Ken Elkins is one of 40 individuals nationwide selected as a 2011 TogetherGreen Fellow. Supported by a conserva­tion alliance of Audubon and Toyota, the TogetherGreen Fellowship offers specialized training in conservation planning and execution, the chance to work and share best practices with gifted conservation professionals, and assistance with project outreach and evaluation. Each Fellow receives $10,000 towards a community-focused project to engage local residents in conserving land, water and energy, and contributing to greater environmental health.

With his Fellowship, Ken will be developing a new program for Audubon. “Bird Tales” incorporates Audubon At Home environmental principles into the goals of assisted living facilities to improve the quality of life of people liv­ing with dementia. The pilot program consists of therapeutic programs that encourage participants to connect with birds on a multisensory level – sight, sound, smell, and touch. We are also working with the facility staff to improve the quality of bird habitat at each facility, incorporating practices like organic lawn care and landscaping with native species, ultimately becoming the first corporate grounds to be recognized as bird habitats by Audubon Connecticut. He will develop a training video and workbook to make this program easy to replicate and implement at other dementia care and assisted living centers throughout Audubon’s national network. To read more about Ken’s TogetherGreen Fellowship, click here.

The staff from Eastern Mountain Sports of Danbury recently closed their store for a day, helping us recover from Tropical Storm Irene and the August flooding. They cleared debris, cut downed trees, and repaired this section of the river trail near the boardwalk. Over 50 students from Taft School in Watertown spent 3 hours each pulling the invasive Japanese barberry bushes, cleaning the banks of the Pomperaug Rvier, and transplanting perennial flowers from our Butterfly Garden. We’ve also hosted Volunteer Days for Unilever of Trumbull, and the team from GE in Danbury who worked on a number of projects including a viewing platform in the North Meadow! The Bent of the River has volunteer opportunities for you and your school or local business. Please contact Office Manager, Jennifer Norden, 203-264-5098 to get started today! Please click here to download the volunteer form.