Bending the bird curve at Firefly’s first student art exhibit

Perscis Sackey of South Kent School posed next to his and his classmates' photography.

Nathan Miller

Bending the bird curve at Firefly’s first student art exhibit

A modest group of artists and bird lovers got together at the Millbrook School Friday, Feb. 21, for the first ever Firefly student artist showcase.

The exhibition featured art from student artists from private and public high schools in New York and Connecticut including Millbrook School, Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Hotchkiss School, Kent School and South Kent School.

The art covered a wide range of media and subject matter, but all works focused on an appreciation of nature and the environment. Photographs of landscapes and wildlife covered the walls, surrounded by paintings, pottery and sculpture.

The Friday night exhibition opening started out with presentations on bird populations from Marvelwood School students Jonah Maeras-Garcia and Irine Dumitrascu and their avian ambassador program faculty advisor Laurie Doss.

They talked about Marvelwood’s purple martin restoration project.

The purple martin was at one time numerous across the midwest and eastern U.S., but the loss of hollow trees to nest in has reduced the birds’ numbers significantly in the past century.

In 2006 when Marvelwood started the avian ambassador program, student bird researchers counted only a few dozen Martins in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut. Today, after nearly ten years of building and improving martin housing, the Northwest Corner is home to over a thousand purple martins.

Following the presentation from Marvelwood School was the keynote address from Sharon audubon director Eileen Fielding.

The talk, titled “Bending the Bird Curve,” focused on the threat climate change poses to bird habitat in the U.S. and necessary strategies for preserving bird populations.

Fielding said the bird population has decreased by 2.8 billion since 1970 due to pollution and habitat loss.

Continued warming will further shrink bird habitats nationwide, Fielding said. To illustrate this, Fileding showed a model of wood thresh habitat in North America.

The wood thresh, Fielding said, spends winters in South America and migrates to the deciduous forests of the eastern U.S. every summer.

However, deciduous forests are sensitive to rising average temperatures, and much of the habitat for the wood thresh faces serious threats from just a three degree Celsius jump in global average temperatures.

After the talk, the group of students and naturalists walked through the cold, dark night across Millbrook’s campus to the exhibit hall where the art was on display. Student artists ate cheese, strawberries and spoke with the visitors about their art projects.

Latest News

Swinging into spring sports at HVRHS

HVRHS sophomore Wyatt Bayer will suit up for the Mountaineers' varsity baseball team.

Photo by Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE — With the arrival of warm weather, so too comes a new season of athletics at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.

The Mountaineers will field teams in five different sports for the spring season: baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis and track and field.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Urinetown’ makes use of brand new HVRHS auditorium

Tess Marks as Little Sally and Jackson Olson as Officer Lockstock in the Housatonic Musical Theatre Society production of "Urinetown."

Tom Brown

Last week’s Housatonic Musical Theatre Society production of “Urinetown” featured strong performances and superb choreography.

The remodeled auditorium at Housatonic Valley Regional High School made a big difference as well. New seats were a welcome addition, and the increased technical capability meant that the show was flawless from a production point of view.

Keep ReadingShow less
Race Brook Lodge: A timeless haven for music, art, and community

Race Brook Lodge

Lety Marcos

Tucked away on Under Mountain Road in Sheffield, Massachusetts, The Stagecoach Tavern dates back to the mid-18th century and offers fine dining in an enchanted setting. It also serves as the portal into the Race Brook Lodge, which harbors unique spaces for entertainment, lodging and wellness.

Intimate outdoor gathering areas are illuminated by strings of lights. A cluster of mid-century bungalows can be rented by guests who come to spend the weekend and attend concerts and retreats, which typically take place in the barns farther back in the woods.

Keep ReadingShow less