It's Walktober Time!

Now is the time to send in your entries for Walktober walks, hikes, bikes and events!  You can find the form on our website:  www.tlgv.org or email Michelle at michelle@tlgv.org for more information.

Connecticut State Museum

of Natural History

Connecticut Archaeology Center

University of Connecticut

2019 Hillside Road, Unit 1023

Storrs, CT  06269-1023

860.486.5690

http://www.mnh.uconn.edu/ David C. Colberg

Public Information Coordinator

Learn to Throw the Atlatl! 
 Gary Nolf, World Atlatl Association and Friends of the Office of State Archaeology
Saturday, May 28, 1 pm to 4 pm
UConn, Storrs Campus
Advance registration required: $20 ($15 for Museum members) 
Adults and children ages 10 and above. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

The atlatl is an ancient spear-throwing device that is swift and accurate, and long predates the use of the bow and arrow. Today we no longer use the atlatl for hunting, but compete with them in sanctioned sporting events. Gary Nolf, member of the World Atlatl Association, atlatl maker, and nationally ranked competitor in sanctioned atlatl contests, will reveal the history and secrets of this ancient invention. He has even appeared on the David Letterman Show to demonstrate his skills! He will bring examples of both traditional-style and modern atlatls and darts for you to see. After the presentation, borrow an atlatl and darts, or bring your own and join in the fun at an outdoor target area where you will learn to throw like a pro! 

Presented by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Connecticut Archaeology Center, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn. 860.486.4460 - www.mnh.uconn.edu

Playing in the Dirt: Exploring Backyard Microbiology
 Dr. Kenneth Noll, Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB), UConn
Nitin Narayanan and Lindsey Bomar, MCB, UConn  
Saturday, June 4, 10 am to 12 noon
UConn, Storrs Campus
Advance registration required: $30 ($25 for Museum members); includes materials fee
Adults and children ages 10 and above. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Springtime lures us outdoors to enjoy the explosion of new life as the sun warms the soil and buds become blooms. Many of us embrace the season by turning over the soil, adding compost, and planting vegetables and flowers. Spring is also a time of blooming for the unseen microbial world in the soil, the compost, and even in and on the plants! Join a team of microbiology researchers from the UConn MCB Department in this exploration of microbial life right in your own backyard! Bring in samples from your own yard and collect samples from around campus with the team. Then, you will learn to use laboratory protocols to determine the types of microbes lurking in your backyard. Dr. Noll and the other researchers will discuss what the presence of these microbes means to the health of your soil as well as the health of your family. Learn about our microscopic "friends" and have fun playing in the dirt!

Presented by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn. 860.486.4460 - www.mnh.uconn.edu

Wetland Wonders
 Dr. Mark Urban, EEB, UConn
Sunday, June 5, 1 pm to 3 pm 
UConn, Storrs Campus
Advance registration required: $20 ($15 for Museum members)
Adults and children ages 6 and above. Children must be accompanied by an adult.  

Spend an afternoon in the UConn Forest seeking out the aquatic life in its streams and wetlands. UConn ecologist Dr. Mark Urban will guide you in this exploration of the diversity of life in three aquatic habitats, including streams, ponds, and vernal pools. Dr. Urban will bring nets and other equipment to help you catch and learn about some of the insects, frogs, and salamanders that inhabit these environments. Discover the incredible adaptations these species have evolved that enable them to adapt to their different environments. Bring appropriate footwear for moderate hiking and boots or old sneakers that can get wet, if you want to help catch organisms.  

Presented by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn. 860.486.4460 - www.mnh.uconn.edu

High Tech Treasure Hunting: Fun with GPS and Geocaching
 Cary Chadwick, Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), UConn
Saturday, June 18, 10 am to 12 noon
Central Connecticut location
Advance registration required: $20 ($15 for Museum members)
Adults and children ages 8 and above. Children must be accompanied by an adult.  

Originally, the Global Positioning System (GPS) was for military use as a navigational aid. Today, the general public has access to this satellite-based technology, and using hand-held GPS devices they can participate in geocaching, a high-tech treasure hunt. The idea behind geocaching is to locate outdoor hidden containers called geocaches by using GPS coordinates listed on the Geocaching website, and then share your experiences with others online. Currently, there are 1,310,416 active geocaches and over 5 million participants worldwide!

Cary Chadwick of UConn's Center for Land Use Education and Research will teach you to use a hand held GPS unit. Then, everyone will go outdoors and hunt for practice caches using the coordinates given to you. One of these will be an officially registered geocache that you can list online as your first. Join us for this opportunity to learn about this fun-filled combination of hiking and treasure hunting, high-tech style!   

Presented by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Connecticut Archaeology Center, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UConn. 860.486.4460 - www.mnh.uconn.edu

Roseland Cottage

Beltane Farm News

Brooklyn Historical Society

Contact person:  Elaine Knowlton

Telephone:  860-774-7728

E-mail:  eknowlton@charter.net

On Wednesday, May 25^th and Sunday, May 29^th, from 1 to 5 p.m., the Brooklyn Historical Society Museum will open for the 2011 season with the special 40^th Anniversary Exhibit 

Treasures from Brooklyn's Attic

Treasures from Brooklyn's Attic is an exhibit of diverse artifacts that have been given to the Brooklyn Historical Society over the forty- one years of its existence and the stories that they tell us about Brooklyn and New England of the past.  From an exquisitely hand sewn silk day dress from the 1860s to a sturdy and practical fork used for ice harvesting all have stories to tell of how life was lived in the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

Also on display are the permanent exhibits of the recently refurbished General Putnam Gallery: Israel Putnam: Facets of a Hero, the story of the life of the Revolutionary War general, and General Israel Putnam Remembered, the story of the creation of the equestrian statue that honors him.

The handicapped accessible museum is located at 25 Canterbury Road (Route 169) immediately behind the General Israel Putnam equestrian statue.

The Daniel Putnam Tyler Law Office, located behind the museum building, will also open for the season at this time.  Both museums will be open every Wednesday and Sunday thereafter through Sunday, October 9^th and by appointment throughout Walktober 2011.

There is no admission charge for either museum.  For more information call (860) 774-7728.

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On Tuesday, May 24^th at 7:30 p.m. at the Federated Church Chapel, Route 6, Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Historical Society will sponsor aprogram in honor of the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Harriet Beecher Stowe entitled:

Aunt Hattie's House

Emma Palzere-Rae, noted actress, writer, and producer will take the audience on a journey to the 19^th century world of Connecticut's own famous author in her dramatic portrayal of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe's antislavery novel of 1852 Uncle Tom's Cabin brought her not only international acclaim but also presidential notice, for when Abraham Lincoln met her for the first time in 1862 at the White House, he is said to have greeted her with the words, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!" Ms. Palzere-Rae has been performing "Aunt Hattie's House" to appreciative audiences since 2000 when she wrote the one-woman show for a commission from the Missouri Humanities Council for its Civil War Chautauqua.  Following her performance, the audience will be able to query Mrs. Stowe about Oakholm, her dream house which she is building in Hartford, as well as the challenges she has faced in combining her roles as wife, mother, and celebrated professional writer.

There is no charge to attend the program.  Refreshments will be served.  For more information call (860) 774-7728.