Connecticut State Museum of Natural History

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FIELD LEARNING ACTIVITY

Who's Been Here? Trail Cameras for Data & Detecting with Dr. Erin Kuprewicz

Saturday, 6 April 2024 (Note new date!)

10am-12pm

UConn Storrs

Join mammologist Dr. Erin Kuprewicz from the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (CSMNH) to learn how to track mammals using passive methods like camera trapping and reading tracks and scat sign in the field. The community is invited to learn about local mammals and how camera traps are used to observe the secret lives of elusive creatures at an active research site at UConn Storrs!

Dr. Kuprewicz is the Curator/Collections Manager and Engagement Specialist for the CSMNH and leads a long-term mammal census project in Storrs as part of the nationwide project Snapshot USA. Hike is recommended for participants aged 8 and up; those 16 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone. This hike may be challenging for some and will include hilly areas and forays off trail to view camera trap sites. Sturdy footwear and long pants are recommended.

Due to inclement weather on March 23, this event will be held on the rain date Saturday 6 April 2024 from 10am-12pm!

*** Spaces still available and registration is required! ***
$10 for Museum Members
$15 for non-Members

Participants aged 16 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Monday, April 1.

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SPECIAL PRESENTATION

The Collapse of Nature: Insect Decline in the Anthropocene

at the February Meeting of the Connecticut Entomological Society

Friday, 23 February 2024

7:30 PM

UConn Storrs, Biology/Physics Building, Rm 130

Join the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and the Connecticut Entomological Society for a free lecture by Entomologist and UConn Professor Dr. David Wagner.

Dr. Wagner will lecture on his entomological research surrounding invertebrate conservation, including topics such as pollinator decline, invasive species impacts, and climate-change threats.

*** This event is FREE and open to the public! ***

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Friday, February 16.

This lecture is being held in conjunction with the Connecticut Entomological Society (CES).
For information about the CES and their regular meetings, please visit their website: https://www.ctentsoc.org/

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Connecticut Office of State Archaeology Year-in-Review with Dr. Sarah Sportman

Thursday, 11 January 2024

5PM

UConn Storrs, Biology/Physics Building, Rm 131

The frozen winter ground puts most archaeological excavations on hold... but on January 11th State Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Sportman will be digging into Connecticut archaeology... in this year-in-review lecture!

Dr. Sportman will highlight recent field work, research, and other activities undertaken over the past year by the Office of State Archaeology (OSA).

*** This event is FREE and open to the public! ***

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Friday January 5.

EDWIN WAY TEALE LECTURE SERIES

7 December 2023

Agriculture’s Transition to Net Zero Emissions: What is Livestock’s Role?

with Ermias Kebreab

Professor and Director, World Food Center, University of California, Davis

All Teale lectures are free, open to the public, and held on Thursdays at 4pm in the Konover Auditorium in the Dodd Center for Human Rights at UConn Storrs (unless noted otherwise).

Visit the Edwin Way Teale Lecture website for more information and the link to view recorded lectures.

COMMUNITY EVENT

Biology of Evergreen Trees at Mansfield Winter Welcome

Saturday, 30 September 2023

4 - 6:30PM

Betsy Paterson Square, Downtown Storrs, CT

Come view our Trim-A-Tree submission to learn about the biology of evergreen trees and the biodiversity that lives in and around them!

*** This event is FREE and open to the public! ***

More information about the Mansfield Winter Welcome festival can be found on their website.

EDWIN WAY TEALE LECTURE SERIES

2 November 2023

Building a Better Anthropocene by Understanding Relationships Between People and Nature

with Elena Bennett

Professor and Canada Research Chair – Sustainability Science, McGill University

All Teale lectures are free, open to the public, and held on Thursdays at 4pm in the Konover Auditorium in the Dodd Center for Human Rights at UConn Storrs (unless noted otherwise).

Visit the Edwin Way Teale Lecture website for more information and the link to view recorded lectures.

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EXHIBIT RECEPTION

1 November 2023

Material World: Design for a Healthful and Equitable Future

with Cameron Slocum

3-5pm, Light Court of the Gant Science Complex

The design industry is responsible for excessive amounts of waste... But what if there was an alternative?

The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History invites you to join UConn undergraduate student and designer Cameron Slocum in considering this question at an upcoming reception for her exhibit Material World: Design for a Healthful and Equitable Future.

Each component used in Material World was selected after careful research regarding total life cycle and holistic sustainable properties. Material samples—intended to be touched—provide an opportunity for visitors to learn about the diverse qualities of these sustainable materials.

During the reception, Cameron will give brief remarks about the design process for Material World.

The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is appreciated as refreshments will be served.

EDWIN WAY TEALE LECTURE SERIES

12 October 2023

Joining Forces With Water: Resonance and the Geologic Presence of People and Aquifers

with Andrea Ballestero

Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Ethnography Studio, University of Southern California

All Teale lectures are free, open to the public, and held on Thursdays at 4pm in the Konover Auditorium in the Dodd Center for Human Rights at UConn Storrs (unless noted otherwise).

Visit the Edwin Way Teale Lecture website for more information and the link to view recorded lectures.

COMMUNITY EVENT

Walktober: The Miniature Plants of Eastern Connecticut with Dr. Bernard Goffinet

Saturday, 7 October 2023
10AM - 12PM
Hillside Environmental Education Park (HEEP)
159 Discovery Drive, Storrs, CT

Sign-in begins at 9:45AM at the trailhead.

Gain insights into the mosses of Northeastern Connecticut with Dr. Bernard Goffinet of the University of Connecticut’s Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology.

Join Dr. Goffinet on an easy hike through a portion of the 165-acre parcel known as the “HEEP”, or Hillside Environmental Education Park. The HEEP consists of uplands, meadows, woodlands, wetlands (including vernal pools) and riparian zones around Cedar Swamp Brook.

Participants will explore, discover, and hear stories about native mosses and the miniature forest that can be found right below their feet.

*** This event is FREE and open to the public ~ space is limited and registration is required! ***

Participants aged 16 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone.

This hike may be challenging for some and will include hilly areas and some forays off trail to hunt for mosses. Sturdy footwear and long pants are recommended. Depending on the weather, other items that may make your time in the woods more comfortable:

Sunscreen
Bug spray
Water
Hats and long sleeves/pants

COMMUNITY EVENT

Insects & Arachnids at Celebrate Mansfield Festival

Saturday, 30 September 2023

2 - 6PM

Betsy Paterson Square, Downtown Storrs, CT

The CSMNH is excited to be celebrating the 20th Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival with a diversity of insect and arachnid specimens on display, along with fun activities for all ages.

*** This event is FREE and open to the public! ***

More information about the 20th Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival can be found on their website.

FIELD SCHOOL

7-11 August 2023

Archaeology Field School for Adults with the Office of State Archaeology

The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, the Office of State Archaeology (OSA), and the Friends of the Office of State Archaeology, Inc. (FOSA) are pleased to be once again offering their week-long Archaeology Field School for Adults.

Monday-Friday, 9AM-3PM

Wethersfield, CT

Registration Cost: $300 for week-long field school

Participants will gain hands on experience contributing to an authentic and significant archaeological investigation, working with primary sources at an 18th-century colonial site in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Days will start at 9am and end at 3pm, with a break for a brown bag lunch. The field school will cover the basics of field methods, paperwork, mapping, data management, and artifact identification.

The program is designed to provide a deeper appreciation of the importance of archaeology as a tool for learning about Connecticut’s fascinating past. Learning proper archaeological methods will develop the participant’s understanding of the ethical aspects of archaeology and the archaeologist’s responsibility to preserve the data they retrieve so that it will remain valuable to future researchers.

The Archaeological Field School is taught by Connecticut State Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Sportman with support from FOSA, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the Connecticut Office of State Archaeology through education, public outreach, partnerships with local communities, financial support, and public assistance.

While the program is open to all adults, it may be of special interest to educators who teach history or social sciences in a classroom or museum setting.

Space for this program is limited!

Registration is open to adults aged 18+ and ends July 31, 2023.

COMMUNITY EVENT

27 July 2023

UConn Extension's Bug Week Parasite Day!

Celebrate UConn Extension's ninth annual Bug Week with the CSMNH and the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at UConn Storrs on Parasite Day 2023!

Thursday, noon-4PM

University of Connecticut Storrs

Join us on in the Biology/Physics Building lobby on the UConn Storrs campus to explore the wonderful, under-appreciated world of parasites! As part of UConn Extension’s Bug Week 2023, the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History (CSMNH), will host activities and displays for all ages for Parasite Day!

Visitors will learn the defining features of a parasite and gain experience with microscopes by viewing real natural history specimens. Enjoy displays and activities for all ages: see real museum specimens up close, learn about parasites from diverse environments through games and scavenger hunts, take a tour of the EEB Biodiversity Research Collections (BRC), and hear about ways to keep your pets parasite free from UConn Police Department K9 Officer Carson (and their human handler Officer O’Reilly).

Tours of the BRC will be held every 45 minutes starting at 1:30pm.

EEB Botanical Conservatory Greenhouse will be open during the event with a Parasitic Plant Scavenger Hunt.

*** This family friendly event is FREE and open to the public! ***

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Monday, July 24, 2023.

WORKSHOP

10 June 2023

Aquatic Insects of Connecticut – Fly Tying Workshop

Saturday, 9AM-4PM

UConn Storrs

Learn about and create lures mimicking the native aquatic insects that serve as critical food sources for popular game fish in Connecticut’s rivers!

Building on the success of last year’s event, the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History is excited to once again be collaborating with the Connecticut Fly Fisherman’s Association (CFFA) and the UConn Biodiversity Research Collections (BRC) to hold their Aquatic Insects of Connecticut Fly Tying Workshop!

Participants will learn to recognize the primary insect groups and how to tie patterns on hooks to simulate their behaviors and ecology while fly fishing in local rivers such as the Fenton, Farmington, and Willimantic Rivers. Participants are encouraged to use their new skills and lures with subsequent participation in the CFFA’s educational programs of casting and advanced tying.

Registration fee of $15 includes all materials to create 3 unique flies.

Participants aged 12 – 16 must be accompanied by a chaperone.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Monday, June 5, 2023.

Registration is limited to 15 participants and closes June 5 or when registration is full.

COMMUNITY EVENT

13 May 2023

UConn Arboretum Tour with Drs. Gregory J. Anderson and Mark H. Brand

Saturday, 10-11:30AM

UConn Storrs Arboretum

Sign-in begins at 9:45AM in front of the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Hillside Road.

Drs. Gregory J. Anderson and Mark H. Brand, co-chairs of the UConn Arboretum Committee, will lead participants on a tour of one of the most spectacular natural resources at UConn Storrs: the trees! Based on the concept of the “campus as arboretum,” the Arboretum Committee helps to protect, promote, catalogue, and manage the trees and shrubs across campus. Greg and Mark will identify and share stores about some of the campus’ most interesting trees.

Participants will receive their own copies of the UConn Campus Tree Touring Guide, which is also available at the UConn Arboretum website.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

Participants aged 16 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone.

COMMUNITY EVENT

22 April 2023

Earth Day Hike and Trail Clean Up at UConn Storrs with Dr. Erin Kuprewicz

Saturday, 10AM-12PM

New Storrs Cemetery, 85 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT 06268

Join mammal expert Dr. Erin Kuprewicz, from the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, on a guided educational hike and trail cleanup at UConn Storrs to celebrate Earth Day!

The community is invited to learn about local Connecticut mammals and how camera traps are used to observe the secret lives of these elusive creatures, all while helping clean an active research site. Dr. Kuprewicz will demonstrate how to set up a camera trap in the field and will also discuss her ongoing research in the massively collaborative camera-trapping project “Snapshot USA”. Snapshot USA was launched in 2019 to survey terrestrial wildlife populations across the United States and make the data collected freely available to everyone. This project involves over 115 collaborators from every state in the USA and has been running every fall for the past four years!

Sign-in begins at 9:45AM in W-Lot on Tower Loop Road, followed by a two-hour guided hike and trash pickup

Program participants will meet to sign in before we walk to the trailhead together. Hike is partially off trail, going through some areas of dense vegetation. Cleanup supplies (bags, gloves, and sanitizer) will be provided, but appropriate clothing and protective gear (sun/rain/mud) is required! Event will be held rain or shine!

UConn students are encouraged to join the Office of Sustainability after the demonstration to continue cleaning the campus center at Fairfield Way – campus cleanup ends at 2pm! UConn students can register to join the Office of Sustainability Cleanup through UConntact.

The cleanup portion of this event is being held in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability’s EcoCaptains as part of UConn’s Spring Weekend program. This campus cleanup is sponsored in part by The Last Green Valley’s Cleanup and Greenup Program.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Monday, April 17, 2023.

Recommended for participants aged 8 and up; those 16 and under must be accompanied by a chaperone.

*** This event is FREE and open to the public, but registration is requested! ***

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

5 April 2023

More than Scenery: Yellowstone, an American Love Story with Janet L. Pritchard

Wednesday, 3-5PM

Barnes & Noble at UConn, 1 Royce Circle, Storrs, CT

Talk begins at 3:00PM, with refreshments and book signing to follow.

The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History is pleased to be hosting Janet L. Pritchard for a talk and signing event at Barnes & Noble at UConn for her new book More than Scenery: Yellowstone, an American Love Story.

Janet L. Pritchard is a landscape photographer and Professor of Photography at the University of Connecticut. She will share her captivating photographs and insightful personal stories about Yellowstone National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, paying tribute to a complex ecosystem where wild nature and culture meet, and the complexities of our relationship to the natural world are revealed.

Talk will be streamed live via Zoom with generous support from the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required if you wish to participate virtually but is recommended for everyone.

If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or CSMNHinfo@uconn.edu by Friday March 31, 2023.

LECTURE

22 February 2023

Archaeology at the Two Wrasslin’ Cats Site in East Haddam, with Connecticut State Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Sportman

Wednesday, 7PM

East Haddam Historical Society & Museum, 264 Town Street, East Haddam, CT

Connecticut’s newest Paleoindian site, the Two Wrasslin’ Cats Site, was identified in 2020. Avocational archaeologist Mark Clymer was drinking coffee in the backyard of the Two Wrasslin’ Cats coffee shop in East Haddam, when he looked down and spotted a piece of stone tool-making debris on the ground. This discovery initiated a series of small archaeological investigations on the coffee shop grounds, led by the Office of State Archaeology with Mark Clymer and volunteer excavators. The excavations uncovered artifacts that reflect a typical Paleoindian toolkit, including rebased fluted points, endscrapers, gravers, and channel flake fragments, all of which are were made on high quality stone materials from New York.

The first inhabitants of our region, known to archaeologists as Paleoindians, arrived in what is now Connecticut at the end of the last ice age (10,000-13,000 years ago). They were hunter-gatherers who moved seasonally across the landscape, probably following the paths of migrating animals. Archaeological sites from this time period are relatively rare, and each new find adds important information to our growing body of knowledge about the first peoples to live in what is now Connecticut.

The archaeological research at the Two Wrasslin’ Cats Site is part of a growing list of recent and ongoing projects at Paleoindian sites in Connecticut. The information collected from this project, as well as recent excavations at the Brian D. Jones Site in Avon and the Templeton Site in Washington, shed new light on Paleoindian lifeways in what is now southern New England. The Two Wrasslin' Cats Site is also an important public archaeology project. The location of the excavations, in the back yard of an active coffee shop, provides the opportunity for the public to interact with the archaeologists while they work, ask questions, see artifacts, and witness the archaeological research process.

This event is sponsored by and will be held at the East Haddam Historical Society & Museum in East Haddam, CT.

For more information contact them at 860-873-3944.

The Office of State Archaeology is part of the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, a unit of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Connecticut.

EDWIN WAY TEALE LECTURE SERIES

The Extreme-Weather Climate Gap: Implications for Cities, Risk, and Vulnerability

2 February 2023: J. Marshall Shepherd (Virtual Presentation)

Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Georgia

Visit the Edwin Way Teale Lecture website for more information and the link to view recorded lectures.