Yukon Up First—

Lillinonah Audubon Society Slates Evening Programs At Booth Library

By Dottie Evans

Expect to hear all about wilderness and wildlife every fourth Thursday at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street.

The yearlong series of evening nature programs begins September 23 with a slide show and talk on the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and the Dempster Highway given by renowned photographer Sam Fried.

The Lillinonah Audubon Society (LAS) is a local chapter of the National Audubon Society and its members are drawn from several area towns. The chapter has decided to hold its regular evening programs at the Booth Library in Newtown –– a change from its previous longstanding program site in a parish hall in Southford.

“We made this decision to offer a more central location and we plan to hold a Thursday night program here every month with the exception of January and February,” said Newtown resident Bob Ecsedy, LAS program director.

As a local chapter of the National Audubon Society, LAS operates in conjunction with the Bent of the River Audubon Center in Southbury and it holds committee meetings in the education center/barn on the 800-acre Audubon property located at 185 East Flat Hill Road.

“We’re really like two peas in a pod,” Mr Ecsedy said of LAS and Bent of the River Audubon.

Travel The Dempster Highway

The Dempster Highway, known as the road to adventure, is truly one of the continent’s most exciting drives. In the upcoming program scheduled Thursday, September 23, Mr Fried will introduce images of the Yukon and Northwest Territories including the Dempster Highway that offer unparalleled scenery. The highway affords opportunities for birding and wildlife viewing as it winds through the boreal forest and across the arctic tundra for 450 miles.

Golden eagles, long-tailed jaeger, and willow and rock ptarmigan are common birds seen from this road. Gyrfalcon and peregrine build their aeries on roadside cliffs, and 25 species of ducks and swans are easily observed. Northern hawk-owls sit atop spruce trees.

In tundra areas, Smith’s and Lapland longspurs breed, while northern wheatear can be found in the talus slopes. Mammals will not be overshadowed, as moose, gray wolf, caribou, snowshoe hare, grizzly and black bears, and lynx are also spotted.

The public is invited along with LAS members, and there will be a social gathering at 7:30 pm. The program will begin at 8 pm.

There is no charge and refreshments will be served.