Quabbin Information
Quabbin Park Visitor Center
Quabbin Administration Building
485 Ware Road
Belchertown , MA 01007
(413) 323-7221
Open weekdays 8:30AM-4:30PM, weekends 9:00AM-4:30PM
Exhibits, publications, programs, fishing and recreation information.
Swift River Valley Historical Society
Box 22, New Salem, MA 01355
(978) 544-6882
Museum of the old Quabbin Valley.
Quabbin Bibliography
Quabbin Reservoir, by Walter E. Clark
Quabbin: The Accidental Wilderness, by Tom Conuel (1981)
By J.R. Greene
- An Atlas of the Quabbin Valley and Ware River Diversion (1989)
Bibliography of the Quabbin Valley
The Creation of Quabbin Reservoir (1981)
The Day Four Quabbin Towns Died (1985)
Historic Quabbin Walks
The Massachusetts Central: Quabbin's Phantom Railroad
Strange Tales of Old Quabbin
Quabbin: The Lost Valley, by Donald Howe (1951)
Letters From Quabbin, by Mabel Jones and Amy Spink
Prescott Years, by Ray Whitaker
Letting Swift River Go, by Jane Yolen (for children)
Government Agencies - Massachusetts
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs is the state agency primarily responsible for protecting and conserving natural resources in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection administers the Commonwealth's environmental regulatory programs for the protection of water, air, and land resources.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management is the state's primary land management and natural resources planning agency.
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife is the state agency charged with stewardship of all wild amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and freshwater and diadromous fishes in the state, as well as endangered, threatened and special concern species, including native wild plants and invertebrates.
Division of Wetlands and Waterways Program is responsible for the protection of inland and coastal wetlands, tidelands, great ponds, rivers and floodplains. Administers and enforces the Wetlands Protection Act (Chapter 131 s 40); the Public Waterfront Act (Chapter 91), the Inland and Coastal Wetlands Restrictions Acts; and the 401 Water Quality Certification Program.
The Massachusetts Historical Commission is the state resources.historic preservation office authorized to identify, evaluate, and protect the Commonwealth's important historic and archaeological resources.
The Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program is responsible for the conservation and protection of thousands of species of wildlife and wild plants that are not hunted, fished, trapped or commercially harvested in the state, including those listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern.
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority responsible for the sewer and waterworks system of the MDC. It is also the agency primarily responsible for the Boston Harbor cleanup.
Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Water Supply Protection, Watershed Management section (formerly the MDC Division of Watershed Management) manages and protects the drinking water supply watersheds for nearly 2.2 million residents of Massachusetts, primarily in Greater Boston. The source waters of this watershed system, which provides water to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) for distribution, are the Quabbin Reservoir, Ware River, and Wachusett Reservoir and their contributing watersheds. The Division also manages and protects the Sudbury Reservoir system, which is Greater Boston's reserve drinking water supply.
Environmental Organizations
Conservation Law Foundation of New England is a regional environmental advocacy organization working on the most significant threats to the natural environment of New England and to the health of its residents.
Earth Share of New England (formerly the Environmental Federation of New England) is a coalition of organizations working to protect and preserve natural resources and public health in New England.
Harvard Forest Harvard Forest serves as a base for research and education in forest biology, focusing on silviculture and forest management, soils and the development of forest site concepts, the biology of temperate and tropical trees, forest ecology and economics and ecosystem dynamics.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society is the largest conservation organization in New England working to preserve the natural world through conservation, education and environmental advocacy.
Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions MACC is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the Commonwealth. Our mission today continues to be education of and support for Conservation Commissions
The Massachusetts Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology is dedicated to promoting the scientific study of the phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological diversity.
Massachusetts Clean Water Action is a citizens' organization working for clean, safe and affordable water, prevention of health-threatening pollution, creation of environmentally-safe jobs, and business, and empowerment of people to make democracy work.
Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition is an informal association of land trusts and conservation organizations in Massachusetts, working to increase their effectiveness with the legislature and government agencies.
MassPIRG MassPIRG (Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to serving as a watchdog for the state's citizens and environment.
Metacomet Land Trust is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the protection of open space and natural resources in the communities of South Central Massachusetts.
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust protects significant natural, agricultural, and scenic areas and encourages land stewardship in North Central and Western Massachusetts for the benefit of the environment, the economy and future generations.
The New England Botanical Club is a nonprofit organization that promotes the study of plants of North America, especially the flora of New England and adjacent areas.
The New England Wild Flower Society is the oldest plant conservation organization in the United States, promoting the conservation of temperate North American plants through key programs.
Sierra Club, Massachusetts Chapter is a nonprofit member-supported, public interest organization that promotes conservation of the natural environment by influencing public policy decisions.
Trustees of Reservations the nation's oldest private, statewide conservation and preservation organization. Since 1891, they have protected over 34,000 acres of land in Massachusetts, including 89 public reservations representing many of the state's most scenic, ecologically rich, and historically important landscapes.
Valley Land Fund is a regional land trust serving Hampden, Hampshire,and Franklin Counties, working cooperatively with smaller and larger conservation organizations, towns, neighborhood groups, and state agencies to protect the special places of the Connecticut River Valley. and surrounding hills.
Bird Watching
Massbird.org is an online resource for birding in Massachusetts.
Northampton Bird Watcher's Club Formed in 1995, the NohoBirdClub has been dedicated to bringing people together to watch and learn about birds.
The Hampshire Bird Club, Inc. was organized in 1984. The purpose of HBC is to help members and the general public enjoy birding and to educate them about birds, bird watching, and bird habitats.