The CSMNH is kicking off their fall programs by celebrating the 20th anniversary of Celebrate Mansfield with a booth at the festival. Come and visit the Museum's booth on Saturday September 30 from 2-6pm in Downtown Storrs where staff will be on site talking about the differences between insects and arachnids, with specimens on display, an all-ages activity, and Museum giveaways.

In October, the CSMNH will once again be getting in on the Walktober fun with two planned events, both back by popular demand. On Saturday October 7, Dr. Bernard Goffinet will lead a tour of “The Miniature Plants of Eastern CT” in the Hillside Environmental Education Park (“the HEEP”) at UConn Storrs. Dr. Goffinet is an expert on bryophytes (mosses, lichens, and liverworts) and participants had a great time exploring the HEEP with him last fall. This hike offers an opportunity to talk with a local biologist about their work and the miniature forest right below your feet.

The CSMNH organized a tour of the UConn Arboretum in May, when the flowers were blooming, but this Walktober Drs. Greg Anderson and Mark Brand will be back to help participants enjoy the fall colors at UConn Storrs. On Saturday October 21 Mark and Greg (co-chairs of the UConn Arboretum Committee) will lead an easy walk across campus, sharing stories and information about the trees and shrubs that make up the Arboretum. Registration is required for both Walktober events and space is limited!

On Wednesday November 1st the Museum will host a reception for a short-term exhibit in the Gant Science Complex Light Court. “Material World: Design for a Healthful and Equitable Future” is the project of Cameron Slocum, an undergraduate design student in the School of Fine Arts at UConn Storrs. “Material World” asks: the design industry is responsible for excessive amounts of waste…but what if there was an alternative? This exhibit is an evolving proof-of-concept and educational resource for sustainable exhibit design, and Ms. Slocum will discuss sustainable exhibit design practices and materials during the reception. This reception is open to the public but an RSVP is requested, as light refreshments will be served.

Finally, the CSMNH will end the fall season and celebrate the coming winter at Mansfield’s Winter Welcome on Saturday December 2nd from 4-6:30pm. The Museum's booth will highlight the fantastic diversity and biology of evergreen trees, with specimens of common evergreens found in the northeast corner of CT on display.

The CSMNH is also a co-sponsor for the University of Connecticut’s long-running Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series “Nature and the Environment.” This fall’s Teale lectures will highlight topics related to the intersection of people and nature, with a focus on how we can build a better and more sustainable Anthropocene. Teale lectures are held in the Konover Auditorium at the Dodd Center for Human Rights at UConn Storrs on Thursday afternoons at 4pm (unless noted otherwise) and are free and open to the public!

Information about all the Museum’s programs and events can be found on their website at https://csmnh.uconn.edu/programs, along with links for registration. If you require an accommodation to participate in any Museum program or event, please contact the CSMNH at 860-486-4460 or [email protected].

The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History is a unit of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. More info about Walktober can be found at thelastgreenvalley.org.