We Conserve and Restore Land, Focusing on Birds and Wildlife
— Our Mission —
The mission of the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitat, for the benefit of the community, through conservation, education and research.
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Upcoming Programs:
March 6, 2023 Birds on the Brink: The World of Captive Waterfowl Conservation April 3, 2023 Lights Out Connecticut! May 1, 2023 Intro to 'Ungardening' |
Upcoming Events:
April 2, 2023 Early-Migration Walk Around WMCC April 15, 2023 Annual Woodcock Walk at Boyd Woods April 16, 2023 Shorebirding in Connecticut |
- EDUCATION -
Litchfield Hills Audubon Society aims to provide environmental experiences to people of all ages, particularly in the Litchfield County and surrounding areas. LHAS offers free monthly programs, bird walks and environmental events that are open to the public. We also support and offer National Audubon’s Audubon Adventures tailored for elementary school children.
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National Audubon Society Announces Decision to Retain Current Name
Organization commits an additional $25 million to fund expansion of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging work, a decision that follows a thorough and inclusive process to examine the legacy of its namesake.
By National Audubon Society
March 15, 2023
March 15, 2023
New York, NY - The Board of Directors of the National Audubon Society (NAS) today announced that it has decided to retain the name of the organization, after a lengthy process to examine its name in light of the personal history of its namesake, John James Audubon. The decision was made taking into consideration many factors, including the complexity of John James Audubon’s legacy and how the decision would impact NAS’s mission to protect birds and the places they need long into the future. The organization will continue its non-partisan commitment to habitat conservation and climate action, its agenda-setting policy work, and community-building efforts to advance its mission.
As the organization looks to maximize its impact and live its values, NAS announced a new $25 million commitment to fund the expansion of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) specific work in both internal and conservation initiatives over the next five years. NAS recognizes that its most critical EDIB work lies in empowering and resourcing work to actualize our values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. The Board’s decision enables the organization to focus its time, resources, and capacity on the organization’s new Strategic Plan and putting its EDIB commitments into action.
The Board’s naming decision follows a robust and inclusive evaluation process, which spanned more than 12 months and included input from more than 2,300 people from across the NAS network and beyond—including survey responses from more than 1,700 NAS staff, members, volunteers, donors, chapters, campus chapter members, and partners and more than 600 people across the country with a focus on reaching people of color and younger people. NAS also commissioned historical research that examined John James Audubon’s life, views, and how they did—and did not—reflect his time.
<Read more>
As the organization looks to maximize its impact and live its values, NAS announced a new $25 million commitment to fund the expansion of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) specific work in both internal and conservation initiatives over the next five years. NAS recognizes that its most critical EDIB work lies in empowering and resourcing work to actualize our values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. The Board’s decision enables the organization to focus its time, resources, and capacity on the organization’s new Strategic Plan and putting its EDIB commitments into action.
The Board’s naming decision follows a robust and inclusive evaluation process, which spanned more than 12 months and included input from more than 2,300 people from across the NAS network and beyond—including survey responses from more than 1,700 NAS staff, members, volunteers, donors, chapters, campus chapter members, and partners and more than 600 people across the country with a focus on reaching people of color and younger people. NAS also commissioned historical research that examined John James Audubon’s life, views, and how they did—and did not—reflect his time.
<Read more>
Top Story
Night Skies Are Even Brighter Than We Thought — and Getting Brighter
A new study using community data shows how light pollution is drowning out the stars. Scientists are still learning the consequences for birds and other animals, including humans.
By Zoe Grueskin, Editorial Fellow, Audubon Magazine — February 17, 2023
Photo: Lian Law/NPS
If you’re one for wishing on a lucky star, you may have noticed your options are dwindling. While on a very dark, clear night, most people could expect to see at least a couple thousand stars, artificial light is making it harder to see the stars from nearly everywhere on Earth, with potential consequences for birds, humans and many other species. According to a study published in Science in January, light pollution is having an even bigger effect on night skies than previously measured.
“I was very shocked,” says Christopher Kyba, a Canadian physicist at the German Research Center for Geosciences and first author of the paper. “I really did not expect that the results were going to be as bad as we saw.”
Making use of a massive dataset of community scientist observations of visible stars, Kyba’s analysis suggests that between 2011 and 2022, night skies in North America and Europe brightened by almost 10 percent each year. That means an overall doubling of sky brightness every seven years. Put another way, a child born tonight under a sky with 250 visible stars would only be able to see about 100 by their 18th birthday.
The findings paint a much starker picture of light pollution than many earlier estimates, including Kyba’s own, which relied on satellite measurements. Satellites are likely to underestimate the true extent of artificial light at night for at least two reasons. First, earth-orbiting satellites are best at capturing lights that either point straight up or straight down—and reflect back up—through the atmosphere. That leaves out many sources of illumination like signs and house lights that cast their glow to the side. Because of the way light scatters through the atmosphere, Kyba says, lights that shine sideways contribute the most to overall sky brightness.
<Read more>
“I was very shocked,” says Christopher Kyba, a Canadian physicist at the German Research Center for Geosciences and first author of the paper. “I really did not expect that the results were going to be as bad as we saw.”
Making use of a massive dataset of community scientist observations of visible stars, Kyba’s analysis suggests that between 2011 and 2022, night skies in North America and Europe brightened by almost 10 percent each year. That means an overall doubling of sky brightness every seven years. Put another way, a child born tonight under a sky with 250 visible stars would only be able to see about 100 by their 18th birthday.
The findings paint a much starker picture of light pollution than many earlier estimates, including Kyba’s own, which relied on satellite measurements. Satellites are likely to underestimate the true extent of artificial light at night for at least two reasons. First, earth-orbiting satellites are best at capturing lights that either point straight up or straight down—and reflect back up—through the atmosphere. That leaves out many sources of illumination like signs and house lights that cast their glow to the side. Because of the way light scatters through the atmosphere, Kyba says, lights that shine sideways contribute the most to overall sky brightness.
<Read more>
Join us at a Meeting
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Unless otherwise indicated, General Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at the Litchfield Community Center, 421 Bantam Road (Rt. 202), Litchfield, CT. When the first Monday of the month falls on a holiday, the meeting is held on the second Monday. Refreshments are served at 6:45 p.m. The business meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. and the program follows. The June meeting is the Annual Meeting and Dinner held at a local restaurant; it begins at 6 p.m. Our August meeting is the annual Picnic at Boyd Woods Sanctuary; it begins at 6 p.m. Board of Directors Meetings are held the third Tuesday of every other month at 7:00 p.m. in the Learning Center at the Litchfield Community Center.
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