Conservation

Menunkatuck’s conservation efforts allow us the opportunity to give back to nature and restore the delicate balance of the ecosystems in our area. Our aim is to minimize and mitigate the damage from human impact.

For more than 40 years Menunkatuck volunteers have installed, maintained, and monitored nest boxes for Tree Swallows, Purple Martins, Eastern Bluebirds, American Kestrels, Barn Owls, and Wood Ducks. Since 2014 they have installed more than 100 new and replacement Osprey platforms along the Connecticut coast from Greenwich to Stonington.

Other volunteers engage in removing non-native invasive plants from area parks and sanctuaries and replacing them with native perennials, shrubs, and trees. Our native Plant Sale for the Birds helps homeowners find plants that will provide birds the resources they need during migration and breeding. Our UrbanScapes Native Plant Nursery in New Haven now grows the plants we sell.

We work with Audubon Connecticut, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other organizations in making the New Haven Harbor an Urban Wildlife Refuge.

Education and Outreach

Monthly photo lectures offer diverse programs about Connecticut’s flora and fauna and tours of some of the best wild places in the world.

Our streaming bird cameras provide live video from an Osprey nest in New Haven and another at Hammonasset. Two cameras on Falkner Island stream nesting American Oystercatchers, and Roseate and Common Terns. In winter one camera shows hauled-out seals. 

MAS tables at fairs and festivals bringing information about birds, birding, and conservation to the community.

Community Science

Menunkatuck participates in Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count and maintains extensive records of nest box results and has begun a survey of marsh migration in Guilford’s East River.

We began a new initiative, the East River Marsh Migration survey, to document the affect of sea level rise on the marsh bordering Guilford and Madison.

Advocacy

As an organization, Menunkatuck understands that to have a profound and lasting impact on the world around us, we need to engage politicians, regulators, and other decision makers in our projects. Through our advocacy efforts, Menunkatuck works to ensure the conservation of open space, sound development practices, and protection of of species and habitats.