The Environmental Cooperative brings together regional environmental organizations, community groups, educators, the Vassar College community, and residents to increase our positive impact and expand conservation efforts in the Hudson Valley.
We aim to actively create and maintain natural areas to connect people with the outdoors and their community and foster a greater community mindset of environmental stewardship.
What is it? A blue daisy…or a blue dandelion? Actually, it is a perennial herbaceous plant called chicory. Photo: Ellie Opdahl You can help! Students collect seeds from wildflowers growing at the preserve, keeping our seed source local and sustainable. Interested in getting involved? Visit the Volunteers page. Photo: Ellie OpdahlWhat do you see? Notice how this American toad uses its coloration to camouflage itself among some leaves? Photo: Taylor CrowlWhat is it? Common milkweed, found in abundance on the Vassar Farm, supports many pollinator species and is an important food source for the monarch butterfly caterpillar. Photo: Taylor CrowlJoin the fun! The photo booth at our Urban Wilderness Festival featured animal masks and fun props to pose with. Photo: Tim BoycottYou can help! The Environmental Cooperative and the Vassar Sustainability Office joined forces to plant a native wildflower patch. Photo: Ellie OpdahlWhat is it? Solidago, commonly called goldenrod, flowers on the preserve in the late fall. Photo: Ellie OpdahlLearn something new! At a nature illustration workshop, participants learn how to draw natural objects. Photo: Ellie OpdahlGet your feet wet! As part of our Healthy Waters Initiative, the cooperative aims to connect people to the water around them.What do you see? Winterberry, a native shrub species found on the preserve, provides food for birds in the winter.
