The work is a piece of a large network of habitat restoration projects Connecticut Audubon is carrying out on its sanctuaries and in collaboration with others September 6, 2022 — The Larsen Sanctuary in Fairfield doesn’t feel like it’s all that close to Long Island Sound. But there’s a direct connection between the woods off […]
News
News Release: Improvements to the Larsen Sanctuary in Fairfield benefit wildlife, Long Island Sound, and the 10,000 people who visit each year
Wednesday, September 7th, 2022Federal funds will go toward major conservation and education improvements at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center
Monday, March 25th, 2024March 25, 2024—Two environmental improvement projects planned for the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center in Old Lyme have been awarded funding from the federal government. The Estuary Center will receive $800,000 to improve bird and wildlife habitat, and $500,000 to address climate control and energy efficiency for its historic building.
To protect nesting birds, the Coastal Center gates will be locked for the 4th of July weekend. But all our other sanctuaries are open as usual.
Thursday, June 30th, 2022June 30, 2022 — As you’re making plans to visit Connecticut Audubon’s sanctuaries over the 4th of July weekend, keep in mind that the parking lot gates at the Milford Point Coastal Center will be locked at 4 p.m. today, June 30, and will open again at sunrise on July 5. But all of our other sanctuaries will be open as usual.
In its 6th year, a research project expects to find big changes to the Connecticut River’s coves, with key implications for birds
Monday, June 27th, 2022June 27, 2022 — An important source of food for ducks and geese on the Connecticut River seems to be disappearing. Field biologists think they know what’s happening. But to help them figure out how much is left and what’s replacing it, three student scientists are spending the summer on the coves of Lyme.
House of Representatives passes the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
Thursday, June 23rd, 2022June 23, 2022 — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. The bill authorizes $1.3 billion to be distributed each year to help states carry out their federally-mandated wildlife action plans. Connecticut would receive almost $12 million a year for the protection of birds and other wildlife.
2022 Birdathon Photo Contest winners
Thursday, June 2nd, 2022June 2, 2022 — One thing is clear: the judges of the Migration Madness Birdathon Photo Contests admire a good hummingbird photograph. For the second year in a row, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird is our first-place winner in the adult birder category; in 2020, a hummingbird photo won third-place. This year’s winning photo was taken by Robert Gerard, of Madison, on Friday, May 13, at the Stewart B. McKinney National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Westbrook.
A great day for a celebration of the new National Estuarine Research Reserve
Monday, May 23rd, 2022May 23, 2022 — Three decades of collaborative work culminated on Saturday, May 21, in an official celebration in Groton of Connecticut’s new National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The reserve encompasses 52,000 acres of the lower Connecticut River and the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound east almost to the Rhode Island border. With the Sound sparkling in the bright sunshine, government officials and dozens of well-wishers gathered at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus on Saturday to mark the official designation.
Op-ed — The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act: an unprecedented opportunity that is good for wildlife and people
Friday, May 6th, 2022The time for the U.S. Congress to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is now.
Action alert: ask your state Senator to vote yes to ban horseshoe crab fishing
Wednesday, April 27th, 2022April 27, 2022 — Support for a ban on horseshoe crab fishing is growing in the Connecticut General Assembly. But for the proposal to become law, Connecticut’s State Senators need to hear from you now. Please ask your state Senator to vote yes on HB 5140, An Act Concerning the Hand-Harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs in the State.
Action Alert: Speak Out In Favor Of This Pesticide Control Bill
Tuesday, April 26th, 2022April 26, 2022 — The Connecticut General Assembly is moving forward with a law to restrict the use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide that can kill birds and beneficial insects. Please act now to tell your House member to vote yes.
Action Alert: Help protect the natural resources of the Salmon River State Forest
Friday, February 11th, 2022February 11, 2022 — A proposal to create mountain biking trails in Salmon River State Forest could end up being a win-win for conservation and for responsible outdoor recreation. But for that to happen, we need you to please write to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and ask that provisions be made to protect the site’s natural resources.
52,000 acres in Connecticut designated as Nation’s 30th National Estuarine Research Reserve
Friday, January 14th, 2022January 14, 2022—A large section of Connecticut’s southeastern coast, encompassing ecologically rich tidal marshes, and shallow coves, bays and rivers, has been designated as the country’s 30th National Estuarine Research Reserve. The new reserve is the first in Connecticut. It covers about 52,000 acres in and around the lower Connecticut and Thames Rivers.
Brooke Bateman, Ph.D.: “Birds Are Telling Us It’s Time to Act on Climate Change”
Thursday, January 13th, 2022January 13, 2022 — This might be the most important presentation you see all year: Dr. Brooke Bateman, lead climate scientist for the National Audubon Society, will explain how Connecticut can protect bird habitat while also making huge strides toward its climate change goals. Dr. Bateman’s presentation — “Birds Are Telling Us It’s Time to Act on Climate Change” — will expand upon her article in the recent Connecticut State of the Birds Report, “Three Million Birds Are Gone. How Do We Bring Them Back?”
Young, Gifted & Wild About Birds 2022: The next generation has arrived, and you can catch them on Zoom
Thursday, January 6th, 2022January 6, 2022 — Connecticut Audubon’s online series, Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds, starts this month with the first of five Zoom presentations — combining conservation science with the joy and fun of getting to know the bird world. Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds 2022 presents compelling, cutting edge ideas and voices.
Action Alert: Speak out today to protect horseshoe crabs and shorebirds
Wednesday, December 15th, 2021December 15, 2021 — Connecticut Audubon needs you to speak out in favor of a proposed change to state regulations that are likely to benefit shorebirds. The change, proposed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, would lower the number of horseshoe crabs that can be caught in the state. That is likely to help species such as Red Knot and Semipalmated Sandpiper, which rely on horseshoe crab eggs for food during their migration through Connecticut.
CT State of the Birds 2021: To recoup the loss of 3 billion birds, what is the most important thing to do now?
Monday, December 6th, 2021December 6, 2021 — Restoring a bird population that has fallen by 30 percent over 50 years will require a slate of conservation activities. There’s no time like the present. But which activities are paramount? For the 2021 Connecticut State of the Birds report, we asked experts around the country: What do you think is the most important thing to do now to stabilize and restore the bird population?
A bird-lover’s guide to the 2021 CT State of the Birds report
Wednesday, December 1st, 2021December 1, 2021 — The starting point for the report is a study published in Science in September 2019. Written by 11 top ornithologists from the U.S. and Canada, it shows that over the last 50 years, North America has lost about 30% of its birds. In other words, there are three billion fewer birds in North America today than there were in 1970.
Osprey Nation 2021 Report: Reasons to celebrate, including lots of Ospreys
Monday, November 22nd, 2021November 22, 2021 — We’re releasing the Osprey Nation report for the 2021 season today. It shows that this year, 342 volunteer stewards submitted data on 814 nests. Of those nests, 558 were active. The 558 pairs of Ospreys that occupied those nests produced 858 fledglings. Both numbers are by far the highest since the project began.
Connecticut Audubon welcomes four new members to the Board of Directors
Tuesday, October 19th, 2021October 21, 2021 — Members of the Connecticut Audubon Society elected four new members of the Board of Directors at the organization’s annual meeting today. They also elected a slate of officers to lead the organization.
Public hearing and comment period set for the National Estuarine Research Reserve
Tuesday, September 28th, 2021September 28, 2021 — The federal government has scheduled a public meeting and is taking formal comments on the new environmental impact statement for the proposed National Estuarine Research Reserve in southeastern Connecticut. The reserve would would encompass the Lord Cove and Great Island Wildlife Management Areas in Old Lyme, and Bluff Point and Haley Farm—some of the best wildlife habitat on the Connecticut River estuary and in southeastern Connecticut.
