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Why Support SEMPBA?

1. SEMPBA volunteers are on a mission to save the globally rare Coastal Pine Barrens ecoregion.

SEMPBA volunteers are doing all we can to reverse the decline of wildlife habitat, protect our water resources, and promote effective land management that will reduce the heavy fuel loading that can cause catastrophic wildfires which are common to every Pine Barrens ecoregion.  We offer events, lectures, guided hikes, birding, organize conservation forums and seek grants for regional workshops, habitat management and environmental education.

2. SEMPBA is grassroots all the way.

As an all-volunteer organization, SEMPBA doesn't need a lot of money - everything we do, we do for free. We try to keep our programs free, too. We are reaching out to the community at every level to build the partnerships we need to save the ecoregion. Take a look at our events, our projects, and the habitat management and educational programs we have undertaken: we believe they are worth supporting!

3. The Center, at Center Hill Preserve, is worth supporting.

Our new facility on Center Hill Road will allow us to:

• Conduct climate research and citizen science projects on site!
• Engage more volunteers.
• Enlist interns.
• Host TerraCorps members.
• Provide a Pine Barrens Research and Resource Library.
• Offer meeting space for regional conservation groups.
• Expand  the Hauthaway Nature Center, where you can learn about the local ecology, become acquainted with native plants, and engage in activities that build a community in harmony with the environment
• Develop a Pine Barrens Discovery Center in, and around our headquarters.
• Much more!

4. The Center, at Center Hill Preserve, is worth the money!

In the summer of 2019, SEMPBA won a bid for a five-year lease on a conservation property owned by the Town of Plymouth. Our rent is equal to the property taxes that might have been paid had the building been used for a residence, plus insurance, utilities and maintenance.

Inexpensive? Far from it. Insuring a public building is expensive. Heat, electricity, phone, Internet service, security and keeping the driveway plowed and potholes filled costs thousands each year. We also need to put money aside to cover any unexpected maintenance emergencies. All told we could easily see our total annual costs in the neighborhood of $20,000: that's a lot of an all-volunteer non-profit.

Why do we need to be here? Because there's so much more to do, and the Center Hill building gives us the opportunity to do it.

The building is on a beautiful promontory overlooking Cape Cod  Bay with trails leading to the 100+ acres of the Center Hill Preserve. Inside there are two large conference/education areas, several offices, four handicap-accessible bathrooms a large kitchen.

The doors are usually open weekdays from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Volunteers are always happy to show visitors around and talk about the Pine Barrens.

Please consider making a donation to support SEMPBA's programs or by volunteering with us or another conservation organization. It's going to take all of us to save the ecoregion!