— Western Connecticut State University’s Roots & Shoots program and the university’s Jane Goodall Center will host “Animal Week” from Monday, April 6, through Wednesday, April 8, on the WCSU Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The events will be free and open to the public.
Birds of Prey will descend upon the Midtown campus Quadrangle at noon on Monday, April 6. A Place Called Hope — a rehabilitation and education center for birds of prey — will feature an eagle, hawk and owl, which will fly over the Midtown campus as a trainer discusses each bird.
At noon on Tuesday, April 7, a Wolf Conservation Demonstration will be in Alumni Hall. Atka, an arctic wolf, will be accompanied by a member of the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC), who will share information about wolf behavior, habitat and more. The WCC, founded in 1999 by Hélène Grimaud, is an organization whose mission is to “promote wolf conservation by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment and the human role in protecting their future.”
For the brave, there will be a day dedicated to reptiles. At noon on Wednesday, April 8, live reptiles from Reptiles On The Move will make an appearance in the Student Center Theater.
“It’s important for the community to attend the events during Animal Week because we can become educated about endangered species, rescued animals and even some reptiles that are a bit too dangerous to keep as house pets,” she said.
An additional event with a focus on conservation will be at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15. Wildman Steve Brill will offer a free foraging tour at the Westside Nature Preserve on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury.
The Jane Goodall Center at WCSU has been an educational magnet for environmental, permaculture and conservation discussion and research. In 2005, WCSU was established as The National Center for University Roots & Shoots; a program that trains university students, faculty and administrations to develop programs to engage K-12 and college students in conservation and environmental issues.
For more information, send an email to weinsteinl@wcsu.edu or call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.