Support Our Mission

Give Back to Bonnyvale

Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center has been fostering environmental stewardship for over 30 years! As a nonprofit organization, we couldn’t fulfill our mission without the generous support of our community. If you love Bonnyvale, consider becoming a member, making a legacy donation, or sponsoring an event!

Make A Donation ▸

Become a Member

By becoming a BEEC member, you join a passionate community of people who support our mission to foster experiences that inspire connection to the natural world and its many inhabitants.

Member Benefits

Members receive a subscription to our newsletter, early registration for camps & events, access to member-only events, and discounts on community programs. Plus, reciprocal benefits at 140+ North American Nature Centers!

View membership details

Annual Membership Rates

$25 - Student / senior / EBT cardholder membership
$50 - Individual membership
$75 - Family membership
$100 - Sustaining membership (enable more people to enjoy our programs)
$1799 - Generations membership (support the future of BEEC)

Join or Renew Online or mail a check to: BEEC, PO Box 2318, West Brattleboro, VT 05303

Give the gift of Bonnyvale membership! Pay online then message us to let us know you purchased it as a gift. We’ll send you an e-certificate to print and share with the recipient.

Join or Renew Your Membership ▸

Donate

We gratefully accept one-time, recurring or legacy donations. These further our programming and conservation efforts, provide youth scholarships, and support wildlife rehabilitation.

Donation Options & Details

Donations to Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center are deductible as allowed by federal law. Our tax ID number is 03-0227359.

You may also donate via mail. Make your check out to BEEC, and send it to BEEC, PO Box 2318, West Brattleboro, VT 05303.

Legacy giving:

If you are considering planned giving via a retirement account or life insurance policy, or making a bequest to support Bonnyvale’s work, please contact us at admin@beec.org or call 802-257-5785 to discuss options. In the meantime, you can easily create a legal will online at no cost to you.

By including BEEC in your will, you’ll continue to inspire connection to the natural world well into the future. Our legal name is Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center at Heifer Hill, Inc.

Make a One-Time or Recurring Donation ▸

Sponsor a Program

Generous contributions from local businesses like yours help us inspire a lifetime of Earth stewardship! Sponsoring one of our beloved annual events– Forest of Melody and Forest of Mystery– aligns your brand with a meaningful cause and connects you with a passionate community of nature enthusiasts. Sponsors receive recognition on event posters, e-news (2,100+ readers), and social media (1,800+ followers).

Learn More & Become a Sponsor ▸

Adopt an Animal

By participating in this symbolic adoption program, you play a direct role in Bonnyvale’s conservation efforts for all animals and the natural world! For $25, adoptees receive a custom Bonnyvale patch and adoption certificate. You can choose between the current and previous years’ animals, and a new animal will be added each year!

Adopt Your Symbolic Animal ▸

2025: Adopt-a-Salamander

Why Spotted Salamanders?

With their surprising size, sporty attire and charm, the spotted salamander has drawn attention to the critical importance of small vernal pool habitats where they lay their eggs. On rainy spring nights, spotted salamanders, jefferson salamanders, and wood frogs migrate from their forest homes to congregate in these big puddles. These migrations offer a rare chance to see these remarkable creatures.

The migrations sometimes include a modern hazard – roads. BEEC’s Salamander Crossing Brigades assist amphibians at known crossing sites around the region. Adopting a salamander supports our work to train crossing guards and get them where they are needed on migration nights. As traffic levels increase, amphibian populations will disappear, unless we help.

Did you know?

Spotted salamanders can live for 20 years (one lived to be 32!).
They spend most of their lives in underground tunnels.
Although solitary and territorial, they gather in large groups (congresses) on the night they arrive at vernal pools.
Vernal Pools are also home to tiny clams and shrimp!

Vernal Pools

Learn more about life in vernal pools with this photo ebook published by the North American Nature Photography Association. Amazing! Check out this fascinating vernal pool video created by our AmeriCorps member, Jill DeVito!

2024: Adopt-a-Beaver

Why Beavers?

Beavers are builders of wetlands, which hold cooling water during droughts and slow speeding water during floods. These environments are becoming increasingly important as our climate warms. Plus, beavers are a “keystone” species – their presence is essential to the survival of other species. Dedicated to building dams and keeping water in place, they move upstream and down creating new ponds. The areas they leave behind become meadows and shrub lands, which are important habitats for many plants and animals, from moose to mink.

However, when beavers’ plans conflict with peoples’, they can cause a lot of trouble. They clog culverts, cut down favorite trees, and flood fields. At many sites that are attractive to beavers, they are killed upon arrival. These sites become death traps and leave neighboring areas devoid of ponds and wetlands. We need your help– because beavers are so important, BEEC promotes solutions that work for people and beavers.

Donate Tools & Equipment

Your donation of tools and equipment helps us maintain our beautiful grounds and buildings. If you have any of the following in good working condition, or would like to donate new items, please email admin@beec.org or call 802-257-5785. Every little bit helps!

Current tools & equipment needs

We’re currently in need of the following items:

Building & Equipment Maintenance Tools:

Standard wrench & socket sets
Cordless drill
Cordless impact driver
Carpenters level
Wood chisels
Circular saw
Carpenters hand saws (different sizes)
Metal portable toolbox

Grounds Maintenance Tools:

Chain saw & safety chaps
Lawn mower & snowblower (newer models)
Pole saw
Leaf yard rakes
Post hole diggers
Spade shovels
Hand pruners
Large brush loppers
Brush hand saws
Sledgehammer

Volunteer

Many of our programs and events wouldn’t be possible without our volunteer community! If you’re interested in volunteering, take a moment to fill out this form or get in touch with us.

Volunteer opportunities for adults & teens

Trail maintenance / invasive species removal – Spring to Fall
Forest of Melody – June
Forest of Mystery – October
Salamander Crossing Brigades – March/April
Youth Programs throughout the year:
- Youth camp assistants for:
  - Nature Days: October, November, January, March
  - Nature Explorers Winter & Spring Camps: 3rd week of February / April
  - Nature Explorers Summer Camp: June to August
- Leaders-in-Training: Do you know a teen who loves nature and being with children? We welcome students, ages 15 to 19, to be Leaders-In-Training. LiTs can join for individual days during the year, and for a week or more during the summer– gaining experience and accomplishing community service. Learn more here.
- If you are interested in volunteering for a day or more with a youth program please contact Kristina@beec.org.

If you’re a Brattleboro Food Co-op Shareholder, we are a Commitment to Community Partner Organization, so you can earn your volunteer hours with BEEC!

If you are a Brattleboro TimeTrade member, so is BEEC!

Participate

BEEC’s programs range from exciting signature events like Forest of Melody and Forest of Mystery, to community programs led by local wildlife and conservation experts. We have well-loved youth and family programs including day camps, that engage and inspire young naturalists. Become a salamander crossing guard or beaver camper to make a difference in local wildlife conservation.

Want to keep up with BEEC’s programs and events?