Connecticut Audubon Society holding vacation camp for kids

 

The  Connecticut Audubon Society will hold a vacation camp days  session from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

December 28, 29 and 30, 2015, according to a release.

The camp is for children Ages 5-10 and will be held at the Coastal Center at 1 Milford Point Road, Milford, the release said.

 

"We’ll be inside and outside exploring the wonders of winter.  Choose one, two or all three days for your child. Each day there will be different crafts, stories, games, experiments, and outdoor activities.  Weather permitting, we’ll hike to the beach to see who’s there.  Each day a different movie will be shown to round out the fun.  Come dressed for outdoor explorations.  Children should bring a peanut-free snack and lunch," the release said.

 

Cost for CAS members is $37/child/day or $105/child for all three days and Non-members $42/child/day or $120/child for all three days, the release sad. Call Louise at 203-878-7440 x 502

 

 

 

Also in the release:

 

"Founded in 1898 by pioneering conservationist Mabel Osgood Wright, Connecticut Audubon Society conserves Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and their habitats. Connecticut Audubon Society operates nature centers in Fairfield, Milford, Glastonbury and Pomfret, as well as an EcoTravel office in Essex. Connecticut Audubon Society manages 19 wildlife sanctuaries around the state, preserves over 2,600 acres of open space in Connecticut and educates over 200,000 children and adults annually."

 

Connecticut Audubon Society to hold Annual Holiday Tea

 The Connecticut Audubon Society will "honor the past and celebrate the future" at this year’s annual Holiday Tea from 3 to 5 p.m. Dec. 6 at Birdcraft Museum, 314 Unquowa Road in Fairfield.

 

"To mark the 100th anniversary of the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary, the public is invited to come enjoy tea sandwiches, cookies and other traditional treats," according to a release.

 

Joining the celebration "to share interesting tea facts and history" will be Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO of the Bigelow Tea Co. which is providing the tea for the event, the release said.

 

The tea is open to the public and free of charge but donations are welcome.

 

Guests also will "have the chance to meet a special visitor from the past," the release said. "Conservation pioneer Mabel Osgood Wright, (shown in photo) the naturalist, author, and photographer who was a founder of the museum and sanctuary in 1914, will time travel to attend this event and show her appreciation for Birdcraft’s continued commitment to environmental education over the last 100 years."

 

“The Holiday Tea is an opportunity to thank the many volunteers and supporters who are making it possible to fulfill Mabel’s vision,” Nelson North, Connecticut Audubon’s director of Fairfield operations said, also in the release. “Working together—the community, our board, members, staff and visitors—we will achieve our shared goal of educating youth, from all backgrounds, to become responsible stewards of our natural environment.”

Further, the release said: "Birdcraft, a national historic landmark, is undergoing a major renovation that will establish it as an important 21^st-century environmental education center and a keystone to Connecticut Audubon Society’s expanding education program. It includes a landscape restoration project and the creation of an outdoor classroom being undertaken with the Southport-based Sasqua Garden Club which is also underwriting the project. Renovations are expected to be completed in early 2016."

 This year’s Tea will feature basket arrangements of exotic holiday greens and an assortment of small gifts and decorative ornaments available for purchase, the release said.  Also, one of the resident hawks or owls in Connecticut Audubon Society’s “Live Birds of Prey” exhibit will visit. 

 

For more information call 203-259-6305 ext. 109.
 

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Connecticut Audubon Society to host 'Halloween at the Enchanted Forest'

The Connecticut Audubon Society invites you to "Bring your ghosts and goblins for a hoot of a Halloween at the Enchanted Forest" on Oct. 24, according to a release.

 

"An excellent nature-themed alternative or addition to the traditional Halloween celebration, the Enchanted Forest introduces fascinating, entertaining (and educational!) information about nocturnal animals in their natural habitat," the release said.

 

"Participants will have a fun – but not scary – experience when they are escorted around the luminary trail by volunteers who light the way with flashlights." the release said. "The night also features fall-themed craft making, Halloween snacks and a chance to meet some of the Center’s creepy and crawly critters. Children are encouraged to wear costumes.  The Enchanted Forest is held rain or moonshine."

 

Guided walks leave approximately every 15 minutes beginning at 5:30p.m. and the last walk leaves at 7:30 p.m., the release said.  Pre-registration and pre-payment required at time of registration. Call 203-259-6305 ext. 109 to reserve your walk time. Program fee: CAS members $10/child, $2/adult; Non-members: $15/children, $2/adult.  "Call early or you don’t stand a ghost of a chance. "

 

All proceeds support Connecticut Audubon Society environmental education programs. Visit www.ctaudubon.org for additional programs.
 

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You can be a part of the “Osprey Nation”

The Connecticut Audubon Society has launched a new citizen science program called “Osprey Nation” with the goal of tracking and safeguarding the hundreds of Ospreys that nest in Connecticut, according to a release.

 

Connecticut Audubon is creating an interactive map, available on www.ctaudubon.org/osprey-nation, that will show the location as well as key information about each nest. The data will also be provided to the Connecticut DEE.

Working in partnership with state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut Audubon Society "is recruiting volunteer stewards for Osprey Nation, to create a long-term record of information that will provide a better understanding of the health of Connecticut’s Osprey population," the release said..

 

"It was only several decades ago that the widespread use of DDT brought these great fish-eating raptors to the brink of extinction. But with a ban on this toxic pesticide and the efforts of government biologists, conservation groups and individuals, Ospreys have made a dramatic comeback. Ospreys now nest in dozens of locations along the coast, and on rivers and lakes further inland," the release said.

 

“The status of these magnificent birds provide us with invaluable insights into the health of our lakes, rivers, Long Island Sound – and ourselves,” said Alexander Brash, president of Connecticut Audubon Society, also in the release. “If Ospreys are doing well, we know that fish are plentiful and relatively free of environmental contaminants. If the Osprey population starts to fall again, it will be a signal that something is wrong somewhere.”

  

“In order to follow any population trends in our Ospreys, we need to know how many nests are in Connecticut and whether the birds are thriving over time,” Brash said.

 

Robert Klee, commissioner of the DEEP, said, also in the release: "Careful monitoring of the Osprey population continues to be important and the volunteer work of Connecticut's citizen scientists will provide the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection with valuable information that will help scientists determine how well Ospreys are doing in Connecticut. Since their comeback after the ban of DDT in the 1970's, the population has experienced a steady increase and can be seen all along Connecticut's coasts and rivers."

 

Milan Bull, Connecticut Audubon Society’s senior director of science and conservation, said the organization is recruiting a network of volunteer stewards to collect data on Osprey nests, including location, arrival dates in spring, nesting success and departure dates.

 

“If you live near an active Osprey nest, own binoculars or a spotting scope, and want to join our network of stewards, please email us at Osprey@Ctaudubon.org,” Bull said.

 

Bull said he estimates that each volunteer steward would need to spend no more than an hour a month, from late March through August, observing, recording information and emailing it to Connecticut Audubon Society, the release said

 

Learn more here. 

 

Photo provided by Audubon is by  Diane Hull, on the Branford River.
 

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Connecticut: Share the beach with the birds

In a release, the Connecticut Audubon Society asks, "With summer approaching, the Audubon Alliance asks you to share the beach with piping plovers, least terns and other birds."

Further, the society says, "A team of volunteers will be heading to Connecticut’s beaches starting Memorial Day weekend to monitor nest sites of vulnerable birds and help educate beach-goers about how they can help keep the birds safe."

Read more about the efforts and what you can do to help

Find the society on Facebook too. 


Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed. Click one of the buttons below to share it. Photo by Sean Graesser / Audubon Alliance