July Exhibition & Events focusing on the lives of ecologist Dr. Frank Egler and his wife the photographer Happy Kitchel Egler, two Connecticut pioneers of natural area preserve conservation.
We will highlight Aton’s scientific research work and the history of the Egler and Kitchel families’ conservation work in Norfolk and Colebrook, Connecticut. Aton Forest owns the Egler Preserve (1926), a 1500-acre Natural and Semi-Natural Area, and as of 2026, it is acquiring the Spaulding Pond Preserve, a 1000-acre Natural Area, the creation of Happy Kitchel Egler. We are reuniting husband and wife under our umbrella. The Exhibition will also shed light on Egler’s relationship with Rachel Carson who ushered in the modern global environmental era.
Aton Forest Inc. is a dual-purpose 501c3 organization: an Ecosystem Field Station and a Natural Area land trust. This year we celebrate our Centennial and the acquisition of the Spaulding Pond Preserve.
Events include:
July 10th (Friday) at 4:30 pm. Aton Centennial Exhibition Opening Reception. “What is Aton Forest? What Acquiring the Spaulding Pond Preserve Means to Us” at the Norfolk Hub. Speaker: Billy Gridley, President, Aton Forest. 20 minutes plus Q&A. REGISTER
July 10th (Friday) at 6:00 pm. Music Friday Night On-The-Green. Aton-sponsored . Musician: Kathleen Parks Band https://www.kathleenparksmusic.com/. She is a fiddler, singer and songwriter who brings joy. Plus Food Trucks. Event led by Grant Mudge, Board Member, Aton Forest.
July 12th (Sunday)at 4:00 pm. Aton Forest Science Lecture I. “Nature & Brain Health: Minding the Gaps”. UCC Battell Chapel, Norfolk. Speaker: Dr. Susan Masino, Professor, Trinity College. 40 minutes plus Q&A. REGISTER
July 17th at 4:00 pm. Aton Forest Science Lecture II & Walk.“Mason Hale’s Aton Forest Lichen Collection: 70 Years Later Report” at the Norfolk Hub. Speaker: Dr. James Lendermer, Curator of Botany, New York State Museum. 45 minutes plus short Q&A then Walk at Aton Forest (15 minutes away) REGISTER
The Exhibition will also launch the 2026 book: THE SPIRIT OF ATON FOREST: Frank Egler, Rebel Ecologist, and the Pursuit of Science and Natural Area Protection, by Billy Gridley, President, Aton Forest.
Later this year we will host Lecture III “What is the Role of Smaller Ecosystem Field Stations in the 21st Century?” at the Norfolk Library.