No Child Left Inside®                           February 2012 

A Newsletter from the Connecticut Department                                                                         Volume 9   

of Energy and Environmental Protection

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In This Issue

 

No Child Left Inside 2012  

Featured Events 

Featured Activity 


Quick Links

 

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The Great Park Pursuit Spring Sprint is Coming!   

This April we will officially be bringing back the Great Park Pursuit in an abridged version that we are calling the "Spring Sprint."  Follow us on a 4 week adventure as we hike, paddle, bird watch, and "energize" our way through Connecticut's State Parks and Forests.


The Spring Sprint will kickoff on Saturday, April 28th at Goodwin State Forest in Hampton as we celebrate Junior Forest Ranger Day in conjunction with DEEP's Boating Division's Paddle Smart Event and will wrap-up on Saturday, May 19th at a secret location that will be revealed in future clues.

 

If you can meet the "challenges" at each of the 4 game locations then you will be eligible to win some great prizes.   


Registration will open in March so be sure to stay tuned for additional details!  

GreatParkPursuitOutdoorRecreationChallengeFebruary School Vacation Programs - Dinosaur and Hammonasset Beach State Parks

 Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill will sponsor a series of "Darwin Days" programs for families during February school vacation week.

The programs include:
  • View a Film: Three different films are shown throughout each day with seven show times beginning at 10:00 am.  The noon film will be Evolution with Bill Nye.
  • Make a Craft: A craft area will be open daily from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm.  Visitors will be able to make a DNA bracelet to take home.  The DNA bracelet replicates a segment of DNA from different animals using multi-colored beads.
  • Meet the Park's Animals: There will be animal demonstrations daily at 11:00 am and 2:30 pm.
  • Tracks Talks: Will be held daily at 11:30 am.
Sharon Audubon will present a live Hawk and Owl program on Thursday, February 23rd at 1:00 pm.  Join us to learn more about the living descendants of theropod dinosaurs.  Seating is limited to 100.  Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the show.

in Madison will also sponsor a series of programs for families during February school vacation week. 

The programs include:
  • Native American Games
  • Native American Crafts
  • Native American Stories
  • Live Turtle and Snake Programs
  • Turtle and Snake Crafts
Please visit the Events Calendar for exact dates and times.

FeaturedEventsFeatured Events

  

Event: Winter World Walk and Talk  

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2012
Time: 10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Location: Goodwin Conservation Center, Hampton

Brief Description: Ever wonder how Connecticut's critters cope with the cold?  Join Joshua's Trust and Goodwin Naturalist Juan Sanchez on a guided walk through Goodwin State Forest.  We will illustrate survival techniques described in Bernd Heinrich's "Winter World."  Refreshments will follow.  For more information and to register please contact Juan Sanchez at (860) 455-9534 or juansanchezjr@ct.gov   

 

Event: Wildlife Tracks and Signs for Kids    

Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 

Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am 

Location: Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area, Burlington 

Brief Description: Learn about wildlife tracks indoors and then head outside for a short walk to look for animals signs.  Make a wildlife track to take home.  For more information and to pre-register please contact Laura-Rogers Castro at (860) 675-8130 or laura.rogers-castro@ct.gov 

 

Event: Bluebird Program and House Building 

Date: Saturday, February 25, 2012

Time: 10:30 am - 12:00 pm 

Location: Kellogg Environmental Center, Derby    

Brief Description: Learn the status of bluebirds and the ways you can monitor not only them but also fellow captive nesters.  Bluebird natural history will be provided and followed by an opportunity to build a bluebird nest box.   For more information and to register please contact Donna Kingston at (203) 734-2513 or donna.kingston@ct.gov

           

View a Complete List of Events 

FeaturedActivityFeatured Activity - Maple Sugaring

 

What better way to start the day than with a nice stack of pancakes covered with CT Maple Syrup!

 

 

The traditional maple sugaring season in Connecticut extends from early February into March, depending greatly on weather.  Freezing nights and warm sunny days are necessary to provide good sap yields.

 

 

The sugar maple is the most common tree tapped to produce maple syrup.  Maple sap is a colorless liquid with a light, sweet taste.  Through boiling, the maple taste and amber color are formed.  It take about 30 to 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.

 

Many maple producers in Connecticut welcome families during the sugaring season to their sugarhouses to watch the whole process of how sap is gathered and boiled and turned into yummy maple syrup.

 

 

List of Connecticut Sugarhouses Open to Public

Take a Virtual Tour of DEEP Employee Steve Broderick's Sugarhouse
No Child Left Inside® is an initiative of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.