Roger Tory Peterson Institute receives Travel Grant Funding
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute (RTPI) is pleased to announce the receipt of a Travel Grant that allowed staff members Jane Johnson and Linda Pierce to attend a conference at the Corning Museum of Glass, April 12-14, presented by the Museum Association of New York (MANY). The grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and administered by MANY, allows RTPI to explore new connections and opportunities related to development, collections, and exhibitions. The Travel grants are one of a series of grants offered to help museums and historical societies to strengthen and...
Read MorePiping Plover Record Setting Success
It is our tremendous pleasure to announce that in 2014 we helped the Connecticut population of Piping Plovers set an all-time record for the number of successfully fledged chicks at 116! Born from 51 pairs across Connecticut these young birds shattered the old state record of 101 fledged young in 2008. This is an astonishing success due to the efforts of over 400 volunteers across Connecticut and multiple partners including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), and the Audubon Alliance for...
Read MoreMantis above Pachysandra
Here’s a Chinese Mantis hanging out while looking for a snack above a Pachysandra species a few hours ago on this cool September morning. The European Mantis is actually the official state insect of Connecticut despite the fact it is a non-native species. This is supposedly because, “mantis are beneficial insects for farmers and are therefore symbolic reminders of the importance of the natural environment to human and biological survival” according to the CT DEEP website. That is a confounding statement/explanation to me. Maybe we could try something else – the...
Read MorePiping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
Piping Plovers are keeping our Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds staff very busy in Connecticut right now from birds not accepting exclosures, predator attacks and all the tiny hatchlings running around beaches. Caring for an endangered species 24/7 is tough but valuable and satisfying work.
Read More
