Menunkatuck Audubon Society is the local chapter of the National Audubon Society. The chapter serves the towns of Madison, Guilford, Branford, East Haven, New Haven, and West Haven, Connecticut.
Supporting measures to protect wildlife and the environment
Menunkatuck Audubon Society is committed to work locally to preserve our natural ecosystems for the benefit of people and the earth's biodiversity. Through education and conservation activities within our communities, we raise public awareness of environmental issues and connections to the natural world.
What is Project Limulus? Project Limulus is a horseshoe crab research project that relies heavily on data gathered from physically tagging and recapturing animals. Menunkatuck has partnered with Sacred Heart University researchers to survey the shoreline east of New Haven.
When the horseshoe crabs come ashore to breed during the new and full moon tides in spring and early summer, surveyors count the number of male and female crabs in various sections of a beach. Additional data about whether the crabs are solitary or engaged in mating and the tag number, if any, is recorded. After the count is made, untagged horseshoe crabs are fitted with a numbered tag and data is recorded.
How does it work? Participating in Project Limulus is fun and easy. Training sessions are held in early spring. These informational/training sessions will give a brief history of Project Limulus and an overview of the research as well as training volunteers how to conduct spawning surveys and tag horseshoe crabs according to USFWS spawning survey and tagging protocols.
The Project Limulus coordinator for Menunkatuck is Judy Knowles (judy@menunkatuck.org). Contact her for information about area surveys.
New Haven Breeding Bird Atlas
Audubon Connecticut, with support from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, is looking for volunteers to participate in the third season of the New Haven Pilot Breeding Bird Atlas program. All levels of birders are welcome. Training is scheduled for May 21 at 10:00 am or 6:30 in the evening at the Bent of the River Audubon Center in Southbury, Connecticut. Training is not mandatory but is suggested.
Volunteers will be asked to conduct surveys between May 25 and July 1. We ask that volunteers visit a site two mornings during this period. The sites are located in the greater New Haven area from Milford to Madison and stretching inland as far as Cheshire.
Volunteers can survey a spot that they have been meaning to visit, a site close to home or even a site that is not usually open to the public. This is a great excuse for a walk in nature. Do something you enjoy and help birds too. To participate or for more information please contact Kim Anglace at KEA316@gmail.com.
Film Series
Menunkatuck is sponsoring a film series at the Blackstone Library in Branford, CT, on the fourth Sunday of each month at 2 pm. Co-sponsored by Audubon Connecticut, the series will feature independent films about environmental issues.
The film for May will be a rescreening of Nourish about our relationship to food from a global perspective as well as personal action steps. Nourish illustrates how food connects to such issues as biodiversity, climate change, public health, and social justice.
Because of the Memorial Day holiday, Nourish will be shown on May 20.
Balloons Kill
- More than twenty years ago Audubon magazine warned of the hazards of releasing helium balloons.
- In 1990 a Connecticut state law was enacted prohibiting the intentional release of ten or more helium balloons within a 24-hour period.
- Today, many people know of the dangers to wildlife that helium balloons cause and they cringe at the sight of even a single balloon, intentionally or accidentally, sailing upward into the sky.
Fishing Line Recycling
Menunkatuck has installed these cool fishing line recycling bins at several locations within our chapter area.
- Guilford Town Marina
- Lake Quonnipaug boat launch, Guilford
- Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison (five locations within the park)
- Madison/Guilford boat launch off Neck Road
The bins will be emptied and the fishing line collected to be recycled by volunteers and town/state staff.
Please deposit all fishing line you use (or find) into these bins to protect birds and other wildlife from entanglement. The bins will be emptied and the fishing line collected to be recycled by the following volunteers and town/state staff.
We plan to install several more recycling bins in the future at fishing sites in Branford and West Haven. If you know of an appropriate site and would like to volunteer to maintain a bin, please contact Cindi Kobak at program@menunkatuck.org.
Retrieve Your Fishing Line poster
What to Do with Injured Wildlife
First, be careful. A wild animal is, well, wild and may bite or scratch. In such a case, the animal might have to be killed and tested for rabies.
If you suspect that an animal is rabid, immediately call your local animal control officer or police department.
It is illegal for anyone who is not a state appointed rehabilitator to care for wildlife. One such rehabiltator is Bonnie Alexander. She can be reached at 203-453-5582 (H) or 203-934-3528 (W). For a list of other wildlife rahabilitators check the Connecticut DEP web site
Menunkatuck Audubon is looking for volunteers. We have open positions and could use your help. Give us a hand in one of the following areas. Contact help@menunkatuck.org for more information.
- Manage a nest box. We have many locations where we would like to put in nest boxes for tree swallows, bluebirds, purple martins, kestrels, and other birds. We need someone to monitor these boxes for activity in the spring and clean them out in the fall. Some training is necessary and will be given.
- Contribute to the Menunkatuck blog. Are you a frequent birder at Hammonasset, the Supply Ponds, Sandy Point, East Rock, or any other area? Contribute your observations and photos on the Menunkatuck blog.
- Lead a field walk. Do you bird the Trolly Trail every week? Or visit Hammonasset or the Timberlands? Enjoy the company of other birders and increase Menunkatuck's presence in the community
- Become a Board member. We are always looking for new Board members. If you want to get a feel for what happens at Board meetings, join us at 7 p.m. at the Guilford Community Center on the fourth Tuesday of the month (except July).
- Help with fundraising and marketing. If you have talent of knowledge in either of there areas, we need to hear from you!
