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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230604T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230604T120000
DTSTAMP:20260510T020813
CREATED:20230426T182920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230601T154700Z
UID:6260-1685872800-1685880000@avalonia.org
SUMMARY:Beavers\, Bird Calls\, and Brilliant Bugs
DESCRIPTION:CT TRAILS DAY EVENT: \nThis year\, Avalonia’s is hosting three events during the annual Connecticut Trails Day event.  \nJoin Avalonia naturalist Bruce Fellman for this special family-friendly exploration of two adjoining refuges (Babcock Ridge and D.R. Henne Memorial & Shunock Brook Preserves)\, which are among the Conservancy’s most ecologically diverse preserves. Accompanying us on this gentle\, two-mile hike is sign-language interpreter Joy Valenti\, who’s experienced in making nature accessible to the D/deaf/hard of hearing community. In addition to ASL interpretation\, this hike will use amplification to ensure hikers can hear Bruce’s information and guidance.  \nWe’ll comb the uplands for its array of wildflowers\, amphibians\, reptiles\, and colorful songbirds and see how to convert bird calls into accessible sound prints. We’ll also examine the beaver-created wetlands\, home to a large and thriving Great Blue Heron rookery and an abundance of dragonflies and butterflies\, and learn\, first hand\, how these “eager” rodents have transformed local habitats throughout North America. This is a typical woodland trail\, with some rocks and roots. It is up-and-down terrain\, not flat but not steep; fairly wide\, allowing for walking two abreast. \nMeet leader and veteran naturalist Bruce Fellman at 113 Babcock Road (0.9 miles from Wyassup Road or 0.8 miles from Route 49). The parking area is on the north side of the road. The trailhead for the Babcock part of the walk is here; the trailhead for the Henne walk is nearby.  \nRain postpones to June 3\, 10:30 AM. For more information\, visit the CTFPA’s website. The event is part of National Trails Day\, which in Connecticut is coordinated by the CT Forest and Park Association. \nAvalonia is hosting this adventure\, but please register on the CT TRAILS DAY website. Registration opens May 10th. Pre-registration is recommended and can be done by contacting walk leader Bruce Fellman at (860) 599-4867 or fellnature@sbcglobal.net. \nAccessibility Note \nParking: Small off-street lot\, packed dirt surface\, no accessible space\, room for 7-8 cars. Lot located at Babcock Ridge Preserve trailhead about 100 feet from Henne Preserve trailhead. Additional parking available along the road. \nTrails: Narrow in spots\, some slopes\, some protrusions into pathway\, occasional wet areas. \nCommunication: This walk will be amplified and sign language interpreted\, and will include live sonograms that provide pictorial representation of birdcalls. \nAvalonia Accessibility Statement \nAccessibility point person: Mary Anne Sherman (860) 884-3500 or avalonialc@yahoo.com
URL:https://avalonia.org/event/beavers-bird-calls-and-brilliant-bugs/
LOCATION:Babcock Ridge\, 113 Babcock Road\, North Stonington\, CT\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hikes,Walks
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://avalonia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Henne-BS-3-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230805T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230805T120000
DTSTAMP:20260510T020813
CREATED:20230721T140442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230721T140810Z
UID:6543-1691229600-1691236800@avalonia.org
SUMMARY:Explore the Preston Nature Preserve's Field of Natural History Dreams
DESCRIPTION:Explore Preston Nature Preserve’s Field of Natural History Dreams\nDon’t be fooled: a natural meadow may look like an unkempt lawn that a lazy homeowner has taken a holiday from mowing\, but look closer and you’ll discover an amazing and fascinating array of biological diversity. \nThe Preston Nature Preserve (PNP) offers explorers a pathway through several interconnected meadows that are at their prettiest in August. On Saturday\, August 5th\, from 10 a.m. to at least noon\, Avalonia naturalist Bruce Fellman will guide visitors on a leisurely tour of the 56-acre refuge’s treasure trove of native plants\, insects\, and birds that thrive in the fields\, as well as in the surrounding woods and wetlands. The botanical star of the meadow show is an expanse of Bee Balm\, a native member of the mint family whose showy pink\, red\, and purple flowers are butterfly\, bee\, and beetle magnets. If we’re lucky and patient\, we’re often blessed with sightings of hummingbird moths\, pint-sized hummer mimics that find Bee Balm blooms irresistible—and this is just the tip of the floral iceberg. Joe Pye Weed\, goldenrod\, native grass\, thistle\, and aster flowers will also be bringing in the pollinators. The milkweeds\, though past their blossom time\, will still be attracting Monarch butterflies\, whose eggs and leaf-eating caterpillars we’ll seek. Last but hardly least\, the PNP banquet usually includes a variety of dragonflies\, birds\, frogs\, and even a deer or two. \nBring binoculars\, hand lenses\, cameras\, notebooks\, your natural history curiosity\, and\, if you have them\, your kids and grandkids. Don’t forget the sunscreen\, bug spray\, water\, and a hat—it’s an easy 1.5 mile hike\, but it can be bright and hot in the fields. Rain date Sunday August 6. For more information\, contact Bruce Fellman\, 860-599-4867\, or bruce.fellman@yale.edu. \nRegister Here \nAccessibility Note \nParking: Ample off-street lot\, grass surface\, room for about a dozen cars\, no parking space accessible to people with disabilities. Lot located on 38 Krug Road at the PNP trailhead. Additional parking available along Krug Road. \nTrails: Mostly mowed grass surface pathways through open meadows\, some slopes\, wide enough for several people to traverse side-by-side. One quarter-mile stretch of trail through upland woods\, hilly and narrow\, with some roots and rocks in the pathway\, as well as occasional protruding branches. \nCommunication: This walk will be amplified (Bruce will use a portable microphone system)\, with sign language interpretation available upon request. It will include sonograms of bird calls that we hear to provide pictorial representations of their songs. \nAvalonia Accessibility Statement: https://avalonia.org/accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-statement/ If you have questions on the accessibility of this event\, please call Avalonia at 860-884-3500 or email accessibility@avalonia.org. \n \n  \n \nPhoto credit: Bruce Fellman
URL:https://avalonia.org/event/explore-the-preston-nature-preserves-field-of-natural-history-dreams/
LOCATION:Preston Nature Preserve\, Krug Road\, Preston\, CT\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hikes,Nature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://avalonia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/DSC_8989AsnowberryclearPNP.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240403T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240403T200000
DTSTAMP:20260510T020813
CREATED:20240308T171600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240403T171029Z
UID:7358-1712167200-1712174400@avalonia.org
SUMMARY:Vernal Pool Adventure at Babcock Ridge - CANCELLED
DESCRIPTION:CANCELLED DUE TO WIND AND RAIN. NEW DATE TBD. \n  \nThere’s no better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than to visit a woodland pond alive with the sights and sounds of newly awakened amphibians and invertebrates — and there’s no more exciting time to do so than at dusk when the local vernal pools are a noisy chorus of quacking wood frogs and bell-ringing spring peepers. As the skies darken\, we’ll follow our ears for about a half-mile hike to the center of the Babcock Ridge Preserve where a dry hole last autumn is now a rain-soaked “wicked big puddle.”  \nThis brimful temporary pond is a wetland nursery filled with a variety of exciting creatures. In addition to frogs\, we’ll likely see marbled salamander youngsters\, fairy shrimp\, giant predaceous diving beetles\, and the stars of the show\, the exquisite yellow-spotted salamanders. We’ll use nets to collect pond residents and examine them at close range before releasing them unharmed\, and if we’re especially lucky\, we might also hear the booming hoots of barred owls and the peents of woodcock.   \nBring a flashlight and a headlamp\, wear warm clothes and waterproof boots\, and don’t forget your spirit of adventure and curiosity on this family-friendly exploration of a fascinating part of the natural world.   \nWalk leader Bruce Fellman has been introducing people to vernal pool life for almost half-a-century. For more information\, contact the leader at bruce.fellman@yale.edu or 860-599-4867.  \nTo register for the adventure\, which is free and open to the public but limited to 25 people\, click on the link below. This program tends to fill up quickly\, but If there’s sufficient interest\, we’ll try to schedule additional walks. Note: heavy rain will postpone to Thursday\, the 21st\, same time\, but light rain will be just perfect for bringing out the critters — and raincoat-clad naturalists. \n  \nREGISTER HERE \n  \n*** \nAccessibility Note \nParking: Small off-street lot\, packed dirt surface\, no accessible space\, room for 7-8 cars. Lot located at Babcock Ridge Preserve trailhead. Additional parking available along the road. \nTrails: Narrow in spots\, some slopes\, some protrusions into pathway\, occasional wet areas. Off-pathway walking through open woods to vernal pool. Sampling for organisms involves dip-netting and getting hands wet. The hike back to the parking area takes place in the dark and is illuminated by flashlights and headlamps. \nCommunication: This walk will be amplified and may include live sonograms that provide pictorial representation of frog and bird calls. \nAvalonia Accessibility Statement: https://avalonia.org/accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-statement/ \nAccessibility point person: Mary Anne Sherman\, 860-884-3500 or avalonialc@yahoo.com \n 
URL:https://avalonia.org/event/vernal-pool-adventure-at-babcock-ridge/
LOCATION:Babcock Ridge\, 113 Babcock Road\, North Stonington\, CT\, United States
CATEGORIES:Exploration,Family,Hikes,Walks,Water
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://avalonia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_9640AsamplingBab.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240421T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240421T120000
DTSTAMP:20260510T020813
CREATED:20240308T214921Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240419T171322Z
UID:7368-1713693600-1713700800@avalonia.org
SUMMARY:Honoring Earth Day with a Wild Flora Walk at the Benedict Benson Preserve
DESCRIPTION:  \nLed by Avalonia naturalist Bruce Fellman\, trek through the Benedict Benson Preserve to watch its uplands\, centerpiece stream\, and wetlands come to life with greening ferns\, mosses\, and wildflowers\, from the rare Hepatica to the ubiquitous marsh marigolds. \nREGISTER HERE \n  \nOne of the critical precursors of the passage of the Clean Water Act\, the landmark federal legislation whose 50 years of making a difference was celebrated in 2022\, is Earth Day\, the consciousness-raising holiday for the planet that began in 1970. As part of Avalonia’s ongoing tribute to the CWA\, join naturalist and guide Bruce Fellman as we wade into moving waters\, figuratively\, if not literally\, at the Benedict Benson Preserve on Sunday\, April 21\, shortly after Earth Day\, from 10 a.m. until noon\, in North Stonington to watch the refuge’s wetlands and its centerpiece stream come to life: a tribute to wise stewardship. \nIn keeping with our theme\, we’ll pay close attention to the area around Lantern Brook\, a delightful woodland stream that flows through the heart of the preserve and is wonderfully photogenic as it tumbles down a boulder field left behind by the glaciers that shaped this land. The area around the brook is paradise for botanists interested in mosses\, ferns\, lichens\, and wildflowers\, and while there are certain to be such stalwarts as Wood anemones\, a number of violets\, and Marsh marigolds in bloom\, there’s one botanical gem known as the hepatica that we’ll scramble up a favored hillside to seek out. Hepaticas thrive in specific\, rather “sweet” soil conditions unusual in our woods\, but Benson has the right stuff in one area. \nThe Preserve features a typical Southern New England post-agricultural-abandonment upland forest dominated by oaks\, beeches\, birches\, and hickories\, many of them fully mature. Some are home to striking Pileated Woodpeckers\, while others support a wide array of hardwood-forest songbirds\, the most intriguing of which is the Cerulean Warbler. This stunning bird\, which is listed as a Species of Special Concern in Connecticut\, has been seen and heard at Benson and the surrounding area\, and is one of the treasures we’ll be looking for as we walk the approximately mile and a half trail system in search of signs of spring. \nThe trailhead for the Benedict Benson Preserve is located at 100 Swantown Hill Road in North Stonington.  A small parking area is on the West side of the road and there’s more parking on either side of Swantown. For more information and to register\, visit the Events Calendar of Avalonia’s website: avalonia.org/events/ Please note: parts of the trail are pretty rugged\, so while my pace is always family-friendly\, the terrain\, particularly our scramble up a rocky hillside in search of wildflowers\, might not be suitable for small kids and the occasional elder. You’ll want to wear waterproof hiking boots\, and trekking poles might be a good idea\, too. Bring water and an energy bar\, and\, of course\, binoculars and cameras.  Don’t hesitate to call or email: 860-599-4867\, or fellnature@sbcglobal.net. \n*** \nAccessibility Note \nAvalonia Accessibility Statement: https://avalonia.org/accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-statement/ \nAccessibility point person: Mary Anne Sherman\, 860-884-3500 or avalonialc@yahoo.com \n  \n  \n*** \nThe featured image is by Jodi Williams taken at Benedict Benson Preserve. Jodi received an Honorable Mention in the Wildflowers category in Avalonia’s 2023 Photo Contest.
URL:https://avalonia.org/event/honoring-earth-day-with-a-wild-flora-walk-at-the-benedict-benson-preserve/
LOCATION:Benedict Benson Preserve\, Swantown Hill Road\, North Stonington\, CT\, 06359\, United States
CATEGORIES:Community,Exploration,Family,Hikes,Nature,Walks
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://avalonia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Wildflowers2_Williams.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240601T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240601T120000
DTSTAMP:20260510T020813
CREATED:20240506T195235Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240510T145415Z
UID:7765-1717236000-1717243200@avalonia.org
SUMMARY:Hike a Wildlife Habitat Restoration at Leo Antonino Preserve
DESCRIPTION:CT TRAILS DAY EVENT: \nWe’ll hike the Leo Antonino Preserve through forested areas\, past active brooks\, vernal pools\, and up a bedrock ridge. There is a go-around for those who want to avoid the scramble up the ridge. We will pass next to erratics deposited by the glaciers and see how the Earth’s crust has been folded and lifted in Connecticut’s geologic history. The hike will end at the parking area if you choose not to explore the habitat restoration. \nAt about 11:00\, we will walk a short way on the preserve from parking to an area of a multi-year project where invasives have been removed to make way for establishment of wildlife habitat. Charlie Boos\, an expert in habitat restoration that emphasizes protection of existing beneficial natives and ensuring biodiversity\, will be leading this portion of the event. You will see the progression from thickets of autumn olive to “bunny piles” and thriving grasses and native pollinators including a pond that was unreachable until this project. You can join this part of the event if you choose not to participate in the 10:00 hike. \n  \nFollow this link to RSVP: \nRSVP HERE
URL:https://avalonia.org/event/hike-a-wildlife-habitat-restoration-at-leo-antonino-preserve/
LOCATION:Leo Antonino Preserve\, 0 Antonino Road\, Groton\, CT\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hikes
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250427T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250427T120000
DTSTAMP:20260510T020813
CREATED:20250226T191147Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250411T172211Z
UID:9195-1745748000-1745755200@avalonia.org
SUMMARY:A Near-Earth-Day Wildflower\, Amphibian\, and Early Returning Songbirds Saunter at Benedict Benson Preserve
DESCRIPTION:The Benson Preserve\, a typical Southern New England post-agricultural-abandonment upland forest dominated by oaks\, beeches\, birches\, and hickories\, features many mature trees\, some of them home to Pileated Woodpeckers\, as well as to a wide array of hardwood forest songbirds\, the most intriguing of which is the Cerulean Warbler. This stunning bird\, which is listed as a Species of Special Concern in Connecticut\, has been seen and heard at Benson and the surrounding area\, and is one of the treasures we’ll be looking for as we walk the approximately mile and a half trail system in search of signs of spring: everything from Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers to Mourning Cloak butterflies and the rare Spotted Turtles that I’ve\, well\, spotted here. \nWe’ll pay especially close attention to the area around Lantern Brook\, a delightful woodland stream that flows through the heart of the preserve and is wonderfully photogenic as it tumbles down a boulder field left behind by the glaciers that shaped this land. The area around the brook is paradise for botanists interested in mosses\, ferns\, lichens\, and wildflowers\, and while there are certain to be such stalwarts as Wood Anemones\, a number of violets\, and Marsh Marigolds in bloom\, there’s one botanical gem known as the hepatica that we’ll scramble up a favored hillside to seek out. Hepaticas thrive in specific\, rather “sweet” soil conditions unusual in our woods\, but Benson has the right stuff in one area. Spotting hepaticas\, which are among our earliest wild blossoms\, is cause for celebration—and at Benson\, there’s always something special to celebrate. \nAccessibility Note \nParking: Small lot off Swantown Hill Road (approximately 101 Swantown Hill Road)) at the start of the Benedict Benson main trail. Lot with packed dirt surface\, no accessible space\, room for 6 cars. Additional parking available along the road.\nTrails: Narrow in spots\, numerous slopes\, some protrusions into pathway\, occasional wet areas\, and occasional off-trail walking. Two stream crossings over small wooden bridges with no handrails\, one with fairly steep stone steps.\nCommunication: This walk will be amplified.\n \nAvalonia Accessibility Statement: https://avalonia.org/accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-statement/\nAccessibility point person: Mary Anne Sherman\, 860-884-3500 or avalonialc@yahoo.com\n\nRegistration \nFill out my LGL Form!
URL:https://avalonia.org/event/a-near-earth-day-wildflower-amphibian-and-early-returning-songbirds-saunter-at-benedict-benson-preserve/
LOCATION:Benedict Benson Preserve\, Swantown Hill Road\, North Stonington\, CT\, 06359\, United States
CATEGORIES:Exploration,Hikes
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://avalonia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/blue-marbler-scaled.jpg
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