Tag: connecticut events

Tree Lecture at Greenwich Historical Society

On Thursday, January 24, at 7:00 pm, in celebration of the Jewish New Year for Trees, Tu B’Shevat, Neil Pederson, PhD, will lecture at the Greenwich Historical Society in Cos Cob on “The Science of History: Tree Rings and the History They Reveal.” Dr. Pederson will discuss how ancient trees and timbers from human structures are used to broaden our understanding of history. He is a Research Assistant Professor in the Tree Ring Laboratory, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University.

Pederson

From the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire to the construction of buildings and boats locally and globally, trees are the environmental historians that reveal events long faded from human memory and historical documents — including how the tree ring cores taken from the Bush-Holley House reveal its construction history. The Lecture is sponsored by the Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich Tree Conservancy, Bruce Museum, and Greenwich Reform Synagogue. Admission is free but reservations are suggested. Please call 203-869-6899, ext. 10. Doors open at 6:30; lecture begins at 7:00 pm. Vanderbilt Education Center, 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob, CT.

For area information visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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Take a Walk Through the Dinosaur Age at the Bruce Museum

Since the first paleontological expedition to Mongolia by Roy Chapman Andrews of the American Museum of Natural History in the 1920s, the allure of discovering exotic Asian dinosaurs has been the dream of every paleontologist. Subsequently, dinosaurs from China have been unearthed revealing their relationships to birds as evidenced by the presence of feathers together with scales. Several of the most spectacular of these dinosaurs are coming to the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, beginning January 26 and continuing through April 21, 2013.

A visiting Szechuanosaurus
A visiting Szechuanosaurus

Chinasaurs: Dinosaur Discoveries from China welcomes visitors to walk among the skeletons, skulls, nests and eggs of more than a dozen of these rare Asian dinosaurs. From the huge 32-foot long, meat-eating Yangchuanosaurus to the gazelle-sized plant eaters such as Psittacosaurus, the prehistoric fossils of the Far East provide an exciting experience for dinosaur enthusiasts.

Skeletons of all sizes from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods tell the tale of dinosaur diversification and shifting continents. Maps, video and activity tables help visitors of all ages learn more about the specimens on view. One display features a Jurassic battle between the plated, plant-eating Tuojiangosaurus with a spiked tail and the large meat-eating Monolophosaurus with teeth like steak knives. The long tail feathers and fused bones of Confusiusornis indicate that it was an early precursor to birds, and evidence suggests that male and female looked different, like many birds today.

Chinasaurs offers a glimpse of the unprecedented evolution of dinosaurs and their dominance over the world for more than 155 million years.

About the Bruce Museum
Explore Art and Science at the Bruce Museum, located at One Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students up to 22 years, $6 for seniors and free for members and children under 5 years. Individual admission is free on Tuesday. Free on-site parking is available and the Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities. For additional information, call the Bruce Museum at (203) 869-0376 or visit the website at www.brucemuseum.org.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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Kayak to Cockenoe Island on Aug. 18

On Saturday, Saturday, August 18, from 1-3:30 pm the Westport Historical Society is hosting their 3rd annual kayak tour to Cockenoe Island lead by author David Park. The tour group will meet at Longshore Sailing School, Longshore Park, in Westport Connecticut. The cost to participate is $20 for non-members of the Historical Society and $18 for Members. The Raindate is August 19. Kayak rentals are available from Longshore Sailing School, for reservations, call 203-226-4646. Intermediate level kayak ability is required.

Cockenoe Island, is a 28 acre island one mile off the coast of Westport. The tour will be led by David Park, board member of the Norwalk River Watershed Association and author of the guidebook “Kayaking in and around the Norwalk Islands.” This year, the tour is being offered in conjunction with the Westport Historical Society’s current exhibit “The Sound and the Saugatuck” which runs through September 1st.
Cockenoe Island is open to the public thanks to the hundreds of Westport residents and town officials who fought against the proposed construction of a nuclear power plant back in 1967. The plan was brought forward by the United Illuminating Company who had purchased the island a year earlier from the Smith family, the owners of the island at the time. After the plan was defeated, the town of Westport purchased the island as open space and it is now enjoyed by all types of recreational users and nature enthusiasts. The acquisition was heralded as a significant conservation victory for the nation by Life Magazine.

The tour group will land on the island for a stroll and hear about how the Saugatuck River watershed effects the water quality of Long Island Sound and wildlife of the Norwalk Islands. Cockenoe Island is of particular interest because of the current conservation efforts and successful nesting colonies of egrets, herons and terns

Copies of “Kayaking in and around the Norwalk Islands” is available for $10 at the WHS Remarkable Gift Shop, 25 Avery Place in downtown Westport.

About the Westport Historical Society

The Westport Historical Society, founded in 1889, is an educational organization dedicated to preserving, presenting and celebrating the history of Westport, Connecticut. It is committed to increasing awareness of the importance of preserving our town’s heritage and its historic buildings and landmarks.

Wheeler House is the Society’s headquarters, at 25 Avery Place, Westport, Connecticut, was purchased in 1981. The house, built in 1795, was remodeled in the Italianate style in the 19th Century and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Connecticut Register of Historic Places. The house has three Victorian Period rooms and a gift shop. The only octagonal-roof, cobblestone barn in Connecticut, which is on the property, was completely restored over a ten-year period and houses the Museum of Westport History displaying a diorama of the town as it looked toward the end of the 19th Century. For additional information on programs visit www.westporthistory.org.

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