FLB, Author at Faulkner's Light Brigade Guilford, CT Faulkner's Island & Light House

Jan 11, 2012 by FLB

US Fish and Wild Life Service

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal agency within the United States Department of the Interior and is trusted to manage the nation’s fish and wildlife resources. The mission of the Service is to “work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.”

The National Wildlife Refuge System

From one-ton bison to half-ounce warblers, the National Wildlife Refuge System contains a priceless gift – the heritage of a wild America that was, and is. The mission of the Refuge System is to manage a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitat.

The Refuge System maintains the biological integrity, diversity and environmental health of these natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge

The Stewart B. McKinney NWR is comprised of ten different units stretched across the Connecticut shoreline. The headquarters islocated approximately 45 minutes south of Hartford and 30 minutes east of New Haven at historic Salt Meadow in Westbrook, CT.

YellowWarbler — Yellow Warbler at Trustom Pond NWR in RI. (USFWS photo)

The Salt Meadow NWR was established in 1972 and re-designated by Congress as the Connecticut Coastal National Wildlife Refuge in 1984. The refuge was renamed again in 1987 to honor the late U.S. Congressman Stewart B. McKinney, who was instrumental in its establishment. The ten units of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge span more than 70 miles of Connecticut coastline.

Located in the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge provides important resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for many species of wading birds, shorebirds, songbirds and terns, including the endangered roseate tern. Adjacent waters serve as wintering habitat for brant, scoters, American black duck and other waterfowl. Overall, the refuge encompasses over 800 acres of barrier beach, tidal wetland and fragile island habitats.

The Salt Meadow Unit, in Westbrook, CT, and the Falkner Island Unit, three miles off the coast of Guilford, CT, have both been designation as an “Important Bird Area” by the National Audubon Society.

Many of the refuge’s units are open to the public and they offer opportunities in wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, natural and cultural resources interpretation and other public uses.

Falkner Island Unit

Rocky shores, shrub lands, and grasses cover this five area island, located three miles off the coast of Guilford. From early May through early August, Falkner Island is home to more than 95 percent of the nesting common terns (over 2500 pairs) in Connecticut. The island is also the site of the only roseate tern (a Federally endangered species) colony in Connecticut. Due to these distinctions, Falkner Island was designated an Important Bird Area by Audubon Connecticut in 2001.

TernNest — A common tern nest at Faulkner Island (photo by Paul J. Fusco/ CT DEEP Wildlife Div.)

CommonTern — A common tern in flight at Faulkner Island. (photo by Paul J. Fusco/ CT DEEP Wildlife Div.)

Jan 11, 2012 by FLB

Annual Faulkner’s Island Open House

The Open House on Faulkner’s Island is scheduled for September 8th & 9th, weather permitting. At this time, the USFWS is trying to secure the services of a contractor to install pilings that were ripped out during a storm in the fall of 2010. The pilings are required to keep the floating landing docks in place to permit a safe landing on the island. Because of the tern migration and nesting period, no work is permitted on the island between May 1st and September 1st. As we approach early August, more details will be posted on this website concerning times and transportation to the island if the pilings are in place and the landing docks have been installed.

Jan 11, 2012 by FLB

“David Bushnell and the Turtle”

January 17, 2012 – Jerry Roberts
In this presentation Jerry Roberts will discuss David Bushnell’s early life of farming in Old Saybrook, his developing interest in underwater detonation of explosives at Yale University, and the events that led Bushnell to design and manufacture the first undersea craft designed for warfare. Although he was not successful in his attempts to destroy British ships during the American Revolution, he is recognized as the father of the modern submarine.

Jan 4, 2012 by FLB

2012 Lecture Series – Guilford Free Library

January 17, 2012 – Jerry Roberts

“David Bushnell and the Turtle”
In this presentation Jerry Roberts will discuss David Bushnell’s early life of farming in Old Saybrook, his developing interest in underwater detonation of explosives at Yale University, and the events that led Bushnell to design and manufacture the first undersea craft designed for warfare. Although he was not successful in his attempts to destroy British ships during the American Revolution, he is recognized as the father of the modern submarine.

Biography – Jerry Roberts took over as Executive Director of the Connecticut River Museum in 2006 after 20 years at the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum in New York. Roberts has specialized in Maritime History and for over fifteen years has focused a great deal of research on David Bushnell’s Revolutionary War submarine, the Turtle. From the creation of the full scale interactive replica of the Turtle currently at the Connecticut River Museum, and designing several Turtle exhibits, to working with other Turtle scholars, Roberts continues to be fascinated with this amazing example of 18th century Yankee ingenuity. Roberts has designed over 30 exhibits, written a book on the history of boats for kids, produced documentaries for A&E and has written dozens of articles on maritime history and his adventures on and under the sea. His greatest passion is bringing history to life.

February 21, 2012 – Dr. Jay Ague

“The Geological History of Connecticut”
The rocks of Connecticut preserve a rich geological record that stretches back over more than a billion years of Earth’s history. Dr. Ague will examine key events in this history, including major episodes of mountain building, massive volcanic eruptions, glaciation, and near-shore island formation like Faulkner Island. Each of these has played a unique role in forming the beautiful landscape of Connecticut that we enjoy today.

Biography – Dr. Jay Ague is Professor of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University and Curator-in-Charge of Mineralogy at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Jay received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and joined the faculty of Yale University as an assistant professor shortly after graduation. He is the author of numerous scientific articles and is the editor or on the editorial board of several scientific journals.

March 20, 2012 – Amy Trout

“The Maritime History of the Connecticut River”
The lower Connecticut River has a rich and colorful history connected to the sea. This illustrated talk will explore how the River was a source for transportation, trade, industry and recreation for over 300 years. Using the collections of the Connecticut River Museum, the presentation will trace the big stories of shipbuilding, the age of steam, and the rise of yachting but it will also highlight smaller tales of shad bakes, canoe trips, and river lore.

Biography – Amy Trout has been the Curator at the Connecticut River Museum since 2009. Previously she was the Curator at the New Haven Museum (formerly New Haven Colony Historical Society) for fifteen years. Ms. Trout holds a BA in American Studies from Nazareth College of Rochester, Rochester, NY and an MA in American Studies and Material Culture from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

April 17, 2012 – Todd Gipstein

“Antarctic Dream”
This talk combines Todd’s reflections on a journey to the Falklands, South Georgia Island and Antarctica in January, 2011. He will discuss why he and his wife ventured there, preparations, experiences and reflections.

As part of his talk, Todd will discuss the epic journey of Sir Ernest Shackleton and how it influenced him. He will screen a 10-minute documentary about Shackleton, “ENDURANCE,” which he created for the National Geographic Society. Also included is a screening of the film “ANTARCTIC DREAM.”

Biography – Todd has been working as a photographer, writer, producer and lecturer for almost 40 years. He studied writing and film at Harvard University, his alma mater. He is head of Gipstein Multi-Media where he creates multi-image shows for museums and corporate clients. Todd has worked for the National Geographic Society at Director of Multi-Image which included writing and producing shows about geography, history, nature, cultures, photography, and environmental issues. Todd’s photographic archives include approximately 300,000 images. His work is currently represented by the National Geographic Society, Getty Images, Corbis, Delimont and Omega-Arts.