MathWorks Donates $2.4 Million to Support Mass Audubon’s Efforts to Protect and Care for Climate-Resilient Landscapes
Press Release
February 07, 2023
LINCOLN, MA — MathWorks has made a $2.4 million gift to Mass Audubon, New England’s largest nature-based conservation organization, to protect and care for climate-resilient lands across Massachusetts.
Conserving lands for the benefit of people, wildlife, and the climate is a priority of Mass Audubon’s Action Agenda, which calls for:
- Protection of 30 percent of Massachusetts by 2026 through a public/private coalition (150,000 new acres);
- Increasing the pace of Mass Audubon’s land protection fourfold (10,000 new acres);
- Enhancing the management of 200,000 acres of forestlands for wildlife and climate resilience, while meeting the economic needs of landowners;
- And restoring, protecting, and managing 2,500 coastal acres.
These goals align with the Green Initiatives program within MathWorks’ Social Mission. The $2.4 million donation significantly elevates the scale of the Natick-based company’s commitment to Mass Audubon and its land conservation and climate work.
“As an eco-conscious company and local community leader, MathWorks is working with local partners to preserve and protect our environment,” said Jeanne O’Keefe, SVP and CFO of MathWorks. “We’re excited to contribute to Mass Audubon’s Action Agenda to aid in their protection of climate-resilient landscapes and indigenous species in our home state.”
Specifically, the funding will help Mass Audubon conserve four properties—including Porcupine Woods in Princeton and the Minery Family Lands in Sandisfield and Otis—all of which are connected to expanses of existing protected land. In addition to that connectivity, the state has designated each property as a Critical Natural Landscape, and three are also designated as important habitats for rare species.
Mass Audubon President David J. O’Neill lauded MathWorks for its gift. “This generous and timely support is an absolute game-changer,” O’Neill said. “Large-scale land protection is a primary nature-based solutions strategy in taking on climate change. So we are thrilled to have MathWorks as a partner who truly understands this and is committed to supporting meaningful climate action.”
“It’s crucial to accelerate the pace and scale of land protection if we are going to make an impact,” O’Neill stressed. “Mass Audubon couldn’t be more grateful that MathWorks, an international leader in its field, is also showing leadership in its home state on behalf of conservation and the climate.”
About Mass Audubon
Mass Audubon is the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England. Founded in 1896 by two women who fought for the protection of birds, Mass Audubon carries on their legacy by focusing on the greatest challenges facing the environment today: the loss of biodiversity, inequitable access to nature, and climate change. With the help of our 160,000 members and supporters, we protect wildlife, conserve and restore resilient land, advocate for impactful environmental policies, offer nationally recognized education programs for adults and children, and provide endless opportunities to experience the outdoors at our wildlife sanctuaries. Explore, find inspiration, and take action at massaudubon.org.