About the Roarng Brook Nature Center

An Affiliate of The Children's Museum

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Exhibits at Roaring Brook

Changing Land / Changing Wildlife Exhibits
Native American Longhouse
Animal Exhibits

THANK YOU! Roaring Brook Nature Center wishes to thank all our donors who have contributed to our Phase I and Phase II exhibit upgrades and the purchase of our new touchscreen computers. The following individuals, foundations, funds and organizations have made contributions to these upgrades: Auerbach Shiro Foundation Canton Education Foundation The Cherry Brook Garden Club of Canton Connecticut Junior Women, Inc. Ensign Bickford Foundation Farmington River Watershed Association The Hartford Audubon Society Betty Kleiner Memorial Fund Jeff & Marcia Marsted Katharine K. & Henry R. McLane Charitable Trust Jim & Rownie Okie Ray Smith Endowment for Education & Conservation Roderick R. Harris Memorial Fund The Roosa Family Foundation Tom & Clair Sharpless Simmons Memorial Fund Frank & Betty Stanley Talcott Mountain Forest Protective Associaton and donations in the memory of: Connie Anderson Dave & Ruth Fleet Molly Leonard Dick Millham
Changing Land / Changing Wildlife Exhibits
The Nature Center has recently completed a three-year effort to revamp our exhibit areas. The exhibits illustrate how changes in land use in Connecticut over the past 500 years have resulted in changes in the flora and fauna.
Ancient Forest & Native American Exhibit
Ancient Forest Exhibit The Ancient Forest and Native American exhibit show how Native Americans managed the land and showcase the animals that were common five hundred years ago.		Native American Longhouse

From Farms to Forest to Lawn Exhibit
These new exhibits help explain how land use and wildlife has changed in Connecticut over the past four hundred years. Starting in the 1600s, Colonial settlers cut down the forests and established farms and pastures throughout the State By 1850, the original forests had essentially disappeared beneath the plow. After many farmers abandoned their farms and moved west in the late nineteenth century, Connecticut's pastures reverted to thickets and eventually young mature forests. Now, with rapid suburban development, the landscape is again changing and a new group of animals are taking up residence in our backyards. Roaring Brook Nature Center was delighted to have artist Ted Esselstyn (www.tedesselstyn.com), back to lead this project. Other artists who have contributed their talents to these exhibits include: Frank Gregory (www.frankgregory.com) Mike DiGiorgio (www.natureartists.com/michael_digiorgio.asp) Randy Gilman (www.walterwick.com/cys_out_pigs_bts.htm) Dave Gloman (www.davidgloman.com) Stop by for a guided tour and learn what is in store for Phase III. Forest exhibit with coyote and raccoon		Connecticut Farmland 1840s Suburban animals exhibit with oppossum and skunk Thicket exhibit with bobcat and cottontail


Beaver Wetland Exhibit

The beaver wetland exhibit highlights the role of beavers in the Connecticut landscape, was completed and opened to the public in March, 2006. Artist Ted Esselstyn of Appleloosa Artworks (www.tedesselstyn.com) has transformed our old resource room into an exciting beaver wetland, complete with beaver lodge, muskrat den and many animal displays.

Stop by and watch our film about beavers!

Native American Longhouse

	.	Visit our Native American longhouse to learn how Connecticut's earliest residents used the abundant resources of the area to meet their survival needs

Live Animals
	Roaring Brook Nature Center is especially proud to be home to numerous beautiful birds of prey such as eagles, hawks, owls and a turkey vulture. To learn more about these magnificent animals, click here.

Inside the Center a small collection of live animals and animal mounts offer our visitors additional opportunities for learning. The live animals that reside in the Nature Center include snakes, turtles, frogs, and salamanders. To learn more about our native and non-native animals, click here.
Our thanks to James T. Dowling-Healey for providing the fact sheets and many of the photographs for these animals