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Spring 2008
May
4, Sunday, 2-4 PM. Learn to Fish. This fishing demonstration
on the private side of Great Pond in Ridgefield will be led
by NRWA Board member and outdoor enthusiast Mark Riser. Learn
about fishing strategies, wily watercourses, and more. Minimum
age: 8. Bring your own gear or just watch and learn. Reservations
are required. Call NRWA for directions to the special meeting
place.
May
11, Sunday, 4:30 PM. Photo Exhibit and Nature Appreciation
Walk. Celebrate Mother's Day with a family-friendly visit
to view the NRWA Photo Exhibit at Onatru Farm in Lewisboro,
and then go outside for an easy, scenic walk with Vi Patek,
member of Lewisboro's Conservation Advisory Council. Meet
at Onatru Farm, 99 Elmwood Road, between West Lane and Route
123 in Lewisboro. Call NRWA for reservations.
May
17, Saturday, 10 AM. Brute Strength Workday at Gilbert-Miller
Park in Georgetown. This session will spruce up the vest-pocket
park by doing mulching, planting, and rock work. Wheelbarrows
welcome. Call Susan Robinson (203-544-9879) for registration
and information on what to bring and where to park.
May 17, Saturday, 4-5:30 PM. Amphibian Adventure. Sara
da Silva and David Havens of NRWA will give a short introduction
to amphibians and how to spot them. Then they'll lead a woodland
walk to visit vernal ponds coming to life with salamanders,
newts, frogs, and toads. Search for eggs and tadpoles; and
learn about their seasonal habitats, life history, and different
species. Meet in front of the Visitors Center at the New Canaan
Nature Center, 144 Oenoke Road, New Canaan. Bring tall waterproof
boots (a few pairs will be provided). Call NRWA for reservations.
May
22, Thursday, 7:00 PM Short Tour of Gilbert-Miller Park, Route
107. 7:30 PM. NRWA Annual Meeting and Slide Lecture on
Rain Gardens and Other Treatments for Stormwater Control;
River Water Quality Update. Georgetown Firehouse, 6 Portland
Avenue/Route 107, Redding.
Park
at the Georgetown Post Office lot which is on the north side
of Route 107. 1/2 mile from the light at the intersection
of Route 7 and Route 107. To the left of the Post Office toward
the back of the lot is a gate in a low chain link fence that
leads to the rear of the Georgetown Fire Station. Go through
the gate and use the door directly under the sign for "NO.
1" to access the entry to the upstairs meeting room.
Please do not park at the back of the firehouse on the off
chance that the area will need to be used by firefighters
in time of emergency. Thanks.
May
24, Saturday, 8-9:30 PM. Owl Prowl. Environmental educator
and ornithologist David Havens will lead this nighttime birding
walk. Learn about owl calls, habits, habitats, and history.
Meet at St. Luke's School parking lot, 377 North Wilton Road,
New Canaan, to carpool to two other sites. Call NRWA for reservations
and directions.
June 3, Tuesday, Noon-1:30 PM. Tour of Norwalk's Wastewater
Treatment Plant. The City's contractor will explain how
wastewater is cleaned with today's equipment at 60 South Smith
Street, Norwalk., and what improvements a five-year, $140
million upgrade will effect. Hardhats and safety goggles will
be provided; please wear sensible shoes, and park at the Public
Works Center; co-hosted by the DPW. For reservations, call
NRWA.
June
7, Saturday, 9:30-11:30 AM. Natural History Walk at Weir Farm
to Celebrate National Trails Day. Greg Waters. Horticulturist
at the National Historic Site on the Ridgefield/Wilton border
will lead this informative three-mile walk and discuss land-use
history, botany, watershed management and observational skills
in the woods. Meet rain or shine at the Weir Farm Visitor's
Center, 735 Nod Hill Road near Pelham Lane. Call Greg Waters
(203-544-9829, x11) to pre-register. Co-Leader: Lillian Willis
of NRWA.
June 13, Friday, 4-5:30 PM. Riverbanks Tour of the Norwalk
River at Wilton's Schenck's Island. Jeff Yates, fourth-generation
Wiltonian, editor of The Wilton Bulletin, and member of the
Mianus Chapter of Trout Unlimited, will guide this walking
lecture about trout habitats and habits, stream restoration,
and history of the area. Park in the Schenck's Island lot
just over the vehicle bridge on Old Ridgefield Road across
from the Stop & Shop plaza in Wilton Center. For reservations,
call NRWA.
June 19, Thursday, 6:45-9 PM. "Eight Watersheds in Ridgefield!"
Water resource quality and topography program coincides with
and highlights the display of NRWA's 2008 Photography Exhibit
at the Ridgefield Recreation Center, 195 Danbury Road/Route
35. Evening trail walk along Ridgefield Brook precedes the
7:30 PM indoor program, which features inland wetlands/land
use expert Patricia Sesto. Co-hosted by Ridgefield Parks &
Rec. For reservations and directions, call the Rec Center
(203-438-2755).
June
21, Saturday, 9-noon. Norwalk Meets Saugatuck Hike. This
hike features four Scout award projects, an old stone causeway,
woodlands, floodplain, and the Ridgefield River Study site
on the way from the Norwalk to Saugatuck Watershed and back.
Bring a picnic lunch to eat at the dramatic overlook at Topstone
Park in Redding where the Norwalk and Saugatuck trail systems
meet. Wear hiking shoes for this fairly strenuous hike, bring
water. Meet at the parking area on the east side of Route
7 just north of the intersection of Route 7 and Simpaug Turnpike
at the Ridgefield River Study site and south of the light
on Route 7 at Cain's Hill and Topstone Road in Ridgefield.
Call Lillian Willis (203-438-8653) for reservations, directions,
information.
July 6, Sunday, 9:30-noon. Kayak tour of Norwalk Harbor.
Co-hosted by Appalachian Mountain Club's Flat-Water Coastal
Paddling Committee Chair Jean-Ellen Trapani. Commentary about
local shellfish industry and biodiversity. Bring your own
kayak or rent from the Small Boat Shop, 144 Water Street,
South Norwalk. Call 203-221-7439 for reservations.
July 18, Friday, 4 PM. Beautiful Stormwater Treatments
Tour. Landscape architect Jane Didona will lead this tour
to several local sites to show rain gardens, pervious pavement,
and other control options in action at some residences and
a small business. Meet at Ridgefield Town Hall Annex off Prospect
Street between Main Street and Prospect Ridge to park and
carpool.
August
23, Saturday, 10-noon. Butterflies! Lepidopterist Vic
DeMasi, Research Affiliate for the Peabody Museum and NRWA
Advisory Board Member, has been studying butterflies and moths
in an area along the Norwalk River since 1977. He'll introduce
area butterflies and moths, discuss their food and habitats,
and show his remarkable collection. Meet at 10 Simpaug Turnpike
in Redding, just east of Route 7, Ridgefield. Easy walk. Call
Vic DeMasi (203-938-9016).
September 9, Tuesday, 4-5 PM. Meadow Walk at Keeler's Ridge.
Experience the meadow in late summer glory and learn about
birds that visit it. Walk led by ornithologist Kim Young and
other local and botanical experts on Wilton Land Conservation
Trust open space. Park by the wooden fence across from 658
Ridgefield Road/Route 33 in Wilton. Bring magnifying glass,
binoculars. Rain date: September 11, 4-5 PM. Call NRWA.
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