The best comprehensive look at wildlife in Connecticut

Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles in Connecticut updates the species distribution maps contained in Amphibians and Reptiles of Connecticut and Adjacent Regions written by Michael W. Klemens, PhD and published by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Geological and Natural History Survey in 1993. Together these two volumes contain some of the most comprehensive long-term data on amphibian and reptile distribution, expansion, and decline documented from any region in the United States. This new volume also contains distribution maps for three reptile species not native to Connecticut that have recently established successful breeding populations within the State. This book delves deeply into the conservation challenges facing these native species, specifically why these expansions and declines are occurring. These lessons learned have applicability far beyond Connecticut, creating a new paradigm to achieve better conservation outcomes by identifying groups (guilds) of species that share stressors driving their vulnerability. Why certain groups of species are far more vulnerable to these synergistic stressors becomes apparent through these analyses. Proposed herein are proactive strategies to develop conservation programs that focus not solely on conserving a single species, but suites (guilds) of species that have shared vulnerabilities. Amphibians and reptiles worldwide are disproportionately imperiled because of their life history constraints. This book reinforces the need for urgent action, and provides a blueprint to get there, using a much broader multi-species landscape-scale approach to conservation. The strategies described add value to ongoing efforts targeted at single species, and set a new standard for herpetological conservation.

Bethel, Connecticut, was settled as early as 1700 in the rolling hills of northern Fairfield County. Rooted in hat manufacturing, the town offered many residents employment in the factories of the Hickocks, Judds and Benedicts. Bethel is also the birthplace of celebrated showman P.T. Barnum, who became an international celebrity yet never forgot his hometown. Now most noted for its picturesque downtown, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Bethel retains its small-town appeal while still offering accessibility to both New York City and Hartford. Join town historian Patrick Tierney Wild as he recounts the trials and triumphs that have given this New England town its charm, from the tumultuous days of the American Revolution to the early decades of the fast-paced twentieth century.

A shocking investigative exposé documents the big business of exotic animal trafficking--and implicates leading zoos, wildlife parks, and dealers nationwide