Join us for our annual

Winter Bird Count!

Sunday, January 26th

Groups will be meeting at 5:00 & 7:30 am at the 
AF Headquarters, at 70 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk
(feel free to show up a little later and catch up or hang out near the office)

 This is a family-friendly event: children, teenagers and young adults are welcome. No pets please. Be prepared for cold weather and icy conditions (ice grips for your boots will help a lot).

For those who want to brave it, come early for owling, starting at 5:00 am (call or email before 5 pm Friday) and we will drive to various locations.  In the past we have heard or seen Great Horns, Barreds, and Northern Saw-whets.

Otherwise, we will begin at 7:30 am, starting at the Headquarters (the office at the Egler House, 270 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk) and then a brisk morning walk in the fields near the office and along the road (wear appropriate winter hiking attire). In the case of rain, wind or storm, the survey will be cancelled and rescheduled.

Later, we will move to Benedict Pond on North Colebrook Road, then on to our Beaver Pond (70 South Sandisfield Road, Norfolk) and finally to our Cottage in the woods at 210 South Sandisfield Road.

There are a number of birds we may see, such as red-breasted nuthatches, American tree sparrows, crossbills, pine and evening grosbeaks, and redpolls.

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and snacks will be available throughout the morning and you can warm up at the office.

We rely on our citizen-scientist volunteers to help us with this and other research projects. Thank you!

Please RSVP: text (prefered) or call John's cell phone (860) 248-1053 or email (contact@atonforest.org)

A Northwestern Regional Student-Organized 

"Kindness in Motion" Project

To benefit the Aton Forest Education Programs

Aton Forest Luncheon


Sunday, June 2, 2019 from12:30 - 3:00 pm
St. Joseph Church Bitterman Center, 2 Daisy Hill Road, Canaan CT

Learn about "The Secrets of Aton Forest"

3-Entree Buffet, Coffee, Tea and Dessert

Baked Chicken with Vegetables; Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken; Sausage, Peppers and Onions

 $30 per person. Tickets sold in advance.

This fundraiser is organized by Ryan Carrigan, a sophomore at NW Region 7 High School, with the help of fellow students. Ryan has been a volunteer at Aton Forest for many years and you may have seen his picture in some of our emails over the years. This is his third year fundraising through the Kindness In Motion Program and we are grateful he chose Aton Forest to be the organization to support.

The money raised will support our education program and Ryan and others will develop a second self-guided trail for us. We plan on having students use the trial for nature study at a grand opening in the fall.

Please join us for this friendly and fun gathering!
And, sorry, there will be no wine or soda at this event.

We want to thank:
Northwest Regional School 7, its teachers and administrators for giving its students the opportunity to participant in the Kindness In Motion program;
Woodcreek Bar and Grill Restaurant in Norfolk for its donation and other contributions;
and, those who have bought tickets, and those could not attend but generously gave donations.
THANK YOU ALL!

Owl Prowl & Wildlife Walk

Winter Weekend In Norfolk, Saturday, February 23rd
Meet at Aton Forest, 270 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk, CT

Winter is a great time to see animals, or at least their signs. We will begin with an Owl Prowl at 4 am, starting at AF Hq (270 North Colebrook Rd, Norfolk). Then from 9 am to 12 pm we'll be looking for wildlife at Aton Forest (meet at AF Hq). We will track wild animals, observe birds, check porcupine dens and maybe walk out to see a beaver lodge if the ice is good. This is a kid-friendly program and part of Winter Weekend In Norfolk. You'll be amazed at what you discover by getting outdoors and following your curiosity! Wear wear clothes and boots, preferably with added ice grips or cleats (such as Yactrax). It will be cold with ice and snow along the roadsides and in the woods.
These are free events, but please RSVP. 
Email: contact@atonforest.org
Phone: 860-248-1052



The Annual Aton Forest Winter Bird Count 
Tomorrow, December 29th
Join us for our between 4 am (for owling) and 11 am at AF Hq. We'll be posting observations on our Facebook and Instagram sites. Hopefully the northern birds, like evening grosbeaks and redpolls, will be around this winter.

Meet at AF Hq. 270 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk at 4 am or 7:30 am. We will carpool to various locations for owls and daytime birds.

We are helping with the CT Bird Atlas Project and the data we collect will be added to the Project. If you're interested in contributing observations please contact us: contact@atonforest.org; 860-248-1053.

Coffee, tea, hot cocoa and donuts will be available.
Join us for a
WILD GAME DINNER
to benefit Aton Forest
June 13, 2015
5pm - 10pm

---
the menu

Venison Salami & Deviled Eggs
w/Prosecco

Salad
w/Riesling

Grilled Venison & Wild Turkey
Wild Rice & Mushrooms
Side Vegetable
w/Pinot Noir

Glazed Cake & Coffee
---

LIVE LOCAL MUSIC BY
Whiskey Jack
old-time Americana string band

Raffle & Door Prizes

Location:
Aton Forest Headquarters
270 North Colebrook Rd. Norfolk, CT 06058
Limited Seating, please RSVP

Tickets: $70/person

Upcoming Events for 2014


Please click the image below to see a sampling of 
Aton Forest Events and Workshops for 2014:


October 19 - Annual Open House

Join us for our annual OPEN HOUSE!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19th 10AM-4PM
Aton Forest Headquarters
(270 North Colebrook Rd. Norfolk, CT)

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

10:00 - Noon
Guided Trail Walk
Lead by John Anderson (Executive Director)

Noon - 12:30
Gathering & Refreshments

12:30-1:30
Introduction & Welcome / Aton Forest Year In Review
Lead by John Anderson & Mike Aurelia (President)

1:30 - 2:30
"Focusing on Forests: Identification and Stewardship of Connecticut's Important Forest Bird Habitat"
By Corrie Folsom-O'Keefe (Audubon CT)

2:30-4:00
"Mini Workshops" on Invasive Plants, Wildflowers, Mushrooms, and Birds

3:00-4:00
Field trip to recently washed out beaver pond and birding
Lead by Mike Aurelia



Speaker Bio:

Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe is the Important Bird Area Program Coordinator for Audubon CT. In this position she works with partners (including federal and state wildlife and forestry divisions as well as local conservation groups) on numerous projects with overarching the goals of identifying, protecting, and enhancing habitat important to bird species of conservation concern. She also coordinates, conducts and trains field technicians and volunteers in bird census techniques for a number of projects and oversees the development of conservation plans for IBAs that guide landowners and stakeholders in the management of bird habitat. Prior to joining Audubon, Corrie worked at the Yale School of Public Health, managing a lab and coordinated field research exploring the relationship between avian and mammalian diversity and vector-borne diseases such as West Nile virus and Lyme disease. Corrie completed her master’s degree at Connecticut College; her thesis examined the effects of surrounding landscape on the abundance and breeding success of shrubland birds in powerline corridors. She has participated in numerous field seasons working with birds in Belize, Nova Scotia, the Farallon Islands and CT; gained significant experience as an educator while employed at The Children’s Museum, and currently volunteers as Education Chair for both the New Haven Bird Club and the Quinnipiac Valley Audubon Society.

August 3 - The Fabulous Snakes of the Northeast

Herpetologist and professor Tom Tyning will be speaking at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival on Saturday August 3rd. The presentation will be on snakes that can be found in your own back yard and beyond - a fitting topic as 2013 has been declared the Year of the Snake.  Join us for an intriguing look at our reptilian friends.

Tom has decades of experience working with reptiles and amphibians within the region as well as world wide.  He is the author of the Stokes Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles and a professor at Berkshire Community College.

The event will take place at the Battell Recital Hall (Convergence of Rt. 44 & 272, Norfolk) from 4:00-5:00 and is free and open to the public.  Co-sponsored by Aton Forest and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.

Click here to see the event poster.

"Division Street" Documentary on Earth Day, April 22 at Norfolk Library

Aton Forest and the Norfolk Conservation Commission are pleased to host a showing of the important documentary "Division Street." This film describes the tremendous impact roads have on the planet, resulting in habitat fragmentation and disrupting the movement of wildlife. Filmed throughout North America, the documentary takes us on a road-trip that includes some of our most exquisite National Parks, including Banff National Park, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, and the Everglades. Examples of the "greening" of our highway system are shown that hold promise for preserving wildlife corridors.
 
The event will be held at the Norfolk Library on Earth Day, April 22 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The film will be preceded by a short talk by Professor Tom Tyning, author of the "Stokes Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles." Professor Tyning will also answer questions after the documentary.
 
For more information, contact Aton Forest at (860) 542-5125, or contact@atonforest.org.

Aton Forest Annual Open House, Saturday, Oct. 20 from 12 to 3 p.m.

Something for everyone at the annual Open House! At 1 p.m., Eric Hammerling, executive director of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, will give a presentation about his work as chair of the state task force created to study the power outages that occured subsequent to Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm. Come and learn what the task force recommended regarding roadside tree management.

Grand Opening: Be among the first to hike our new 10 station self-guided trail.

Observe native birds with expert bird guides at Aton Forest's Beaver Pond.

See our large Norfolk moth specimen collection and plant herbarium, and experiment with microscopes in our new laboratory classroom.

Browse and buy original paintings by naturalist Roland Clement.

Free and open to the public. Refreshments served. For directions, click on contact Aton Forest on the homepage.

"Mushroom Foray and Feast" on Saturday, September 8 from 2 to 5 p.m.

A Mushroom Foray and Feast will be led by mycologist Andrew Janjigian on the grounds of Aton Forest. This class will include classroom instruction, field work, and a wild mushroom tasting feast at the Aton Forest headquarters. If weather conditions continue normally and are not too dry, we are likely to see numerous species that appear in early autumn. The goal of this class is to identify safe and unsafe mushrooms, and to differentiate between them. In the event that there aren't many edible wild mushrooms to harvest that day, we will feast on pre-prepared (and possibly cultivated) wild mushrooms.

Instructor: Andrew Janjigian is a food writer for Cook's Illustrated magazine, and an author, chemist, and mycologist.

Date: Saturday, September 8 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Aton Forest Headquarters, 270 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk, CT. For more information, call (860) 542-5125 or email contact@atonforest.org.

Saturday, July 28 at 4pm, Teaching and Illustrating the New England Flora with Elizabeth Farnsworth

On Saturday, July 28 at 4:00 p.m., botanical illustrator Elizabeth Farnsworth presents Teaching and Illustrating the New England Flora: New Tools for Plant Enthusiasts. This talk is for artists and non-artists, is free and open to the public. Refreshments served.
 
The talk is held in the Battell Recital Hall at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Co-sponsored by Aton Forest and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.
 
 

Sandy Brook Conservation Corridor: What Can Doolittle Do? June 16, 4pm at the Doolittle Clubhouse

On Saturday, June 16 at 4pm, Executive Director John Anderson will give a Sandy Brook Conservation Corridor Project presentation,
Protecting water quality and wildlife through forest and wetland conservation: What Can Doolittle Do? Doolittle Woods, which lies within the boundaries of the Sandy Brook watershed, is a forested area with lakes and wetlands that was created in 1929 as a place for residents within the woods to hunt and fish. While it remains largely forested, there have been recent concerns about declining water quality, invasive fish species which may be responsible for the decline of native trout, and the advance of non-native, invasive plants. Aton Forest will lead a conversation about what Doolittle residents can do within the context of ensuring the future health of the Sandy Brook watershed.
 
Location: The Doolittle Clubhouse, 528 Doolittle Drive, Norfolk CT 06058. Refreshments will be served. This talk is free and open to the public. For more information, call (860) 542-5125 or email contact@atonforest.org.

Sandy Brook Conservation Corridor Presentation on May 19 in Colebrook


On Saturday, May 19 from 3 to 5pm, John Anderson will give a talk and power-point presentation on the recently launched Sandy Brook Conservation Corridor Project, at the Colebrook Senior/Community Center in Colebrook Center. This conservation project seeks to protect land within the Sandy Brook watershed in the Connecticut towns of Colebrook, Norfolk, Hartland, Barkhamsted and Winchester, and Sandisfield and New Marlborough, Massachusetts. This pristine watershed has little land placed under protection, and landowners who aren't eager to have the watershed developed may want to learn about their options to preserve the wilderness for hunting, fishing, logging and healthy natural resources.  
This talk is free and open to the public. Location: Colebrook Senior/Community Center, 2 School House Road, Colebrook.
On Sunday, May 20 from 10am to 2pm, John Anderson will follow up this talk with a botanizing field trip in Algonquin State Forest and the Sandy Brook Natural Area Preserve. Location: intersection of Sandy Brook Road and Colebrook River Road (Route 8) in Colebrook.
For more information, call (860) 542-5125 or email contact@atonforest.org.

The 2011 Aton Forest Open House on Saturday, October 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Please join us on October 1 for an active, educational and fun program. In the morning, we'll have a guided hike on one of Aton's trails, with an opportunity to learn about local native species, followed by lunch in the beautiful Victorian Egler Mansion. In the afternoon is the feature presentation on conservation of natural resources. Speaker TBA. This event is free and open to the public; lunch is provided.
 
Aton Forest Headquarters, 270 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk, Connecticut 06058 
For more information, please call (860) 542-5125 or email to contact@atonforest.org.

Musical Composition & Landscape Design- Saturday, August 6 at 4 pm


Aton Forest and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival are co-sponsoring a talk by award winning native landscape designer and composer Larry Weaner entitled "Musical Composition and Natural Landscape Design: Harmony, Rhythm, and Time." Join Larry to explore the connection between music and landscapes. Discover how the process of musical composition can be used to create landscapes that evoke emotional responses, incorporate improvisation, and unfold gracefully over time. Free admission. Location: Battell Recital Hall, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Routes 44 & 272, Norfolk, CT. For more information, contact Aton Forest, (860) 542-5125 or contact@atonforest.org, or Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, (860) 542-3000.

AF Bird/Botanizing Walks and Work Days - Saturday, July 9 & Friday, July 15

Aton Forest is hosting two informative and fun volunteer workdays in July: Saturday, July 9, trail clearing and an erosion control project, from 9am to noon; Friday, July 15, rejuvenating the old Egler gardens, learning about native and non-native garden plants, and pulling invasive ones out, from 9am to noon. Both workdays will begin with a morning birding and botanizing walk from 8 to 9am, and on both days, lunch and refreshments will be served in the Egler Victorian mansion. These events will happen in rain or shine; please come for part or all of either day. The location is Aton Forest Headquarters, 270 North Colebrook Rd., Norfolk. Contact Aton Forest with questions at (860) 542-5125 or email (contact AT atonforest.org).

"The Afterlife of Trees" on Sat. June 11

John Anderson, Executive Director of Aton Forest of Norfolk, is giving a talk about the importance of dead wood (den trees, snags, and downed wood), and its value to the life of the forest ecosystem.
The talk will begin at 3:00; there will be ample time for questions, and refreshments will be served from 4:00 to 5:00pm.
The location is the Doolittle Clubhouse, at 528 Doolittle Drive in Norfolk, next to Doolittle Lake. This event is free and open to the public. If you have any questions, please contact Aton Forest at contact@atonforest.org or (860) 542-5125.  

AF Work Day & Earth Day Picnic - Sat., April 23

We are planning a Work Day of for the morning of April 23rd and are looking for volunteers to help with trailing clearing and garden cleanup. This will be followed by a potluck Earth Day Picnic and what is sure to be lively discussions on conservation and science.

Meet at AF Headquarters at 9 am (270 North Colebrook Road, Norfolk, the old Egler House). Lunch will start around noon.

Please call or email if you can attend. Thank you.

Dan - Thanks and Good Luck!

Dan Watrous worked out very well as this year’s intern and was promoted to Assistant over the summer. He showed initiative and thoughtfulness in his work and brought with him excellent computer and GIS skills. In short order he was able to take over the field work and data management for the CSP deadwood inventory. In the fall he took it upon himself to get his Connecticut pesticide license so he could do the brush and invasive plants removal for the WHIP grant. Recently, Dan received a research assistantship at the Graduate School of the University of Georgia and will be studying sturgeon. His last day working for Aton Forest, Inc. was November 22nd.  He’ll leave his mark here and has helped AF take another step forward. Thanks Dan!