MassWildlife teach residents about endangered species in Montague

MONTAGUE, Mass. (WWLP) – MassWildlife is holding multiple events this week for Endangered Species Day, bringing awareness to all the animals and plants that are either endangered, threatened or a special concern in the Commonwealth.

MassWildlife’s Habitat Walk at Montague Plains is meant for people to observe some rare species in their backyard. Montague Plains in the largest glacial sandplain in Massachusetts. Roughly 50 endangered species live in this area.

“We don’t want to lose those species, we want to maintain every element of diversity that we can, and not accelerate the endangerment or the loss of a species,” said MassWildlife Restoration Ecologist Caren Caljouw.

The walk features the sights and sounds of the famous Whip-Poor-Whip and Woodcocks as the sun sets. If you missed Wednesday’s event, MassWildlife is hosting another event this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Stafford Hill Wildlife Management Area in Cheshire.

As of 2020, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has 217 endangered, 108 threatened and 108 special concern species that are protected.  However, not all animals on the endangered list go extinct. Thanks to the laws around protecting endangered animals and plants, some species like the Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle have increased in population.

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