Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Press Releases

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11/22/2019

Celebrate “Nature’s Friends” This Holiday Season

This year’s theme honors pollinators of all kinds

Come celebrate “Nature’s Friends” this holiday season at the Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby, Conn., where each room’s decorations pay tribute to peculiar pollinators like bats and lemurs to more familiar ones like bees and butterflies.

The holiday tours run from Friday, Nov. 29 through Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Tours are offered Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  On Fridays, December 6, 13, and 20, the museum will present its “Twilight Tours” and shine like the radiant colors of the flower beetle from 4 to 7p.m.

When Osborndale Farm was in operation, it depended on pollinators for its livestock feed, fruit orchards, vegetable and herb gardens, and flower garden. Today pollinators still play a vital role in agriculture. According to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, over 75 percent of all flowering plants and nearly 75 percent of crops are pollinated by animals. “Nature’s Friends” highlights the importance of pollinators, agriculture in the state of Connecticut, and the legacy of Osborndale Farm.

For more than 30 years, garden clubs and organizations have created the gorgeous holiday decorations at the museum. These talented and committed volunteers are Derby Garden Society, Garden Club of Orange, Garden Club of Woodbridge, Long Hill Garden Club, Naugatuck Garden Club, Olde Ripton Garden Club of Shelton, Jen Plasky of the American Institute of Floral Design, Women Redefining Retirement of Milford, and Ye Olde Kellogg Garden Club. 

Visit the Osborne Homestead Museum and learn about the animals that provide many of the fruits, vegetables, and foods people love. Admission is free and donations are accepted. The Osborne Homestead Museum, operated by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is located off Route 34 on 500 Hawthorne Avenue in Derby, Connecticut.

To register for group tours and for more information, please call (203) 734-2513.

For more information, contact:

Susan Robinson
203-734-2513

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Contact

Kristina Rozek
Director of Communications
860-424-3110
Kristina.Rozek@ct.gov