Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield
Encyclopedia
The Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield is a nature center
and wildlife sanctuary in the Greenfield Hill
area of Fairfield, Connecticut
. Constructed in 1971, the center features classrooms for environmental education programs, live animals on display, natural history
exhibits, a nature library, a solar greenhouse and a gift shop. Outside there is a compound with non-releasable rescued birds of prey
, including owls
, hawks, peregrine falcons, a turkey vulture
and other raptors
. Other outdoor features include a butterfly
garden and a replica of an Algonquian
wigwam
.
The center maintains the 152 acre (0.61512272 km²) Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary with 7 miles (11.3 km) of trails, including the Chiboucas Wheelchair-accessible Trail for the Disabled, a pond observation platform and interpretive signs. The trail habitats include woods
, marsh
, stream
, pond
and meadow
.
Environmental programs are offered for youth, school groups, Scout
troops and other organizations, as well as summer camp and after school classes. Issues relating to birds, their habits and related environmental topics are a special focus.
The Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield is one of 7 nature centers and 19 wildlife sanctuaries operated by Connecticut Audubon, which is separate from the National Audubon Society
.
The building is closed on Mondays.
Nature center
A nature center is an organization with a visitor center or interpretive center designed to educate people about nature and the environment. Usually located within a protected open space, nature centers often have trails through their property. Some are located within a state or city park, and...
and wildlife sanctuary in the Greenfield Hill
Greenfield Hill
Greenfield Hill is an historic neighborhood of Fairfield, Connecticut and is roughly bounded by the Merritt Parkway., Burr Street., Redding Road, Hulls Farm Road., and Hill Farm Road....
area of Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
. Constructed in 1971, the center features classrooms for environmental education programs, live animals on display, natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
exhibits, a nature library, a solar greenhouse and a gift shop. Outside there is a compound with non-releasable rescued birds of prey
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
, including owls
OWLS
OWLS is a mnemonic used by general aviation airplane pilots to assess an unprepared surface for a precautionary landing.Like all mnemonics this check has become part of aviation culture and folklore.OWLS:* Obstacles* Wind direction...
, hawks, peregrine falcons, a turkey vulture
Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
and other raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
. Other outdoor features include a butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
garden and a replica of an Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
wigwam
Wigwam
A wigwam or wickiup is a domed room dwelling used by certain Native American tribes. The term wickiup is generally used to label these kinds of dwellings in American Southwest and West. Wigwam is usually applied to these structures in the American Northeast...
.
The center maintains the 152 acre (0.61512272 km²) Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary with 7 miles (11.3 km) of trails, including the Chiboucas Wheelchair-accessible Trail for the Disabled, a pond observation platform and interpretive signs. The trail habitats include woods
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
, marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
, stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
, pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
and meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
.
Environmental programs are offered for youth, school groups, Scout
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
troops and other organizations, as well as summer camp and after school classes. Issues relating to birds, their habits and related environmental topics are a special focus.
The Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield is one of 7 nature centers and 19 wildlife sanctuaries operated by Connecticut Audubon, which is separate from the National Audubon Society
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
.
The building is closed on Mondays.
External links
- Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield (official site)