News

Music Festival Planned for Sept. 19 at New Canaan Nature Center

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club. A new community music festival will make its debut at the New Canaan Nature Center this September after receiving unanimous approval from the Parks & Recreation Commission. The commission voted in favor of the proposed New Canaan Music Festival, a daylong event planned for Saturday, Sept. 19, following a presentation from organizer Michael Smith and New Canaan Nature Center Executive Director Bill Flynn. Smith, a musician and New Canaan resident of about 12 years, told commissioners the goal is to create a family-friendly event that brings the community together through live music.

Adam Jacobson

‘A Fantastic Day’: New Canaan Dog Days Draws Hundreds to the Nature Center

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Ryan Rossetter’s dog, a “double merle” border collie mix named Zero, was born blind and deaf. Sitting in the shade of a tent at the New Canaan Nature Center on Sunday afternoon, Rossetter said that he rescued Zero about three-and-a-half years ago from New York. 

“We’re taking a breather because he’s been so excited running around everywhere,” Rossetter said during the annual ‘New Canaan Dog Days’ event, organized by Pet Pantry and benefiting both the Nature Center and Adopt-A-Dog rescue in Armonk, N.Y.

It was the first time at Dog Days for both Rossetter and Zero. “This is awesome,” he said. “This is really cool. We haven’t been to an event like this when there are so many dogs and vendors all together.

Around Town

‘A Perfect Tribute’: Community Dedicates ‘Linda Andros Day’ at New Canaan Nature Center

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During her many years on the New Canaan Nature Center Board of Trustees—eight in all, including five as president—Linda Andros puzzled over what to do with the abandoned “Audubon House” structure near the Visitors Center. An original building on the well-loved Oenoke Ridge property, the Audubon House was demolished one week ago, thanks to the New Canaan Department of Public Works—something that Andros would have appreciated, according to Nature Center Executive Director Bill Flynn. “Our idea to rejuvenate this area, it being the Audubon House, was to make this a celebration to birds and bird-watching and make it a native pollinator sanctuary,” Flynn told 50 people gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Nature Center on a clear, sunny day. “And that was something we had an idea before the building was coming down.”

Next to Flynn stood a young Winter Hawthorn tree donated by Copia Home & Garden and planted in honor and memory of Andros, a lover of nature, plants and animals. She died Dec.

Bill Flynn

Op-Ed: In Loving Memory of Linda Andros

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[Bill Flynn is executive director of the New Canaan Nature Center.]

On December 12th, we lost Linda Andros, a cherished member of our community. As president of the board of the New Canaan Nature Center, Linda brought boundless energy, vision, and unwavering dedication to our mission of fostering a love for nature and environmental stewardship. Her leadership helped guide the center through years of growth and success, leaving a lasting legacy that will inspire generations to come. Beyond her instrumental work with the Nature Center, Linda was deeply committed to the well-being of the people of New Canaan and beyond. She served with distinction on the New Canaan Conservation Commission, where her passion for preserving our town’s natural beauty was evident in every initiative she championed.

Around Town

‘They’ll Chew Down Everything’: The Goats Are Back at the New Canaan Nature Center

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Invasive plant species here in New Canaan have met their match … goats! For the second straight summer, the New Canaan Nature Center has introduced goats to help combat invasive plant species in a chemical-free manner. The goats are sourced from a company out of Rhinebeck, N.Y., according to the executive director of the New Canaan Nature Center, Bill Flynn. 

“[The company] does this all over the Northeast,” he said. “They rent [the goats] out who do their work, and then they go back.”

The goats are used primarily to remove an invasive plant called Japanese Knotweed.