The Hitchcock Center was founded in 1962, "to foster a greater awareness and understanding of our environment and to develop environmentally literate citizens." The Center has come to serve teachers and schools throughout western Massachusetts from its headquarters in Amherst, where it maintains the most comprehensive offering of environmental educational resources in Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Berkshire Counties. It has received numerous state and even national awards for excellence in its field.

Small service agencies in large rural areas have two main challenges: fundraising and program delivery. Hitchcock has had to be extraordinarily creative in devising ways to serve the diverse communities of western Massachusetts, that have limited resources for school field trips and public programs. For example, its "Enviro-van" takes its resources and programs on the road -- to families, teachers and students, where they live and work and recreate, to schoolgrounds and playgrounds, urban parks and housing developments, town and country fairs and local libraries and museums.

Now the Center is focusing on using the environment as an "integrating context" -- increasing students' interest in learning, interpersonal skills and academic achievement.