’ve been written into the curriculum at local schools.

“Respect and affection for nature”

“Our goal is to instill a respect and affection for nature,” she told WBZ-TV.  “We have 82 acres here. And we are waterfront, on the Slocum River estuary.”

With five miles of hiking trails open sunrise to sunset all year long, it’s not just kids who enjoy the scenery. 

“We do walks, we do talks, we do hikes. One of our most popular programs is a canoe trip,” said Stronach. 

Students from both southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island are brought in for a coastal field study that takes them to four unique stations about the environment. 

“It’s so nice to see them be able to see what we’ve been learning about in the classroom in a real world setting,” said fourth grade teacher Chelsea Mauricio. 

Mauricio teaches science and math and has brought her students to the Lloyd Center for several years. Her student Landon Dean told WBZ the best part of his day was meeting Norbert the turtle. 

“We learned about a box turtle. So it can go in its shell and then close its shell,” Landon said.

15,000 students a year

Up to 15,000 students visit the center each year. It’s the only organization in the area whose sole mission is to educate the public about coastal and watershed issues.

“Today the fourth graders were really looking at all the connections in the ecosystem here,” Stronach told WBZ. “So looking at the maritime forest, the salt marsh and the estuary and how all of the things there interact.”

They’re also opening a new welcome center later this summer that they hope will have the Living Building Challenge certification. It’s the strictest of environmental building standards. 

“The building will actually generate more energy than it uses,” said Stronach, adding that the welcome center would be one of 29 in the world that meets the certification. 

The Lloyd Center’s mission is to have an overall impact on the students who visit.

“They’re the generation that has to grow up and take care of it,” said Mauricio. 

Visiting the Lloyd Center is completely free. For more information, go to their website. 

BOSTON – Protesters took to the streets near Boston University Wednesday, making their opposition clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first address to Congress since the October 7th attack by Hamas — and a divisive one also among members of Congress. 

Some members of the Massachusetts delegation boycotted the speech, like Congressman Jim McGovern, who met with the families of hostages who provided members of Congress their own testimony. 

Protest at Auchincloss’ office

Congressman Jake Auchincloss, who has been steadfast in his support of U.S. ties to Israel was in attendance — while a group of young activists had a meeting with his staff in his Newton office. 

“A lot of what we talked about in the meeting is about how we don’t hear so much about the Palestinian perspective from the congressman in terms of lives being lost, in terms of mass famine,” said Courtney Foster, one of the activists. 

Auchincloss believes Israel has a right to defend itself in the face of Hamas attacks. But these activists say they were hoping his stance would evolve. 

“It is an outright genocide at this point and we feel that they’re really trying to dispel and destroy any semblance of Palestinian life,” said protester Lee Casstevens.

The protesters says this is their only recourse — more standouts, calls and emails to Congressman Auchincloss.

“There needs to be a permanent ceasefire coming out of this,” Foster said. “As well as immediate aid being rendered to the folks, many woman and children, who are really suffering.”

Sen. Warren calls address “a political show”

Senator Elizabeth Warren also boycotted the speech, calling it “a political show.” 

“After nearly 300 days, Netanyahu has failed to bring the hostages home and he has created a humanitarian catastrophe – this war must end,” Sen. Warren said in a statement.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said the focus has to remain on the victims of war. “While the United States Congress wrongly platforms Prime Minister Netanyahu today, a war criminal, I want to platform the people,” Pressley said. 

Congresswoman Lori Trahan also did not attend the address. “I just left a meeting with families of the hostages still being held captive by Hamas,” Trahan said in a statement. “What’s abundantly clear is that they have lost faith in Prime Minister’s Netanyahu’s willingness to prioritize the safe return of their loved ones.”

Two more Massachusetts State Police troopers associated with the Karen Read murder investigation are under internal investigation, with a third’s investigation having concluded with a finding of “not sustained.”

Originally Published: July 24, 2024 at 6:34 p.m.