Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center Programs & Events

*New Program*

Program meets monthly March – December 2020;
9:00-11:30 a.m.
Birding is quickly becoming one of America’s most popular outdoor activities, with over 45 million people a year watching our feathered friends. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or new to birding, Beyond Birding will teach you what you need to know to go birding with confidence!  Explore new locations, learn tips and tricks to make the most of your birding year, and discover the extensive bird life that Connecticut has to offer. Each month we will focus on a specific topic and its connection to birds, including migration and nesting, habitat loss and fragmentation, and more. We will also share valuable resources and discuss current happenings in the world of birding. 

For the complete list of dates and locations, click here

$15 for members, $20 for non-members or when you register for 4 programs in the series, the fifth is free! 

Register here for all program dates!

RTP Estuary Center, Old Lyme

Calling all young artists! Stop by the RTP Estuary Center for a series of  nature crafts that encourage creativity and imagination! This family friendly program includes all art materials and supplies needed. Adult free with participating child. Dress for mess! Appropriate for ages 5 and up! Pre-registration is required.

$10/members; $15 non-members

Fish Printing
Learn printmaking with  rubber fish. Paper will be provided however, participants should feel free to bring their own fabric or white t-shirt as well
Saturday, March 28, 10:30-11:30am
Register here

Egg Painting and Nest Making
Participants will build their own natural looking nest and hand painted eggs
Saturday, April 11, 10:30-11:30
Register here

February 22, 9-10:30am
Watch Rock Preserve, Old Lyme

Shake off your cabin fever, head outside and join one of our teacher-naturalists for a winter walk. We will look for tracks, listen for birds and enjoy the beauty of the woods in winter. Keep warm by trying to complete our winter scavenger hunt!

$5 members, $10 non-members, children 6 and under free, register here

The RTPEC frequently uses open space and land trust properties that are open to the public without fee.  The land trusts permit our use of these properties and receives no part of any fee collected by the RTPEC

Saturday, February 22; 2-4pm
RTP Estuary Center

Learn how to make your own Fire Cider! Fire Cider is a traditional herbal remedy used to ward off colds and flus and can also be taken daily to increase overall wellness!

Photo by Sara Warren

This spicy tonic is a blend of Apple Cider Vinegar, horseradish, onions, lemon, orange, jalapeño, turmeric, ginger, garlic, rosemary, cayenne and black peppercorns. These herbs are left to infuse in the Apple cider vinegar for a few weeks and then strained out and enjoyed for months to come! It can be taken by the spoonful or even added to recipes.

This will be a hands on workshop! Each participant will leave with:

• 16 oz mason jar of freshly made Fire Cider 
• Full printed instructions 
• Printed list of the herbs in the blend and their individual health benefits 
• Straining cloth and amber medicine bottle for when your Fire Cider is ready to be strained! 

Sara Warren from Sage Rootz in Branford, CT will be leading this workshop. She is an herbalist and specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Plant Based Nutrition and is also a manufacturer of a variety of herbal products.

$45/participant

Register here

Training Sessions
Wednesday, February 19, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Thursday, February 27, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
RTP Estuary Center, Old Lyme
Co-Sponsored with the Mystic Aquarium

Field Session
Thursday, April 16, 7 pm
Hatchetts Hill Preserve, Old Lyme

Did you know that you can help monitor frog and toad populations in your area in just 10 minutes a week? You’ll become a certified FrogWatch USA volunteer during our two hour training program, where you’ll learn how to identify frogs and toads by call, and how to collect and submit valuable population data to a national survey. Amphibians are important biological indicators of environmental health, and the information gathered from the survey can be used to help protect these important species. This program is free, but we do ask that you register. 

February 19 – Register here

February 27 – Register here

Field Session  – Register here

Whooo Wants to Learn about Owls?
Saturday, March 7; 10:30-11:30 and 1-2 pm
RTP Estuary Center

Join us for an hour with an owl! Our teacher-naturalists will be presenting Cookie, the barred owl while we learn about this local species up close including where and when they nest, what they sound like and ways you can help ensure a healthy population of barred owls in CT! We will also be examining real owl feathers, dissecting owl pellets, and identifying mammal bones. $15 members, $25 non-member, $10 for children 10 and under

Saturday, March 7 10:30-11:30am – Register
Saturday, March 7 1:00-2:00pm – Register

Saturday, March 14; 10-11am
Canfield Woods, Essex
Saturday, April 4; 10-11am
Champlain South Open Space

Love the outdoors? Have a sense of adventure? Join a teacher-naturalist from the RTPEC as we search for  treasure and learn compass orienteering! Geocaches are hidden containers that you track down using GPS. Come prepared to hike and if you have a GPS or phone bring it along! We will also have a few GPS units available. This is a family program. Children must be accompanied by an adult.  $5 members, $10 non-members, children 6 and under free

Saturday, March 14; 10-11am; Register here
Saturday, April 4; 10-11am; Register here

The RTPEC frequently uses open space and land trust properties that are open to the public without fee.  The land trusts permit our use of these properties and receives no part of any fee collected by the RTPEC

Saturday, April 25, 9-11 a.m.
Connecticut College Arboretum, New London

Did you know that April 25^th is Save the Frogs Day? Save The Frogs Day takes place annually on the last Saturday of April and is the world’s largest day of amphibian education and conservation action. Join a teacher-naturalist from the CT Audubon Society’s RTP Estuary Center, as we listen for frogs and look for egg masses in the vernal pools of the Connecticut College Arboretum which is home to numerous amphibian species. Appropriate for ages 10 and up.

$5 for members, $10 for non-members, free for current Connecticut College students, Register here