By Eli Schaffer
For the first time since 2019, the Greenwich Audubon Center celebrates the vernal emergence of early season wildflowers, the return of neotropical migrant birds, and the steady rise of the noontime sun with doors open, programs scheduled and a full staff ready to connect you with nature. We are officially reopened and couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome you inside again! Please visit us Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm and check out our website to sign up for programs and summer camp.
Each of our three new staff enhance the most important elements of our work to support birds and the places they need in Greenwich and beyond. Christian Alexander, Senior Coordinator of Community Programs, is leading our events, youth leadership, and summer camp programs. With his background in Marine Biology and Environmental Education, Christian connects the impact of community action and program participation to the birds, other wildlife, and habitat that Greenwich fosters from the backcountry to the sound. Center Associate, Jennifer Kuskovski, not only warmly welcomes every visitor from behind our front desk, but also brings her knowledge from a career in education to enhancing our school programs and elevating your visitor expertise. Finally, the Greenwich Audubon Center’s 680 acers of wildlife sanctuary are now managed by Matt Viens, Land Steward. Hailing from the New Haven Urban Resources Initiative and Yale School of Forestry, in his first month on the job, Matt has implemented the Center’s habitat management strategy with tremendous results that he’d love for you to see for yourself. Each and every stakeholder matters deeply to our team, from young learners on field trips or summer camp to birders, family hikers, and the feathered residents that call our sanctuaries home.
This spring, join us in the celebration of a return to warmer weather, and the many joys of nature it brings. As we all emerge from many months of concern and upheaval from the receding pandemic, opportunity abounds for reconnecting in person together to learn from, play among, and restore the quality of our local environment. On Sunday, April 24th from 12 to 4pm, Greenwich Audubon welcomes you to an Earth Day Celebration and Re-Open House. Meet our newest staff and animal ambassadors, learn about our programs and initiatives, and share in the wonders of springtime.
Through seasons warm and cold over the last two years, a perpetual chill, a collective winter of spirit if you will, has muted the otherwise flamboyant emergence of the earth’s seasonal flare. Although so many of us found increased connection with nature during long walks with friends in the safety of fresh air, or finally took the chance to notice the winged wonders on back yard feeders and neighborhood plants, we also became numbed to the spikes in graphs depicting suffering on a grand scale and saw the world through the cautious eyes of scientists, wary of what nature would throw our way next. This spring however, although the threat of illness remains, we finally emerge from the cold to let the signs of spring wash over us with a sense of rebirth that was absent last year. As the flower sprout pushes through dirt to devour the sunshine, as the robin hunts for satiation among the leaves and the frogs serenade new love, we too practice that which is most natural, most basic and most fulfilling. This spring, we return to the places we love, with the people we love, to share in the joy and protection of the nature we love. On behalf of all of us at Audubon, we can’t wait to see you again soon!
