Programs & Events at the Center at Pomfret
Walk Our Trails!
ATTENTION BAFFLIN SANCTUARY WALKERS
The Bafflin Sanctuary trails are open to the public from dawn to dusk.
To minimize wildlife disturbance, we ask all walkers to stay on designated trails.
Click here for a trail map.
Click here for trail rules.
Center Hours
Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m.
Closed Mondays
Birds to look for in September
Read our Fall 2025 newsletter.
Adult Programs
The Fisher in Connecticut
Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 2 p.m.
Paul Colburn, a CT DEEP Master Wildlife Conservationist, returns to speak about the frequently maligned fisher. Sometimes referred to as a fisher cat, it is not a cat at all, but a member of the weasel family. Paul’s general overview of the fisher will include its habitat needs, diet, behavior, and reproduction. Paul will discuss the DEEP/UConn research study underway to determine why the state’s fisher population has begun to decline. Registration is recommended. Click here to register or call 860-928-4948. Fee: $5 CAS members; $10 non-members.
Author Talk and Book Signing
Hiking Ruins of Southern New England
Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 2 p.m.
Nick Bellantoni, former CT state archaeologist and co-author of Hiking Ruins of Southern New England, will discuss his guide to 40 stone ruin sites in CT, MA, and RI. Visiting the ruins offers an opportunity to gain knowledge firsthand of the region’s cultural history. Dr. Bellantoni is both a knowledgeable and entertaining speaker. He will have copies of his guide available for purchase. Autumn is the best time of the year to see many of the features. Registration is recommended. Click here to register or call 860-928-4948. Fee: $5 CAS members; $10 non-members.
Children’s Programs
Toddlers, Trails, and Tales 
Session 1: Weds., Sept. 10 – Oct. 8, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. to noon
Session 2: Weds., Oct. 15 – Nov. 12, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. to noon
Parents, grandparents, guardians, and caregivers come out for some fresh air with your toddler, take a nature walk, and enjoy an activity or story. Join retired Pomfret Community School kindergarten teacher, Carolyn Otto, for a morning of fun and learning. Dress for the weather as many activities are outdoors. Registration requested by calling 860-928-4948. Fee: $5 per child per class or $20 per child per five-week session. (Fee is for one toddler with one accompanying adult.)
Family Programs
Opossums: Creatures of the Night
Meet Educational Ambassadors from Ferncroft Wildlife Rescue
Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 1 p.m.
While we’re asleep, opossums are awake, exploring, and searching for food. Learn all about these often misunderstood creatures of the night from FWR owners, Pam and Bill Lefferts, and members of their wildlife educational team. Best of all, meet Brandi and Brigitte, non-releasable opossums, who could not survive in the wild. At the end of the program, you may have a photo taken with them.
We had so many people the last time FWR was here, registration is now required to assure your seats for this popular program. Click here to register or call 860-928-4948. Fee: $5 CAS members; $10 non-members; free for children aged ten or younger. The program is recommended for children over five.
Bird Walks
Early Morning Bird Walks 
Tuesdays in September and October 2025 at 8 a.m.
With Andy Rzeznikiewicz as your guide, visit various locations around the sanctuary looking for birds. Bring binoculars and, if you have one, a spotting scope. Wear drab-colored clothing. No registration is required. Fee: $5 CAS members; $10 non-members.
Please register for the following by emailing Andy Rzeznikiewicz at arzeznikiewicz@ctaudubon.org or calling 860-928-4948.
Trail Wood Bird Walk
Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 8 a.m.
Join Andy on a guided bird walk. Bring your binoculars and wear drab-colored clothing. Fee: $10 CAS members; $20 non-members.
Bird Banding Demonstration
Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 9 a.m.
Watch Andy and fellow banders net birds, record data about them (species, sex, age, size, weight, condition, etc.), band, and safely release them. You may have an opportunity to release a bird yourself. Space is limited. Fee: $5 CAS members; $10 non-members.
Gellert Preserve Bird Walk
Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 8 a.m.
This Wyndham Land Trust preserve in Abington features a variety of habitats — open field, shrubland, and woodland. Located on a hilltop, migrating birds, including vireos, warblers, and hawks, should be plentiful. Fee: $10 CAS members; $20 non-members.
Screech Owl Night Hike 
Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 7 p.m.
Hike the sanctuary looking for screech and other owls. This will be a moderately challenging hike and is best for those who can walk in the dark and keep pace with a group. Fee: $10 CAS members; $20 non-members.
Plainfield Fish Hatchery Bird Walk
Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 8 a.m.
Located in Plainfield, the Quinebaug Valley State Fish Hatchery, with a wide variety of habitats, offers some of the best birding in Windham County. Expect to see songbirds, raptors, and waterbirds. Fee: $10 members; $20 non-members.
Trail Wood Bird Walk
Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 8 a.m.
Join Andy on a guided bird walk. Bring your binoculars and wear drab-colored clothing. Fee: $10 CAS members; $20 non-members.
Saw-whet Owl Banding Demonstration
Friday, October 24, 2025, at 7 p.m.
Friday, October 31, 2025, at 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 7 p.m.
Join Andy and his fellow banders as they capture and band migrating Saw-whet Owls. See these amazing owls up close. Bring your camera. Space is limited. Fee: $20 members, $30 non-members.
Workshops
Science Teacher Workshop
Free Introductory and Refresher Training
Wednesday, September 23, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Grades six through twelve science teachers will be introduced/reintroduced to Harvard’s Our Changing Forests Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project. Training, led by CAS and Harvard Forest staff, will focus on how to establish and monitor a schoolyard plot in order to document forest change over time. Lunch included. Free. Email Sarah Heminway sheminway@ctaudubon.org for registration information.
Art Exhibitions
The Quiet Corner
September 2 through October 31, 2025
Opening Reception
Sunday, September 7, 2025, at 2 p.m.
Local artist Judy Doyle (In Our Nature studio) shares her pastel and watercolor paintings, inspired by her meanderings in and around northeastern Connecticut. Free admission.
Below: Lake Edge, High Summer (at the Center at Pomfret), Late Afternoon Fishing, and Food Truck
