Our Mission and What We Do

The Norcross Wildlife Foundation in 2026               

The Norcross Wildlife Foundation, Inc., is a private operating foundation created in 1964 by Arthur D. Norcross with the express mission of protecting wildlife through the conservation and care of natural land, to support wildlife conservation in general, and to provide environmental education.

At the core of our work are 8,352 acres of land we own and steward in south-central Massachusetts and northern Connecticut.  This includes a block of 4,890 contiguous acres of natural land (thought to be the largest block of privately owned land in Massachusetts), and other nearby parcels.  Most of this land is upland forest, along with roughly 50 acres of meadows and grasslands, another 50 acres of agricultural hayfields, plus swamps, wetlands, streams and more than 50 vernal pools. 

Our offices, public program and education spaces are in Wales, Massachusetts at the entrance to  the original 2,100 acres of land acquired by Arthur Norcorss during his lifetime, known as “Tupper Hill,” in recognition of the 100 acres of Norcross family land that served as the starting point for this conservation effort.  At Tupper Hill there is a public trail system of roughly 2 miles that allows guests to explore a variety of habitats and some of our restoration and ecological horticulture programs.  There is also a small museum with displays of natural objects and information on ecosystems and wildlife.  Our trails, education and public programs serve about 4,000 visitors annually.  Our summer intern program and other opportunities are helping to build the next generation of science-based wildlife conservation professionals. 

On Norcross’s lands, and in partnership with other conservation organizations in the region, we emphasize the importance of protecting, enhancing, and building natural habitats that support the greatest diversity of wildlife in all its forms appropriate to this specific eco-region.   Through scientifically informed ecological management activities, Norcross maintains, restores, and increases on-site and regional ecological and biological diversity. This active land management, going beyond passive land protection alone, facilitates biodiverse and resilient landscapes in the face of growing human-caused impacts on the environment.

Our work emphasizes Arthur Norcross’s founding vision that the land we steward

“…shall be a place of refuge where all wildlife is encouraged not just to survive but also to proliferate naturally and where certain species, now threatened with extinction, may again attain more normal distribution and benefit the public by their survival” (c. 1964).

In 2023 The Board of Directors, through a new strategic plan for Norcross, embraced this core commitment to protect and steward natural land for the benefit of wildlife and which envisions “… the work of a conservation field that respects and embraces the full extent of knowledge that can advance the field’s impact and amplifies all voices…”  To that end the staff of Norcross have been working since 2020 to engage new and diverse audiences, including organizations serving minority youth in Springfield, Holyoke and Southbridge, while building relationships with our local communities.  We are engaged with the regional indigenous community, the Nipmuck, in whose homeland Norcross lands are located. 

Since 2020 Norcross has dramatically increased its engagement with other state-wide  conservation and wildlife organizations including Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental Affairs, MassWildlife, Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, Mass Audubon, The Trustees of Reservations, American Rivers, The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and many regional organizations such as Joshua’s Trust in Connecticut and Mt. Grace Land Trust in Massachusetts.

Our work is funded through an endowment created by Arthur Norcross, and his sister June Norcross Webster, which is overseen by the Foundation’s volunteer Board of Directors.  Norcross has a staff of 10, along with seasonal employees and interns.  Our total annual operating expenses in 2024 were $1,919,310.

As a not-for-profit organization Norcross is not required to pay property taxes, but since 1981 it has been making grants to the towns where it owns land, totaling more than $2,847,000 over the span of 43 years.  In addition to the $95,000 of grants made to local towns in 2024, Norcross made an additional $51,288 of grants and sponsorships for local, regional and national conservation, education and community organizations that Norcross has direct relationships with.  

As a private business Norcross also contributes to the local economy in the form of taxable salaries and benefits going to its staff who live in nearby communities such as Monson, Brimfield, Stafford and Woodstock, along with local seasonal employees and contractors.  As an employer Norcross paid $56,877 in payroll taxes in 2024.  In 2024 Norcross spent $68,793 with vendors in the towns of Wales, Monson, Brimfield and Stafford.  Each year Norcross pays the Internal Revenue Service an Excise Tax on the earnings of its endowment.  In 2024 Norcross’s Excise Tax payment was  $87,526.  

Our offices and staff are at the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, located at 30 Peck Road, Wales, MA 01081, and our mailing address is P.O. Box 269, Wales, MA 01081.  We can be reached by phone at (413) 245-1264 or by email at info@norcrosswildlife.org.  For more information go to our website www.norcrosswildlife.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

We are not a wildlife rescue or rehabilitation facility.

We no longer offer a conservation grant program.