Last night there was a public hearing in Glastonbury regarding the proposal to relocate the state police firing range to Meshomasic State Forest in Glastonbury. The area supports a population of the state endangered timber rattlesnake, as well as eastern box turtles and Whip-Poor-Wills, both of which are state species of special concern. Box turtles are also considered vulnerable on the IUCN list of globally threatened species. The area hosts a variety of nesting birds of conservation concern including Wood Thrush, Worm-eating Warbler and Scarlet Tanager. There is a petition to express your opposition of this proposal, which would fragment an important block of forest, that is included in the inventory of protected open space as part of New England's oldest state forest. The petition can be found here: http://signon.org/sign/stop-the-firearms-facility.fb28?source=s.fb.ty&r_by=7747417 More information can be found in this article in the Hartford Courant: http://www.courant.com/community/glastonbury/hc-glastonbury-firearms-hearing-0510-20130509,0,2837221.story If you would like to submit your own testimony regarding this proposal, you have until May 16th, and information on how to do so can be found here: http://www.ct.gov/ceq/cwp/view.asp?a=987&q=249438 Both Audubon Connecticut and the Connecticut Audubon Society submitted testimony last night, as did the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. Our expanded written testimony will be submitted by the 16th and be available on our website. Patrick Patrick M. Comins Director of Bird Conservation Audubon Connecticut 185 East Flat Hill Road Southbury, CT 06488 Phone: (203)264-5098 x308 Fax: (203)264-6332 pcomins@audubon.org http://iba.audubon.org/iba/viewState.do?state=US-CT Audubon Connecticut is on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AudubonCT Friends of Conte is on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Silvio-O-Conte-National-Fish-and-Wildlife-Refuge/121976791147545?v=wall