Aton Forest Open House, Saturday, October 18, 2008

ATON FOREST

An Ecological RESEARCH Field Station

OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, OCTOBER 18, 2008 - 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 p.m.

ATON FOREST, INC. HEADQUARTERS

270 NORTH COLEBROOK ROAD, NORFOLK, CONNECTICUT

Telephone (860) 542-5125       E-mail contact@atonforest.org

10 AM:  Hike to Chimney Hill - guided by J. Anderson (meet at office)

12 PM:  Welcome - Meet the Officers & Directors

12:30 PM: Magnificent Failure: Frank Egler and the Greening of Ecology by William Dritschilo

1:30 PM: Naturalistic Landscaping and the Life Work of Dr. Frank Egler by Glenn Dreyer

2:30 PM: Birds & Global Warming: a walking talk by Robert Moeller

Dulcimer Music by Mixolydian

Refreshments provided

 

Cancelled - Aton Forest Naturalists' Speakers Lunch, September 10th

The Aton Forest Naturalists' Speakers Lunch scheduled for September 10th has been cancelled.

 

Aton Forest Board Meeting

August 6, 2008

10 am at AF Hq.

AF Plant Collections Day & Barbeque

Plant Collections Day & Barbeque

Saturday, July 19, 2008, 10 am to 4 pm

 

Meet at the AF Visitors' Quarters, 70 South Sandisfield Road, Norfolk

 

This is a day to hone your herbarium skills and help us work on the AF plant collection: mounting, labeling, cataloging. We have some dried and pressed plants to mount (or bring your own), including some recently discovered sedges collected by the late Dr. Frank Egler.

 

This summer AF has hired a botany intern, Tom Edson of Meriden, who you will have an opportunity to meet. Tom has been mounting, labeling and filing existing specimens and working on increasing the AF collection through field collection, pressing and mounting additional plant species from the property.

 

A present, there are 265 species of vascular plants represented in the AF collection. In addition there are several unidentified specimens and 100 specimens of mosses and lichens which you can help us identify.

 

A barbeque will be ongoing throughout the day; grilled meat and veggie burgers will be provided. Please bring a cold dish to share and your beverage of choice.

 

Please RSVP or contact John Anderson for more information.

Phone: 860-542-5125 office, 860-542-6924 visitors’ quarters, 860-248-1053 cell

 

Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=70+South+Sandisfield+Road%2C+Norfolk&hl=en

 

New Marlborough Land Preservation Trust Hike, Saturday May 3

Sat May 3 2pm – 5pm
AF HQ, 270 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk

A special hike for members of the Land Trust

Local Naturalists' Lunch & Walk, Wednesday, May 7th, 12 noon

Hello naturalists!

The Local Naturalists' Wednesday Speaker's Lunch & Afternoon Walk will be held at Aton Forest on Wednesday, May 7th at 12 noon.

Meet at the Headquarters of Aton Forest, Inc., 270 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk.

Guest Speaker: Bill Moorhead, botanist, who will speak on Old Growth Forests, based on his experiences in Virginia and the Northeast.

After lunch there will be a walk around AF, to see some of our older growth forest.

Lunch will be provided.

Please bring your beverage of choice.

RSVP so I can plan the meal (but don't hesitate to come if you don't).

If you know others who might be interested in attending these get-togethers, please send me their contact information.

Hope to see you soon,

John P. Anderson Jr.

Office: 860-542-5125

Vernal Pool Workshop at AF, Saturday, April 12, 1 pm

Vernal Pool & Amphibian Identification Field Study: as in past years, we will visit vernal pools at AF; participants will learn to identify early season amphibian egg masses, spermatophores, and adults, as well as characteristics of vernal pools.

For those who can come early (11 am – 1 pm), lunch will be provided and we’ll hold a Local Naturalists’ Gathering. (AF, Inc. board members note: this is the day following the next board meeting.)

Participation for each workshop will be limited to 20 people.

Please RSVP to help us plan these activities.

Note: In 2008 I will be changing the local naturalists’ gatherings. Some of these will be workshops, such as the two notices above. I am also planning two Wednesday Lunches (in May and September) with speakers and an afternoon walk around AF. Other meetings may be announced as well. The now familiar and relaxed Local Naturalists’ Gatherings will follow (or proceed) some of these and you will receive notices as they are scheduled. If you have any comments or suggestions about these meetings or workshops, please fell free to contact me.

If you know others who might be interested in attending these workshops and get-togethers, please send me their contact information.

If you are no longer interested in being notified about these meetings, please e-mail me at contact@atonforest.org.

Think Spring!

John P. Anderson Jr.