Meetings & Programs — 2026
Meetings, unless otherwise noted, are held, in-person, at the Litchfield Community Center, 421 Bantam Road (Rt. 202), Litchfield, CT. Additionally, for those that are not able to attend the monthly meeting at the Litchfield Community Center, the presentation will be available via Zoom. To register for the Zoom presentation, click on the link provided in the announcement write-up.
To be added to our mailing list to receive announcements to programs and events, please send your email contact information to: lhasct@me.com
Meetings:
Forests and Forestry in Connecticut
January 5, 2026
Monday, 6:45 p.m.
Location: Litchfield Community Center
Jim Gillespie, a certified forester in Connecticut, will talk about the Stony Brook Forest in Sharon that he has owned and managed for over 30 years. He will tell us about forest workers and their machinery, forest management techniques, deer protection exclosures, young forests, tree identification, recreational uses of the forest, bird habitat creation, and timber harvesting. He will also touch on forest history, in particular the charcoal industry, as well as the past, present, and future challenges to forests and specific tree species. Jim has provided consulting to private landowners, land trusts, municipalities, and other landowners for more than 40 years.
The meeting and program will be available via Zoom for those unable to attend the in-person meeting at the Litchfield Community Center. Click on the following link to register. <Forests>
The Northern Saw-whet Owl
February 2, 2026
Monday, 6:45 p.m.
Location: Litchfield Community Center
This is the smallest forest owl in eastern North America. In the fall, thousands of them leave their breeding grounds in southern Canada and the northern U.S. and move south to find food and cover. Often called migrants, it is more appropriate to refer to them as “nomads” or fall “passage birds,” since they never end up in the same place twice. Much of their life history remains a mystery. Join federally licensed raptor bander Larry Fischer as he unravels some of the mystery surrounding the life history of the Northern Saw-whet Owl. Larry has been banding and watching owls and hawks for more than 40 years. He is a state and federally licensed bird bander with an emphasis on birds of prey and is a former president of the Western Connecticut Bird Club.
The meeting and program will be available via Zoom for those unable to attend the in-person meeting at the Litchfield Community Center. Click on the following link to register. <TBA>