Connecticut Audubon Society
Center at Fairfield

2325 Burr Street
Fairfield, CT 06824
203-259-6305, ext. 109

New Visitor Hours starting May 1, 2009:
Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
(Closed Sundays & Mondays.)

Our adjoining 155-acre Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary
is open dawn to dusk year-round.

Click here for Directions

General Information
Located in the historic Greenfield Hill section, the Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield was constructed in 1971 and adjoinins the 155-acre Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sanctuary, open dawn to dusk year-round, features rolling woodlands, meadows, streams, marshes and ponds with raised boardwalks and bridges that allow access to a variety of habitats, 7 miles of trails including the Chiboucas Wheelchair-accessible Trail for the Disabled, observation platform, interpretive signage and an Algonquin wigwam replica. 

The Center provides an indoor setting for interpretation of the Sanctuary and serves as the hub of youth and adult environmental education programs and activities throughout the year. Our Center features live education animals and other nature-related exhibits and, from late spring and throughout the summer a Butterfly Garden. Farm Pond (right behind the building) is a great place for spotting frogs, turtles and ducks. Our “Birds of Prey” Compound is home to a variety of owls and hawks, two Peregrine Falcons, a Turkey Vulture and other raptors.

Focus: To promote awareness of Connecticut's terrestrial and freshwater wetland ecosystems and foster their preservation through hands-on experience and learning and related activities.

CAS Center at Fairfield Features

• Classrooms and meeting rooms (also available for rent)
• Education Animals and Educational Exhibits
• Greenhouse featuring a "Sensory" Garden
• Nature Store with unique nature-inspired gifts for all ages plus a great selection of bird houses, bird feeders, bird baths, birding guides, bird seed and more! CAS Members receive a 10% discount on all purchases.
  

On The Grounds

• Live "Birds of Prey" Compound
• 152-acre Roy & Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary: 7 miles of trails including the Chiboucas Wheelchair-accessible Trail for the Disabled, boardwalks, observation platform, interpretive signage, Algonquin wigwam replica.

Environmental Activities

• Classes, lectures, workshops related to birds and their habits and the environmental.
• Programs for School Groups for students in
  Pre-K through Grade 12 (click here).
• Programs for Scout Troops (click here) and other community organizations.
• Youth Programs held after-school and on weekends including weeklong summer day camps and classes (see listings at right).
• Birthday Parties that are both fun and educational (click here).
• Adult classes in wildlife art and photography.

Annual Special Events

• Adirondack Night (Feb.)
• Bird Seed Sales Days
  (Oct., Dec., Feb., April)
• Egg Hunt & Breakfast (spring)
• Enchanted Forest (Oct.)

Volunteer Opportunities

• Animal Care Program: For young adults 13 to 20 years of age who help us care for the Center's non-releaseable education animals. (Click here for more information.)

Thank You Maddy!
Our Center's education animals say "thank you" to Maddy Abrahamson. Instead of giving party favor bags at her birthday party, Maddy made a donation to help feed and care for them. Donations are greatly appreciated. Teens can also become Animal Care Volunteers; click here for information.
(Photo by Tricia Kevalis.)

CAS's Environmental Education Programs
for Pre-K through Grade 12 Classes
At the Center at Fairfield or at Your School

The many programs we offer comply with specific standards of the Connecticut Science Framework (noted in our brochure) and all include an outdoor component. Your class can visit our Center at Fairfield -- where programs are typically 1 hour, 90 minutes or 2 hours long. Or our teacher-naturalists will visit your school to conduct 45-minute or hour-long programs.
Our current programs are:

»Animal Groups (Grades PreK-5)
»Exploring the Seasons (Grades PreK-3)
»Life in the Woodland (Grades PreK-5)

»Native Americans (Grades PreK-6)

»What Makes a Bird a Bird? (Grades PreK-3)
»Butterflies, Arachnids and More! (Grades 1-5)
»Pond's Alive (Grades 2-6)

»Going, Going, Gone? Endangered Species (Gs 3-6)

»Rock & Roll (Grades 3-5)
»Birds of Prey (Grades 3-12)
»Owls (Grades 3-12)
»Food Chains & Food Webs (Grades 3-6)
»Animal Adaptations (Grades 4-6).

Check back at the beginning of September for our updated brochure and schedule for the 2009-2010 school year. Teachers can still schedule any of the programs listed above for the upcoming school year.

Click here for a copy of our 4-page brochure, which includes details about our Center at Fairfield and Birdcraft Museum Environmental Education Programs, fees, registration and contact information. Or contact Carol Kratzman, Education Coordinator, 203-259-6305 ext. 112, or ckratzman@ctaudubon.org.

CAS's CANE Program for K-Grade 2
Students & Parent-Volunteers

CAS's CANE (Connecticut Audubon Nature Explorers) Program is offered to students in the 11 Fairfield Public Schools and St. Thomas Parochial School in Fairfield. Parent-Volunteers are trained to present up to three science enrichment programs to their child’s class. Two units are presented in the classroom leading up to one end-of-the-year field study activity. Parents need to attend only one of the three training days offered for each program they volunteer to teach.

--The Kindergarten Fall and Winter Units are puppet shows; the Spring Unit is held on the school grounds.

--The Grade 1 Fall Unit is a puppet show; the Winter Unit is a hands-on activity about bird beak adapations; the Spring Unit is a trip to CAS's Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield.
--The Grade 2 Units include the set-up of a salt water tank in the classroom, a "Mystery in the Marsh" activity that challenges students’ detective skills, and a trip to Southport Beach to investigate the variety of wildlife and habitats found there.

In addition to training, Connecticut Audubon Society provides all materials that CANE Parent-Volunteers need in the classroon. There are also CANE Coordinators at each of the 11 Fairfield Public Schools and at St. Thomas Parochial School; they will have more information and complete presentation schedules available at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.

Connecticut Audubon Society's CANE program began in the 1970s. Currently we have approximately 200 parents who volunteer every school year. During the 2007/08 school year they taught 2,300 students in Grades K-2!

Check back at the end of August for the complete schedule of training dates for Parent-Volunteers for the 2009-2010 school year.

Questions? Please contact Carol Kratzman, CANE Program Coordinator, 203-259-6305, ext. 112 or ckratzman@ctaudubon.org

Spotlight on our Center at Fairfield's
Young Members and Volunteers

Many thanks to the following Boy Scouts for completing their Eagle Scout projects at the Center at Fairfield:
To James Belasco for repairing boardwalk along Dirty Swamp Trail.
To Patrick Hoyt for repairing boardwalk along Deer Meadow Trail.
To Ruari Clancy for trail maintenance on Cottontail Cut-off and boardwalk repair on Streamside Trail.
To David Borowy for boardwalk repair between Farm Pond and Streamside Trail.
To Joe Furniss for trail marking along Muskrat Hollow, Oxcart, Dirty Swamp and Fox Run trails and for boardwalk repair along Muskrat Hollow Trail.
To Corey Franzen for boardwalk repair on Muskrat Hollow Trail.
To Matt Marshall for repair of the teaching platform at Farm Pond and a boardwalk on the back lawn.
There’s always more work to be done! If your Cub Scout den or pack or your Scout troop is interested in a community service project, or if you are considering an Eagle Scout project at the Center at Fairfield or at the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary, please contact Carol Kratzman, Education Coordinator, at 203-259-6305 ext. 112 or ckratzman@ctaudubon.org.

And a big “thank you” to Linnea Scerbo and her Animal Care Volunteers. Our Center’s Animal Care Volunteer Program is staffed by young adults 13-20 years old who volunteer at least one day a week to assist with the care and keeping of the Center’s Education Animals. Our animals need tender loving care 365 days a year, so three cheers to all our Animal Care volunteers for their dedication! If you would like to volunteer, please read about the article about our Animal Care Program. Applications are available at the Center's Nature Store.

About our Animal Care Program

The Center at Fairfield's Animal Care Program provides young adults 13-20 with an opportunity to interact with and care for the Center's non-releasable Education Animals. Our Center is home to many different animal species and our staff and volunteers are dedicated to providing the finest care possible for these special "Wildlife Ambassadors." All our animals are in some way unable to survive in the wild, either because of permanent disabilities or because they were raised as "pets" and never learned to hunt for their food. (Photo by Deanna Sojka.)

Our Education Animals are comfortable in the presence of humans and have been handled extensively by the Center at Fairfield's Animal Care Staff. They are also the star attraction of many classes, programs and special events we offer that are attended by thousands of children and adults every year. As "Wildlife Ambassadors" they can communicate to children and adults in special ways that human educators cannot.

Our Education Animals are a very important part of our environmental education and conservation programs and they are treated with the utmost respect. Therefore they must be cared for by well-trained, dedicated and caring volunteers.

You Can Become an Animal Care Volunteer!*

The main goal of our Animal Care Program is to provide a healthy, safe and enriched environment for our Center's many Education Animals. These animals rely on our Center staff and volunteers for all their needs.

A second goal of the Program is to involve and educate young adults in the care of domestic animals and wildlife. Through their involvement, these young adults will learn firsthand the importance of environmental stewardship and conservation, and we believe they will spread that message to friends and family.

*Are you interested in becoming an Animal Care Volunteer? Please contact Supervisor Linnea Scerbo at 203-259-6305 ext. 118 or lscerbo@ctaudubon.org.  Applications are also available in the Center at Fairfield's Nature Store.

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Directions to CAS Center at Fairfield:

From I-84:  Take Routes 25, 8 or 91 south to Wilbur Cross/Merritt Parkway (Route 15). Then see Merritt Parkway directions below.

From Merritt Parkway:
From the north: Take Exit 44/Fairfield, turn left at light at bottom of the ramp. Go left at the next light, go under the Parkway bridge and then turn right at the light onto Congress St.
**At the first stop sign, turn right onto Burr St. The CAS Center at Fairfield is less than 1 mile on the left.

From the south: Take Exit 44/Fairfield, at end of ramp turn right onto Congress St. Follow directions from ** above.

From I-95: Take Exit 21/Mill Plain Rd. Proceed north and straight for 4-1/2 miles (Mill Plain becomes Burr St.) The CAS Center at Fairfield is on the left.