Sixth Annual Great Park Pursuit At Hammonasset Today! Free, No Registration Required!

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel C. Esty has invited area families to help kick-off the sixth annual Great Park Pursuit from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 9 at Hammonasset Beach State Park. 

Scheduled activities will include: 

• Guided Bird Walks
• Binocular and Spotting Scope Station
• Fill the Bill:  activity focusing on the different beaks and types of food that birds consume
• Mist Netting
• Live Birds of Prey
• Bird Hurdles
• Bird Scavenger Hunt
• Purple Martins
• Bird Safety Patrol/Beach Cleanup

The Great Park Pursuit Outdoor Adventure Challenge is part of the No Child Left Inside® initiative.  Introduced in 2006, No Child Left Inside® is a campaign designed to reconnect children with the outdoors, showcase the recreational opportunities available in Connecticut’s 139 state parks and forests, and build the next generation of environmental stewards, the state DEP said in a prepared release.

The Outdoor Adventure Challenge is a year-round adventure that encourages families to experience the excitement and joy of fun outdoors in CT State Parks and Forests.

Saturday's event is the first in a series of Outdoor Adventure Challenge Family Days.  The Family Days are themed around eleven outdoor recreation activities (Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Biking, Historic Sites, Boating, Swimming, Camping, Picnicking, Letterboxing and Winter Activities). 

At Hammonasset the focus will be birding.  The families will receive a GPP Outdoor Adventure Challenge Passport (or they will be able to download a copy from the No Child Left Inside® website - www.NoChildLeftInside.org) to record their adventures.

Friends of Hammonasset is seeking volunteers to help with the event. Assistance if needed  with registration and volunteer refreshments/lunch. To find out how you can help, call Ranger Russ Miller, Meigs Point Nature Center Director at 203-245-8743. Arrive by 8 a.m. please.

DIRECTIONS:

From the north/Hartford area: take I-91 south to Route 9 south. Off Route 9, take Exit 9. Turn right (south) onto Route 81; continue down Route 81 until you run into I-95. Turn right onto I-95 south entrance ramp and go approximately 1 mile to Exit 62, then turn left off the exit. Head south 1 mile down Hammonasset connector, go straight through the light crossing Route 1 (Boston Post Road) into the park.

From the south area: take I-95 north, Exit 62. Take a right off the exit ramp onto Hammonasset I-95 connector. Park entrance will be 1 mile ahead.

From the east/Rhode Island area: take I-395 south onto I-95 south, Exit 62. Take a left off the exit and go approximately 1 mile. Go straight through the traffic light crossing Route 1 (Boston Post Road).

From the west/New York area: take I-95 north, Exit 62. Take a right off the exit and go approximately 1 mile. Go straight through the traffic light crossing Route 1 (Boston Post Road) into the park.

(Follow signs to the Nature Center)