The Connecticut Audubon Society, founded in 1898 and headquartered in

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...

, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "conserving Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and habitats." Connecticut Audubon Society is independent of the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

(NAS), just as in the neighboring state of Massachusetts, where Massachusetts Audubon Society is independent of the NAS. The Society operates nature education facilities in Fairfield,

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...

Pomfret Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of t ...

, Old Lyme, and Sherman, and manages an additional 20

wildlife sanctuaries A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

around the state, protecting over 3,200 acres of open space. The Society uses science and advocacy to help protect the state's birds and their environment. The organization's Environmental Advocacy program is operated in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, the state's capitol. The Society's scientists,

citizen scientist Citizen science (CS) (similar to community science, crowd science, crowd-sourced science, civic science, participatory monitoring, or volunteer monitoring) is scientific research conducted with participation from the public (who are sometimes re ...

s, and volunteers monitor birds and their habitats around the state. Each year the Society publishes a report, titled ''Connecticut State of the Birds'', that discusses the impact of

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and other issues on local bird populations. The Society also operates an EcoTravel office in

Essex, Connecticut Essex is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,733 at the 2020 census. It is made up of three villages: Essex Village, Centerbrook, and Ivoryton. History The Great Attack Essex is one of the few Am ...

for

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, ...

trips around the state and the world.

Centers

Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield 3 - Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary

The Society's five Centers feature education buildings, wildlife sanctuaries and trails on their properties, which are open to the public. * Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary - (6 acres), established in 1914 by

Mabel Osgood Wright Mabel Osgood Wright (January 26, 1859 – July 16, 1934) was an American author. She was an early leader in the Audubon movement who wrote extensively about nature and birds. Early years and education Mabel Osgood was the daughter of Samuel and ...

in Fairfield. It houses the Society's headquarters and a natural history museum (which is closed for renovation). * Center at Fairfield - built in 1971, adjacent to the 155-acre Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife with 7 miles of trails. It is the focus of environmental education programs and activities, and includes an outdoor

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

compound. * Center at Milford Point - opened in 1995, located on the 8-acre Smith-Hubbell Wildlife Refuge and Bird Sanctuary on

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

, and includes a boardwalk, observation platform and 70-foot covered observation tower. It is situated next to the 840-acre Charles E. Wheeler Wildlife Management Area at the mouth of the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

. * Center at Glastonbury - opened in 1981, features a 4000-sq. ft facility adjacent to the 48-acre town-owned Earle Park in

. Education programs and Discovery Room exhibits focus on the nearby

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

. * Deer Pond Farm, acquired through a gift in 2017, encompassed 835 acres, mostly in Sherman. * The Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of the Connecticut River Estuary ecosystem and watershed. * Center at Pomfret - opened in 2000, contains extensive grassland habitats and is situated on the 700-acre Bafflin Sanctuary in

Other wildlife sanctuaries

Connecticut Audubon Society's other wildlife sanctuaries are open to the public unless noted. Trail Wood home and lane

* Trail Wood - 168 acres,

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick *Hamp ...

, former home of author and naturalist

Edwin Way Teale Edwin Way Teale (June 2, 1899 – October 18, 1980) was an American naturalist, photographer and writer. Teale's works serve as primary source material documenting environmental conditions across North America from 1930–1980. He is perhaps be ...

* Elsa Feiler Denburg Woodland Conservation Area - 10 acres, Fairfield, across the street from the Center at Fairfield * Banks South Farm - 60 acres, Fairfield * John W. Field and John Mahoney Sanctuary - 14 acres, Fairfield * Grace Robinson Nature Sanctuary - 37 acres,

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

* H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve and Christmas Tree Farm - 74 acres, Westport, comprising a Christmas tree farm, field habitat, and evergreen plantation *

Edward Steichen Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography. Steichen was credited with tr ...

Memorial Wildlife Preserve - 54 acres, Redding * Richard G. Croft Memorial Preserve - 700 acres, Goshen * Haddam Wildflower Gorge - 4 acres, adjacent to Hurd State Park, Haddam * Harlo N. Haagenson Preserve - 65 acres,

East Haddam East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...

* Morgan R. Chaney Sanctuary - 233 acres, Montville * Cromwell Meadows - 79 acres, Middletown, limited access * Jane and George Pratt Valley Preserve - Bridgewater and New Milford, not open * Hayes Meadow Tidal Marsh and N. B. Sargent Sanctuary - Fairfield, not open * Wilcox Preserve - Stonington, not open

History

The Connecticut Audubon Society was founded in 1898 by

with a mission of conserving birds and their environments in the State of Connecticut through science-based education and advocacy. The Society's first sanctuary was created in 1914 in Fairfield through the donation of 10 acres of land by philanthropist Annie Burr Jennings, daughter of

Oliver Burr Jennings Oliver Burr Jennings (June 3, 1825 – February 12, 1893) was an American businessman and one of the original stockholders in Standard Oil. Early life Jennings was born in 1825 in Fairfield, Connecticut, to Abraham Gould Jennings and Anna (née ...

. This property was the first-of-its-kind

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 500 ...

refuge in the nation, and the museum at this sanctuary was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993.

References

External links

Connecticut Audubon Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connecticut Audubon Society Environmental organizations based in Connecticut Nature centers in Connecticut Ornithological organizations in the United States Nature conservation organizations based in the United States 1898 establishments in Connecticut Organizations established in 1898 Audubon movement