Windsor, Mass. — Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center houses a rare spruce-fir Taifa habitat, which can be found in small pockets of high-elevation forests. The habitat is rare and declining in Massachusetts, as is some of the wildlife it inhabits.

The center is home to many rare and declining Massachusetts wildlife species, including the white-throated sparrow, ruffed Grouse, and American woodcock. The boreal "northern" forests are also unique and are considered.

Boreal spruce-fir forests are considered a "critically imperiled habitat" because of their rarity and fragility.

Visitors can experience this unique habitat using the many trails that border the Trustees of Reservation's Notchview property. The center's trails access more than 5,000 conservation acres of forest, including Windsor Jambs State Park and Mass Wildlife's Moran property.

The center's goal is to spread environmental and cultural awareness to all age groups through its diverse programs in the ancestral homelands of the Mohican people.

With the help of interns, staff, and volunteers, the center has a variety of programs that help it manage, conserve, and research the resources provided by the boreal forest. These programs include invasive species management, native plant habitat preservation, annual spring bird and wildflowers census, stream and bog water quality monitoring, vernal pool, amphibian, and brook trout research, mammal tracking/trail camera monitoring, 1700s stone well & cellar hole preservation, volunteer trail work days, and GPS & GIS nature trail map.

The center offers classes, internships, guided treks and hikes, and events to further its goal of educating and preserving the rare habitat for future generations.

Director and co-founder Aimee Gelinas has an eclectic range of experiences she uses to educate visitors. She is a certified guide with the National Association for Interpretation, an active member of the Massachusetts Environmental Education Society, a musician, and a photographer. She has more than 20 years of experience teaching and developing educational programs.

Gelinas has attained grant support from various programs, such as the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Berkshire Environmental Endowment Fund. In May 2021, the non-profit received $50,000 in funding from the state to build an inside and outside education center.

Gelinas and co-founder Daniel Cohen, a painter and guitar instructor, hold weekly drum classes on Monday evenings at the Lichtenstein Center for Arts in Pittsfield. The classes cost $10, and participants can rent drums for $5. Those interested in participating can email Gelinas at aimee@gaiaroots.com.

The center also has an annual Berkshire Drum and Dance Fest Fall with proceeds supporting participating artists and the Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center. The next fest will be held in October.

In the winter, the center holds hikes and snowshoe treks where visitors can trek more than two miles of diverse ecosystems. Snowshoes can be rented for the guided trek and programs for $5

For more information on the center, visit the website.