Connecticut Audubon Society
Center at Pomfret

189 Pomfret St. (Rte.169)
Pomfret Center, CT 06259
860-928-4948

Our Center at Pomfret is open:
Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday noon-4 p.m.

Our 700-acre Bafflin Sanctuary is open
daily from dawn to dusk.

Directions

General Information
The rural beauty of Connecticut’s "Quiet Corner" surrounds Connecticut Audubon Society's newest facility in the northeastern region of the state. The Connecticut Audubon Society's Center at Pomfret is a new community-based facility that offers environmental education programs, bird walks and many opportunities to learn about and explore the natural world.

This new facility serves as the gateway to the adjoining 700-acre Connecticut Audubon Society Bafflin Sanctuary with its vast rolling meadows, forests, streams and fertile grassland habitats. The successful combination of a Center and wildlife sanctuary greatly expands environmental learning.

Nothing enriches learning like first-hand outdoor experience and outdoor teaching surrounded by the natural beauty of a "classroom without walls.” The Center at Pomfret features:

• Expansive and diverse 700-acre Bafflin Sanctuary adjoins the Center.
• New classroom where people of all ages can experience hands-on environmental education programs.
• Offices and meeting rooms that serve as a gathering place for people interested in volunteering, teaching and making a contribution to the the environmental community in the northeast corner.
• After-school and weekend environmental programs.
• Day and evening hikes in Bafflin Sanctuary.
• Seasonal lectures and workshops.
• Changing natural history exhibits.
• Teacher workshops.

Directions
From I-395: Take exit 93 and travel west on Rte. 101. At the junction of Rte. 101 and Rte. 169, turn right onto Rte. 169 north. Travel 1 mile - the center will be on your right.

From I-84: Take exit 69. Travel east on Rte. 74 to Rte. 44 east. Where Rte. 44 meets Rte. 169, continue east on Rte. 44 for another 1/4 mile. The center will be on your right.

From I-91: Take I-91 to I-84 east and follow directions above.

Woodstock Eagle Scout Completes
Community Project on Bafflin Sanctuary

A giant “thank you” goes out to Aaron Landry, a Woodstock resident, recent graduate of EastConn in Brooklyn and newly inducted Eagle Scout. Aaron oversaw a challenging trail improvement project on the Bafflin Sanctuary, including the installation of new railings and trail steps on a Bafflin trail leading up to the CT DEP Airline Trail. Located on a very steep slope, the job required a lot of rough and rocky post-hole digging and stonework. Several new trail signs were also created and installed. Thank you Aaron and BSA Woodstock Troop 27 for the great work. Your efforts have made the Bafflin Sanctuary that much easier to traverse and enjoy.

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 Pomfret, the Center at Trail Wood or the Bafflin Sanctuary, please contact: Terry LaVoie, Administrative Assistant, at 860-928-4948 or tlavoie@ctaudubon.org.

A Goldfinch awaits banding by a
Connecticut Audubon Society volunteer.

About International Migratory Bird Day

International Migratory Bird Day was created in 1993 by visionaries at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. From 1995 to 2006, the program was under the direction of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of its consistent growth, IMBD is now the premier education project of Environment for the Americas. IMBD continues to focus attention on one of the most important and spectacular events in the life of a migratory bird: its journey between its summer and winter homes. Today it is celebrated in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Central America through bird festivals and bird walks, education programs and Bird Day!

IMBD officially takes place on the second Saturday in May. But it was recognized that this date doesn't work well for all bird event and bird festival organizers, or for the migratory birds themselves. To the south, migratory birds have already left, heading for breeding sites to the north. Farther north, the birds haven't arrived. Now, IMBD is celebrated almost year-round. Most U.S. and Canada events take place in April and May, while fall events are the norm in the Caribbean and Latin America. Each year, a team of IMBD coordinators and sponsors work together to select a theme that meets diverse criteria -- conservation-based, current, positive, tangible, educational and engaging -- to reach the varied audiences that celebrate IMBD. The 2008 IMBD Theme is “Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats and People.” (Source: http://www.birdday.org/history.php)

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * * 

The Center at Pomfret is celebrating IMBD with many activities and events in May;
click here for details.
Check our other Centers' listings for their IMBD events.

Center at Pomfret Citizen Science Programs
(*See program dates and descriptions below.

I. *Volunteer Mammal Monitoring Project

What are our wildlife friends doing this summer? Hike with program leaders Paula Coughlin and Fran Baranski to explore habitats and learn how to identify tracks and signs of mammals such as bobcat, moose, river otter, fisher, mink and black bear. We’ll find tracks, scat, marks on trees and signs of feeding that tell us stories of life in the meadows and forest.

We now offer 3 levels of involvement:
1.  Backyard Tracker training requires 10-15 hours of participation.
2.  Bafflin Tracker training requires 20 hours and prepares volunteers to document mammals on our 700-acre Bafflin Sanctuary.
3.  Volunteer Mammal Monitor training requires 50 hours and prepares volunteers to monitor a study site.

We offer training hikes, workshops and presentations throughout the year. Volunteers can move from one level to the next as their interest and schedule allow. The Citizen Science Mammal Monitoring Project receives support from the NewAlliance Foundation. For more information and to pre-register for programs, contact Citizen Science Coordinator Paula Coughlin at 860-928-4948 or pcoughlin@ctaudubon.org.  

*Beaver Neighbors
Wed., June 11, 6-8 p.m., Center at Pomfret.
Wed., June 18, 6-8 p.m., Trail Wood Sanctuary.
Make an early evening visit with Citizen Science Coordinator Paula Coughlin to a local pond and learn about beaver habits and habitats. Dress for short walk and bring water. Fee: $10 CAS members, $15 Non-members. 

*Mammal Monitoring/Training Hike
Sat., June 21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Begin or continue training to become a Citizen Science Wildlife Monitor. Our team of volunteers monitor study sites four times a year to collect data important to conservation efforts. Fee: $50 CAS members, $60 Non-members. Call to register.

*Tracking Signs of Wildlife on Bafflin Sanctuary
Sat., July 12, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Participants should wear long pants, bring water and a snack. Fee: $10 CAS members, $15 non-members.

II. *StreamWalk 2008 Volunteer Training
Fri., June 13 or Sat., June 14, 9 a.m.-noon.

As part of our Citizen Science Volunteer Monitoring Program, discover the beauty and solitude of a stream walk. As you walk along a stream bank or kayak or wade down a stream, we’ll train you to make and record observations that contribute to conservation science. In one 3-hour training you can become part of a growing group of Citizen Scientists who volunteer to conduct valuable research about the health of streams in northeast Connecticut. Once trained, participants can join Paula Coughlin, Citizen Science Coordinator, on field trips to collect data or work on selected stream segments on their own schedule from June through August. Volunteers make observations about the physical characteristics of streams such as depth, vegetation and streambed condition. The StreamWalk Project receives partial support from the Watershed Assistance Small Grants Program (conducted in association with the CT Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act) and is administered by the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut. Fee for one 3-hour training session: $15. Call 860-928-4948 to pre-register. 

Summer 2008 Nature Day Camp

Join us to explore the wonders of the
natural world in our 168-acre Trail Wood Sanctuary in Hampton, our 700-acre Bafflin Sanctuary in Pomfret, and during field trips to other wild places in eastern Connecticut.
Enjoy catching crayfish, hiking in the woods, identifying plants and insects and eco-journaling with a small group of fellow nature detectives.

Camp sessions are 5 days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please provide lunch for your child; we provide afternoon snack. Fee: $195/week for CAS members; $250/week for Non-members (includes free 1 year CAS Family Membership).

Register now! No more than 15 campers per week!
For more information:
-- Call 860-928-4948,
-- E-mail sheminway@ctaudubon.org
-- Click here for a Registration Form.

Program Schedule 2008 Nature Day Camp
 

For Junior Naturalists (ages 6-9) 
Week 1, June 23-27: Turtles, Snakes & Frogs
Junior naturalists will enjoy a week with the fish, frogs, turtles, crayfish and everything else that swims or crawls in our ponds and streams. Wear old sneakers and plan on getting wet.

For Junior Naturalists
(ages 6-9), Week 2,
June 30-July 4: Bird Festival
Come celebrate the incredible birds of northeastern Connecticut! Learn to recognize our native birds, their calls and behavior through games, activities and crafts. Hike on our Pomfret and Hampton Wildlife Sanctuaries, exploring different habitats in search of our many birds and natural materials for various projects. Opportunity to band birds.

For Junior Naturalists (ages 6-9) 
Week 3, July 7-July 11: Something Fishy
We will be all about fish this week. Practice casting, learn about all the native fish in our waters, take a trip to the hatchery and plan on getting your CT DEP fishing certification. Plus “Gyotaku” and lots of other crazy fish-oriented activities. 

Young Biologists (ages 10-13)
Week 4, July 14-18.
Spend each day with an expert in their field, including an ornithologist, lepidopterist and botanist. We’ll explore the issue of climate change, go bird banding, collect aquatic invertebrates, search for mammal signs and identify moths and butterflies to help inventory the wildlife species on our Sanctuary. Optional camping overnight Thursday ($30 extra): enjoy cooking over campfires, night hikes, constellation lessons and more Night Owl fun. 

*Nature’s Smorgasbord (for 7 years and older)
*Week 5, July 21-July 25 (optional camping overnight) 
*Week 6: July 28-Aug. 1 (optional camping overnight)
We will hike our Sanctuaries, go berry picking, head to the shore to discover marine life and enjoy old-fashioned summer fun. Mother Nature will help dictate the activities. Optional camping overnight on Thursday, July 24 or July 31 ($30 extra): enjoy cooking over campfires, night hikes, constellation lessons and more Night Owl fun.

Special Nature Photography Camp (for ages 11-13)
Week 6, July 28-Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-noon.

Learn about the environment through the camera lens. After a daily lesson in composition, we will head out to our Wildlife Sanctuaries with cameras in hand to record the natural world, shooting a roll of film a day, processing overnight, and creating a photo album to take home. All materials included.

OVERVIEW: CAS Center at Pomfret's
Citizen Science Monitoring Program:
2007 Report and 2008 Program Information

It’s been a busy year for the Citizen Science Monitoring Program, which was developed by Program Coordinator Paula Coughlin more than five years ago. To date, 335 community volunteers have contributed a total of 4,754 volunteer hours to our Center at Pomfret’s Citizen Science Program. (The 2007 value of a volunteer hour in Connecticut is calculated at $25 per hour!) Many of our volunteers participate in several projects and put in many hours in the field. This past year, September 2006 through August 2007, 144 volunteers contributed 801 volunteer hours to our four Citizen Science projects.

1) Bio-assessment for Volunteers: In the fall, Anne Picard and other Rapid Bioassessment volunteers wade into streams collecting riffle-dwelling macro-invertebrates (such as stoneflies and dragonfly nymphs) as indicators of water quality.
Our volunteers are conducting stream assessments in northeast Connecticut. The documentation of certain indicator species provides valuable water quality data to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (and is posted on the DEP website) and local conservation groups. Trainings are held in early September; field work takes place throughout the fall.

2) Stream Walk: In the summer, volunteers like Bill Bainbridge and his volunteer crew from Thompson are out walking streams, observing the conditions and looking for possible impairments.Trained volunteers discover the beauty and solitude of a special world as they walk and wade down streams, collecting valuable information about the health of water sources in the Quinebaug River watershed such as depth, vegetation and condition of the streambed. Participants join Paula Coughlin on "Streamwalks" or collect data on their own on selected stream segments during the summer.
Connecticut Audubon Society’s Rapid Bioassessment and StreamWalk projects receive support from the Watershed Assistance Small Grants Program conducted in association with the CT Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act and administered by the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut.

3) Pomfret Vernal Pool Inventory: Once again, spring will find our trained Citizen Science volunteers walking roads and hiking forests listening for frogs congregating at vernal pools. The first few warm, rainy nights will bring a parade of spotted salamanders risking exposure to predators and traffic as they too make their way to their breeding pools.
Vernal pools are small, temporary bodies of water that are critical breeding habitat for many amphibian neighbors that need our protection. You may have a vernal pool in your backyard! While 2008 marks the fourth season for the Pomfret Vernal Pool Inventory, this will be the first season that the Woodstock Conservation Commission (WCC) will partner with us. Congratulations to the WCC, which received seed monies from the New England Grassroots Foundation to begin its own town-wide vernal pool inventory. Two of their members, Cheryl Dziura-Duke and Medora Fraga, are experienced CAS Citizen Scientists and will serve as the project’s Volunteer Coordinators.  
The data we collect is important to local wetland and conservation agencies that make land-use decisions. New and experienced volunteers from Pomfret, Woodstock and surrounding communities are needed in 2008 to help with this conservation effort. There are many ways to get involved. You can search for vernal pools on your property, report the location of a vernal pool, or document vernal pools as a trained volunteer. Or, like Cheryl and Medora, you can learn how your town can begin its own vernal pool inventory using our model program. The more trained Citizen Scientist volunteers we have, the more pools we can identify! Call 860-928-4948 to register or to report the location of a vernal pool in Pomfret or Woodstock.

4) The Keeping Track® Project of Northeast Connecticut: Volunteers who like to spend time hiking, snowshoeing and learning more about wildlife can contribute to conservation by becoming involved in our Citizen Science Mammal Monitoring Project. Now in its eighth year, the project got its start with Susan Morse, founder of Keeping Track®, a Vermont-based non-profit organization. “Keeping Track is a community wildlife monitoring program that teaches volunteers how to detect and interpret animal signs,” said Susan. "Through increased understanding of the principles of habitat selection by target species, volunteers learn how to apply this knowledge to a precise data collection program that, over time, creates a picture of habitat usage in a town or region.” (Visit www.keepingtrackinc.org for more information.)
Center at Pomfret Citizen Science Coordinator Paula Coughlin organizes training hikes and data collection throughout the year. Volunteers learn about animal habitat, ecology and how to identify tracks and signs of mammals that require large, diverse habitats such as bobcat, moose, river otter, fisher, mink and black bear. Volunteers learn to read stories in the forest as they locate tracks, animal scat, marks on trees and signs of feeding.

Our Volunteer Mammal Monitors are a diverse group of community members ranging in age from 15 to 60+, who share a common interest in wildlife and open space preservation. Trained volunteers work in groups to monitor study sites quarterly and collect important wildlife data. We now have four years of data on three study sites: Woodstock, Eastford/Chaplin and Willington. As agricultural lands have been allowed to re-forest, populations of deer, coyote and other mammals have grown throughout Connecticut. Fisher are once again populating our forests and sightings of black bear and moose show these species are moving south into their former ranges.  

Records of the Connecticut’s DEP show densely populated parts of Connecticut are experiencing increasing conflicts between the needs of people and the needs of wildlife. During this time of increased development pressures, it is critical for the towns to preserve large tracts of open space connected by wildlife corridors. Trained Citizen Scientists can contribute important data necessary for making land use decisions that ensure protection of local wildlife habitats. The data will also be useful to other conservation organizations such as The Green Valley Institute, local land trusts and The Nature Conservancy.

The Center at Pomfret’s Citizen Science Monitoring Projects receive support from Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, NewAlliance Foundation, Society of Soil Scientists of Southern New England, and New England Grassroots Foundation.

Volunteers Are Always Needed for our ongoing Citizen Science Monitoring Projects. Contact Citizen Science Coordinator Paula Coughlin at 860-928-4948 or pcoughlin@ctaudubon.org.

Winter Tracking for Youth Groups

Contact Paula Coughlin, Citizen Science Monitoring Program Coordinator, to schedule a tracking hike on the Bafflin Sanctuary for your scout or other youth group. $50 per hour; maximum group size of 12. We also offer Youth Group Overnights -- includes an evening and early morning program and pancake breakfast. Fee: $30 per child. Call 860-928-4948 or e-mail pcoughlin@ctaudubon.org.

Saw-Whet Owl Banding
(Dates to be determined.)
The smallest owl of the northeastern U.S., the Saw-Whet Owl typically migrates south in early winter. This is a new banding program for the Center at Pomfret and we have limited migration data for the area. Call in-mid October for dates and times: 860-928-4948.