Programs & Events at the Center at Pomfret

Pomfret Winter Session–Grades K-6
Thursdays, Jan 17 & 24, 31, Feb 7, 14 & 21 from 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Do your kids need to blow off steam after school? Send them to the Center in Pomfret. After a quick snack, we will head out on the trails to explore and search for animal tracks and sign. The afternoons will be filled with fresh air, exercise and fun. Wildlife lessons will be quietly inserted along the way. We will go outside, so warm winter clothing and boots are a must. Fee for the 6-day session: $60 CAS members; $70 non-members.

Download the flyer   |   Download the Forms

Volunteer Training
Tuesdays, March 26 – May 28, 8 a.m. – Noon

Have you always wanted to learn more about the natural sciences? Want to volunteer at the Center? With 40 hours (ten four-hour sessions) of training, this may be the program for you. Registration is limited. See ctaudubon.org/pomfret-home for info and an application.

Download the 2019 Master Naturalist Training Outline   |   Download the 2019 Master Naturalist Application

Birds Seen This Week

Fox Sparrow, Hermit Thrush, Carolina Wren, Horned Lark, American Tree Sparrow, Great-horned Owl, Screech Owl, American Kestrel, Red-winged Blackbird, Pine Siskin, Field Sparrow, Bluebird

Birds This Month 

Birds You Can Expect to See in January

Wednesday Noon Walks
thru February 27, Noon 

Join Connecticut Audubon Society volunteers for fresh air, exercise, good company and naturalist lessons along the way. Seniors and parents with babes in backpacks welcome. Free to CAS members; $3 non-members.

Thursday Morning Tracking Walks
thru February 28 at 8:30 a.m.

Stretch your legs, breathe in that early morning air and look for signs of wildlife on the Bafflin Sanctuary with Fran Barnaski, a longtime volunteer, tracker and nature photographer. Bring your camera if you are so inclined. Meet at the Center, 218 Day Rd in Pomfret. Free to CAS members; $5 non-members.

Trail Wood Reflections:
Writer & Artist In-Residence Exhibit
OPENING Reception and Reading
Sunday, January 20, 2 – 4 p.m.
Exhibit through February 24 at the Center at Pomfret.

Each year the Summer Writer and Artist In-Residence Program at our Trail Wood Sanctuary in Hampton produces inspirational work. This year’s class is no exception. The beauty found in their paintings, photography and written word well reflect the tranquility of Trail Wood. A great boost in the dead of winter, come celebrate this year’s artists and writers and their experiences. Free.

Nature Sketchbook Journaling
Saturday, February 2, 1 – 4 p.m.

You’ll spend time at the Bafflin Sanctuary in Pomfret, sketching and painting nature using pencil, pen and watercolor. Roxanne Steed will show you how to simplify what you see and teach basic drawing and quick intuitive watercolor techniques.

Fee: $10 CAS members; $20 non-members. Register at 860-928-4948

and for a list of materials to bring.

Photography Class with Fred Bird –  How to Use Your Digital Camera
Sunday, February 10, 2 – 5 p.m.
Monday, February 11, 6 – 9 p.m.

Learn how to operate your digital camera and its many functions. Bring your camera and owner’s manual to class. Select one date and please register at 860-928-4948. Free to CAS members; $5 non-members.

Nature Photography Contest
Opening reception and exhibit 
Sunday, March 10, 2 p.m.

Click here to download the photo contest application.

Concert featuring “TAKE NOTE”
Sunday, March 3 at 3 p.m.

This benefit concert will support our  Education Endowment Fund. FREE to the public.

FILM SERIES

Offered in partnership with the  Pomfret Green Team. (Popcorn too!). FREE to the public.

A PLASTIC OCEAN
Monday, Jan. 21, 6:30 pm
(Snow date: Tuesday, January 22)

Writer/director Craig Leeson’s search for the elusive Blue Whale. What he finds instead is a sea of plastic waste. A team of scientists and researchers travel the globe to assess the fragile state of our oceans. Q&A after the film with Sena Wazer, member of the Cetacean Society and ocean advocate.

TRASHED
Monday, February 18, 6:30 pm
(Snow date: Tuesday,February 19)

An award-winning documentary written and directed by British film-maker Candida Brady. Watch actor Jeremy Irons investigate the global scale and impact of wasteful consumerism and pollution, and discover how communities around the world are reducing consumption toward a goal of zero waste. Q&A after film with Winston Averill, recycling and trash expert from the Quiet Corner.

NO IMPACT MAN
Monday, March 18, 6:30 pm
(Snow date: Tuesday, March 19)

This film documents author Colin Beavan’s year of living a zero-impact life. No electricity, no gas-powered transportation, no shipped food, and no public waste disposal. Can a well-intentioned environmentalist save the planet? Group discussion afterwards.

Monthly Bird Walks
Thursday, January 17 at 1 p.m.
Thursday, February 21 at 1 p.m.

Come out in search of wintering bird species. We’ll look for horned larks, ducks, hawks, sparrows, yellow-bellied sapsuckers and more. Meet at the Center, 218 Day Rd in Pomfret. Fee: $5 CAS members; $10 non-members.

Owl Walks
Saturday, January 5 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 16 at 5:30 p.m.

Join Andy in search of wintering owls. We will attempt to find Screech, Barred, Great-Horned Owls. Most of the calling done from the road. Program is canceled if bad weather (rain, snow, high winds). Fee: $5 CAS members; $10 non-members.

The CT Bird Atlas Project-Off and Running!
Monday, February 4, 6:30 p.m.
(Snow date: Tuesday, February 5th, 6:30pm)

The Connecticut Bird Atlas project has completed the first of its three survey years. The 2018 Breeding, Stopover, and Wintering surveys are now done. Join us to hear about the results and to gear up for the second year of this critically important project. Spearheaded by Min Huang, PhD, Wildlife Biologist for the Connecticut DEEP and head of the Migratory Bird Program, this project is focusing on all birds that breed, winter or migrate in Connecticut. These surveys contribute meaningful data to the State Action Wildlife Plan, which is used for conservation planning and to establish Environment Health Metrics.

Wildlife Tracking and Monitoring:

Our wildlife tracking volunteers monitor study sites in Willington, Canterbury, Woodstock and Bethany. We have found track and sign of fisher, river otter, mink, red fox, coyote, as well as the occasional black bear, moose and porcupine. These sites also provide perfect habitat for white-tail deer, raccoon, beavers, and a variety of rodents. You can begin or continue training to become a Citizen Science Wildlife Monitor by completing six day-long training hikes that suit your schedule throughout the season.

Winter monitoring/training hikes 2019:
All hikes run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sat. Jan  5 – Willington training and monitoring hike
Sat. Jan 12 – Woodstock training/monitoring hike
Sat. Jan 19 – Canterbury training/monitoring hike
Sat. Feb 2 – Training hike (location TBA)
Sat. Feb 23 – Willington training /monitoring hike
Sat. March 2 – Woodstock training/monitoring hike
Sat. March 9 – Bethany CT monitoring hike
Sat. March 23 – Canterbury monitoring hike

Fee per hike: $50 CAS member/$60 non-member; Registration required. These hikes are subject to change due to weather conditions. Full training is six hikes; participants select hikes that suit their schedules.

For more information, call 860-928-4948 or contact Paula Coughlin, Citizen Science Coordinator: paulacoughlin@charter.net. Hike dates subject to change due to weather.