A Seasonal Gift Arrives at our Center at Glastonbury
Today (December 23) a Ring Neck Dove named "Winter" became the newest addition to our Center at Glastonbury's animal nursery. Its parents are "June" and "Cloud," two of the many non-releasable education animals that live at the Center. "Winter" is pictured in the gloved hand of CT Audubon teacher-naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator Kasha Breau. Photo by Sally Carbone, Director, CAS Center at Glastonbury.

Help Us Raise Up To $125,000 For Our Conservation, Education & Advocacy Programs --
Thanks to Connecticut Volvo Retailers!
Connecticut Volvo Retailers have generously donated a Volvo 2008 C30

Hatchback as top prize in a raffle to benefit Connecticut Audubon Society. Purchase a raffle ticket and help us raise up to $125,000 to support our year-round conservation, education and advocacy programs!
A maximum of 2,500 tickets will be sold at $50 each.
To purchase a raffle ticket, please contact Ann O’Leary
at aoleary@ctaudubon.org or 203-259-6305 ext. 102.

Deadline extended!! Join or Renew Your Membership with Connecticut Audubon Society by January 31, 2009and we'll send you a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card as our way of saying "Happy Holidays" -- Click here to Join or Renew your CT Audubon Membership!

All CT Audubon Members will receive special discounts from The Pantry in Fairfield and Glam Spa in Orange -- plus an additional 10% discount on all Nature Store purchases at our Fairfield and Milford Centers (for a total discount of 20%!) -- Click here to learn more.

Your CT Audubon Society Membership is tax-deductible -- Click here to Join or Renew.
New and Renewing Members will receive their Amazon.com gift card by separate e-mail.  
Questions? Contact Madeline Dennis, 203-259-6305 ext. 105 or mdennis@ctaudubon.org.
 You do make a difference!

Photo by Jayne Gulbrand

Just in Time For the Holidays! CAS Business and Non-Profit Groups Members
Get Special Group Discounts up to 45% on All Online Orders From Staples
CT Audubon Business Members and Non-Profit Group Members -- including any business, school, library or civic group -- will now receive a special group discount of up to 45% off on all online credit card orders through the “Staples Business Advantage” Plan! CAS Business and Non-Profit Group Members will also receive $5 off their first online order placed before January 31, 2009!

To take advantage of this special group discount, click here to download the enrollment form. Or click here to e-mail Membership Manager Madeline Dennis and request a form. For those who prefer to shop in the store, once you enroll you'll also receive additional “in store” coupons for still more savings throughout the year. This is a benefit for CAS Business Members and Non-Profit Group Members only! So please make sure your Membership is current. If you’re not a CAS Business or Non-Profit Group Member, call 203-259-6305 ext. 105 and join today!

The 2009 Connecticut Audubon Society Eagle Festival® Is Cancelled

On Nov. 13, 2008, CAS President Robert Martinez announced the cancellation of the 2009 Connecticut Audubon Society Eagle Festival®, originally scheduled for Feb. 14-15, 2009 in Essex, CT. “This year, the national economic downturn has prohibited the depth and breadth of support that we usually enjoy from our corporate sponsors,” he said. “This corporate support is what allows Connecticut Audubon Society to offer festival visitors the opportunity to see Bald Eagles in the wild, enjoy live birds of prey demonstrations and attend environmental lectures from noted experts -- all free-of-charge to the public. We are grateful for the enthusiasm that all of our constituents feel for this, the largest birding festival in North America, and we look forward to continuing and revitalizing this popular event the moment the economy allows." Click here to read the press release.

Connecticut Audubon Society Will Still Offer Eagle-Viewing Opportunities in 2009
Our EcoTravel Program offers guided “Eagle-Viewing Boat Tours” on the Connecticut River, departing from Essex, CT, beginning Feb. 7 thru March 22, 2009. Trips are on Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and starting Feb. 19 on Thursdays at 10 a.m. Tickets are $40 and must be reserved in advance; call 860-767-0660 or 800-996-8747, or click here to e-mail our CAS EcoTravel staff. Seats are limited and sell out quickly so call today!

Starting Dec. 27, CAS staff naturalists and volunteers will assist visitors and answer questions at the Shepaug Dam Bald Eagle Observation Area in Southbury, CT. It is open the last weekend of December through mid-March on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.  Admission is free but reservations are required; call 800-368-8954 from Dec. 7 thru March 7, Tuesday thru Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Visit http://www.shepaugeagles.info/. Bald Eagle photo © 2007 by Mathias Kohring.

Governors Rell & Patrick Announce Partnership to Protect Habitat on CT/Mass Border

On Nov. 18, 2008, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced their partnership initiative to preserve a 450-acre property important to grassland birds. Comprising 254 acres in Southwick, MA and 196 acres in Suffield, CT, it will be managed jointly by the two states as habitat for a variety of migratory birds and other species. “Grasslands are one of the top priority habitats recognized by both the Connecticut Audubon Society’s '2006 Connecticut State of the Birds' Report and the DEP’s 'Connecticut Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy,'” said Milan Bull, CAS senior director for science and conservation. “This acquisition provides the most significant protection of important grassland habitat in our time and it promises to protect not only threatened and endangered bird species, but a host of other plants and animals dependent upon this unique environment.” Click here to read the press release.

Connecticut Audubon Society Receives Contract Award from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Connecticut Audubon Society will perform field surveys and data analysis and provide management recommendations for a Wildlife and Flora Field Survey on five flood control projects in the Naugatuck River Area. The $30,000 contract is with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District. Dr. Anton Leenders, Conservation Biologist, will head the effort for Connecticut Audubon Society, which will provide baseline biological information necessary for the preparation of master plans for USACE's CT projects. Click here to learn more. Photo: Thomaston Dam holding back a pool (normally a dry bed reservoir). The flooded area is the Naugatuck River. Courtesy U.S. ACE

Connecticut Bald Eagle Survey Update
By Julie Victoria, Wildlife Biologist, CT DEP Wildlife Division

Since 1979, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has participated in a nationwide Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey held on the second Saturday in January. During the survey period of January 11-12, 2008, 81 bald eagles -- 49 adults and 32 immature eagles -- were recorded statewide. In January 2007, 62 birds were counted. The Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey is not a complete census of the entire wintering population in Connecticut, but an index of the species' use of the state, which can be compared year to year. Click here to read the article.  

Help Needed at our Center at Fairfield with Bird Data
Long-time bird banding programs at CAS Nature Centers and other bird inventory efforts have resulted in large amounts of valuable information on the presence of bird species across the state. Some of this information is many decades old and provides invaluable “snapshots in time” that allow us to compare historic bird diversity and density with current numbers and determine whether species are declining or not.
CAS's Science and Conservation Department is in the process of compiling and analyzing this data. But we need volunteers who can tranfer the available information from notebooks, old banding sheets and other paper formats into a computer. Click here for more information. Photo: A Saw-whet Owl is held by a trained bird bander.

We have many Volunteer Opportunities available: click here.

Connecticut Audubon Society Receives Highest 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator! 

Connecticut Audubon Society has received the coveted 4-Star Rating from the national charity evaluator, Charity Navigator, the highest rating for a non-profit organization. In his letter, Michael Smith, Interim President of Charity Navigator wrote, “We are proud to announce Connecticut Audubon Society has earned our 4-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances.  Approximately a quarter of the charities we evaluate have received our highest rating, indicating Connecticut Audubon Society outperforms the majority of non-profits in America with respect to fiscal responsibility.  The ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Connecticut Audubon Society from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.” Click here to read the press release.

CLEAN ENERGY. It's Real. It's Here. It's Working -- in Connecticut!

Connecticut Audubon Society's Members, Supporters and Friends can demonstrate their commitment to a healthy environment by signing up to support clean energy. This campaign is part of a pilot program, developed by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), through which 5 environmental non-profit organizations are asking constituents to enroll in the "CTCleanEnergyOptions™" program. For every 250 people who sign up from any of the 5 participating organizations, CCEF will donate a 1-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system to the CAS Coastal Center at Milford Point, helping to create a system that will generate electricity and provide an educational exhibit for visitors with real-time monitoring available. Sign up for clean energy now! It's good for the birds, it's good for us, it's good for the environment. Click here for more info.                                                    

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