Connecticut State of the Birds 2012

We had a good crowd at our Fairfield headquarters today for the release our Connecticut State of the Birds 2012 report and a slate of recommendations and action steps based on the report’s findings.

Connecticut State of the Birds 2012 examines the dwindling amount of time kids are spending outdoors and its implications for the future of conservation of birds and their habitats. Based on the report’s findings, we at Connecticut Audubon Society will be increasing our emphasis on outdoor environmental education for young people and reaching out to our partners in government, education and the environment to collaborate on the endeavor.

We've been providing high quality environmental education since our founding in 1898. But Connecticut State of the Birds 2012, titled “Where Is the Next Generation of Conservationists Coming From?” shows that we need to concentrate on creating more outdoor educational opportunities with more partners for more children.

The goal is to help create a deeper, long-term commitment to conservation, as well as to contribute to the health and academic success of our state’s children.

We were pleased that Susan Frechette, assistant commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, was able to come down from Hartford to join us. Rep. Kim Fawcett of Fairfield was there too, as was Michael Tetreau, Fairfield's First Selectman.

We made a point of reaching out to the education community too. Pamela Iacono, chair of the Fairfield Board of Education, joined us. Len Tavormina, headmaster of the Eagle Hill School in Southport, was there, along with Gary Rosato, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for Fairfield public schools and Tony Vogl, Director of Development and Marketing, the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Among the many highlights was a short speech by Amanda Flanagan, chair of the John Patrick Flanagan Foundation, a supporter of our education work. And Julia Serrano and
Neyra Benoit, 10th graders at Stratford's Bunnell High School, almost stole the show with their account of how their time at Connecticut Audubon Society inspired them to want to make a career of conservation.

This is our 7th annual Connecticut State of the Birds report. It has become the leading research-based assessment of conservation conditions in Connecticut. 

We will soon be mailing the report to CAS members. If you are not a member, we encourage you to join (which you can do by clicking here). 

You can find a full summary of Connecticut State of the Birds 2012 and a PDF of the report on our website, here.

Here's news coverage of the event:
Connecticut Post
Norwalk Hour 
New Haven Register 
Main Street Connect

Patch.com

Tom Andersen

Director of Communications and Community Outreach