Take Action · 2026
Help Protect the Observatory.
Your Voice Matters.
Our community has already delivered two remarkable victories in the Massachusetts legislature. Now we need one more push on Beacon Hill — and a separate ask of our federal delegation. Here is where things stand and what you can do right now.
MA Legislature · Active
Conference Committee
Urge your legislators to preserve the funding in the final FY2027 conference report.
⬤ Action needed now
MA Legislature · Won
House + Senate Both Passed
Both chambers adopted funding for Blue Hill Observatory in their FY2027 budgets. Thank you.
✓ Both chambers adopted
Federal · Active
CDS Request — $750K
Contact Sen. Warren & Sen. Markey to support The Blue Hill Observatory Record digitization project.
⬤ Action needed now
Legislative Wins
Both Chambers Came Through. Thank You.
In the past several weeks, the Massachusetts House adopted Amendment #729 to H5500 — a $100,000 allocation for Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, filed by Representatives Galvin and Wells. Then last week, the Massachusetts Senate followed with Amendment 1002 — a $100,000 allocation filed by Senator Driscoll — passing it with the support of senators who heard directly from constituents like you.
These outcomes are the direct result of our community showing up. Emails were written, calls were made, and legislators listened. For an organization of our size, wins like these matter enormously — and they happened because people took a few minutes to speak up for science.
Both chambers heard from their constituents — and both chambers acted. Your voice made this happen. Now help us carry it across the finish line.
With both chambers having passed their own versions of the budget, the FY2027 bill now moves to a conference committee, where House and Senate members will negotiate the final version. Our funding — in both amounts — needs to survive that process.
Active Ask · MA Legislature
Contact Your Legislators: Protect the Funding in Conference
Action Required · Conference Committee
A conference committee is a small group of House and Senate members appointed to reconcile the two chambers’ budget bills. Their final agreement becomes the budget sent to the Governor. Items that do not survive conference can be lost — even after passing both chambers.
We are asking our community to contact both their State Representative and State Senator and urge them to ensure the Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center funding is preserved in the final conference committee report.
Blue Hill Observatory at a Glance
National Historic Landmark & Centennial Observing Station — one of only 11 in the United States
Longest continuous weather record in the Western Hemisphere — unbroken since 1885
Critical data supporting climate research, forecasting, and policy decision-making
More than one million youth and adults served through educational programs since 1999
Suggested Message to Your Legislators
💡 Include your home address. Legislative offices confirm that you are a constituent before acting on your request — your address is what makes your message count.
Dear [Representative/Senator Name],
I am writing to ask you to ensure that the funding for Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center is preserved in the final FY2027 conference committee budget report.
Both chambers of the Massachusetts legislature have now voted to support this institution — the House through Amendment #729 to H5500, and the Senate through Amendment 1002. As conferees reconcile the two bills, I urge you to make certain this investment survives in the final agreement.
Blue Hill Observatory has maintained the longest continuous weather record in the Western Hemisphere — unbroken since 1885 — and serves more than one million youth and adults through hands-on science education. It is a National Historic Landmark and one of only 11 Centennial Observing Stations in the United States. This funding provides critical stability at a time when it is greatly needed.
Thank you for your continued leadership on behalf of Massachusetts and for helping protect this irreplaceable scientific institution.
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
Active Ask · Federal
Support The Blue Hill Observatory Record
$750,000 · FY2027 Congressionally Directed Spending Request
The Blue Hill Observatory Record is our initiative to digitize and make publicly accessible 141 years of handwritten atmospheric observations — the most comprehensive long-term climate dataset of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. We have submitted a $750,000 Congressionally Directed Spending request for FY2027 to fund this work.
We are asking our community to contact Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ed Markey to express support for this request. When senators hear directly from constituents, it strengthens the case for inclusion in the federal budget.
What This Funding Would Accomplish
Digitize and transcribe 141 years of handwritten records into structured, searchable data
Create a free, open public portal for researchers, educators, and the public
Preserve irreplaceable atmospheric data at risk of physical deterioration
Support climate modeling, extreme weather research, and science education nationwide
Suggested Message — Senator Warren
💡 Include your home address so Senator Warren’s office can confirm you are a Massachusetts constituent.
Dear Senator Warren,
I am writing to urge your support for a $750,000 Congressionally Directed Spending request submitted by Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center in Milton, Massachusetts for FY2027. This funding would support The Blue Hill Observatory Record — an initiative to digitize and make publicly accessible 141 years of continuous atmospheric observations, the longest such record in the Western Hemisphere.
This data is currently held in handwritten logbooks that are not searchable or accessible to the wider scientific community. Digitization would unlock it for climate researchers, educators, and policymakers at no cost — a major public benefit from a single investment in a Massachusetts institution with national significance.
Thank you for your leadership on climate science and for considering this request.
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
Suggested Message — Senator Markey
💡 Include your home address so Senator Markey’s office can confirm you are a Massachusetts constituent.
Dear Senator Markey,
I am reaching out to express my support for a $750,000 Congressionally Directed Spending request from Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center in Milton, Massachusetts for FY2027. The request would fund The Blue Hill Observatory Record, a project to digitize 141 years of continuous daily atmospheric data — one of the most significant long-term climate datasets in the world.
Making this data freely available through a public online portal would dramatically expand its impact for climate researchers and educators across the country. It is exactly the kind of targeted federal investment — in a Massachusetts landmark with national scientific value — that delivers lasting public benefit.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to climate action and for considering this important request.
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
Why It Matters
Legislators listen when constituents speak.
Even one message can shift priorities.
A brief email or phone call from a constituent carries real weight. By speaking up, you demonstrate that protecting climate science — and the institutions that make it possible — matters to your community.
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