For 100 years, Aton Forest in northwest Connecticut has protected habitat, supported ecological research, and expanded understanding of the natural world. Its centennial celebration honors that legacy, including the 2026 addition of the 965-acre Spaulding Pond Mini-Wilderness in Norfolk, created by Egler’s wife, Happy Kitchel, bringing Aton Forest’s owned natural areas to 2,500 acres.
As part of the celebration, Aton Forest will present its third science lecture, “Aton Forest Leafminers,” featuring Charley Eiseman, Aton Forest Research Fellow and published field biologist. The lecture will take place Friday, September 18, 2026, at 4 p.m. at the Norfolk Hub in Norfolk, Connecticut.
A recognized expert on leafminers, Eiseman will take audiences inside a fascinating and often overlooked corner of natural history. He will explore the world of leafminers—larvae of certain moths, flies, beetles, and sawflies that feed between the epidermal layers of leaves. Their activity leaves behind striking trails, blotches, and patterns known as leaf mines, creating a remarkable record on host plants. Eiseman will also highlight the complex relationship between insects and plants, and the vivid traces leafminers leave in their wake.
Since 2011, Eiseman has compiled and published natural-history information on leafminers across the continental United States and Canada, combining it with his own field observations and rearing records. He has traveled extensively to study leafminers in diverse bioregions and has written or coauthored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, including descriptions of more than 90 new species.
Eiseman has served as an Aton Forest Fellow since 2022. In 2024, he received recognition from the Linnean Society of London and the Maxwell | Hanrahan Foundation for his contributions to insect natural history. He is the lead author of Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates and the author of Leafminers of North America, now in its second edition, with a third edition being released in monthly installments.
Science Lecture III is part of Aton Forest’s 2026 Centennial program and is sponsored by Aton Forest Inc., the Aton Forest Fellowship Trust, the Colebrook Conservation Commission, and the Norfolk Conservation Commission. The yearlong celebration has included a July exhibition at the Norfolk Hub that highlighted Aton Forest’s scientific research, the conservation work of the Egler and Kitchel families in Norfolk and Colebrook, Connecticut, and Frank Egler’s influence on Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring.
The Centennial program also marks the publication of The Spirit of Aton Forest: Frank Egler, Rebel Ecologist, and the Pursuit of Science and Natural Area Protection by Billy Gridley, President of Aton Forest. The book is available at Les Renards Bookstore at Station Place in Norfolk, Connecticut.
About Aton Forest
Aton Forest is dedicated to protecting and stewarding its natural area preserves while advancing forest succession, ecological research, and demonstration work pioneered by its founder, Dr. Frank Egler. Through this mission, Aton Forest honors Dr. Egler’s practical and intellectual legacy and applies it to support both the natural environment and the human communities within the bioregion.
Connecticut Travel 