Northwest Park & Nature Center

06/06/2026

TODAY AT THE PARK! 🥾🌳📸

06/05/2026

TOMORROW AT THE PARK! 🥾🌳📸

Join us at Northwest Park for a special CT Trails Day celebration!
We’re launching a park-wide scavenger hunt across our 473 acres of forests, wetlands, and meadows, perfect for nature lovers of all ages and abilities. As you explore the trails, discover hidden landmarks, learn about the quiet magic of our ecosystems, and mark off your NWP Passport along the way.
Return to the Nature Center to collect a small prize (one per person) to celebrate your adventure with purpose and joy! It’s a hands-on way to honor CT Trails Day, Connecticut’s largest statewide celebration of trails, community, and the outdoors.
This event is free and open to all ages. Remember to stop by the Nature Center to grab your NWP Passport before heading out on the trails. And don’t worry, every hiker who returns gets a small token of achievement, no matter how many stops they complete – while supplies last.
FREE
ALL AGES

06/01/2026

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬! 📣
EDIT: The Full Moon Paddle is on Sunday, June 28th.

05/29/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝟒:𝟑𝟎𝐏𝐌 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭'𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦. 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐛 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞! 🐞🥾📸

AGES OPENED UP TO 8 YEARS AND UP!

https://secure.rec1.com/CT/town-windsor/catalog

05/25/2026

THE NATURE CENTER IS CLOSED TODAY!
The Park remains open from dawn until dusk.

05/24/2026

TOMORROW - THE NATURE CENTER WILL BE CLOSED.
The Park remains open from dawn until dusk.

05/23/2026

𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘! 🐢

Turtles have been around for over 200 million years — how’s that for resilience? Drop your favorite turtle photo from the trails of NWP and beyond! 📸

~~~
World Turtle Day was started in 2000 by 'American Tortoise Rescue', a nonprofit founded by Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson, to raise awareness about the rapid loss of turtle and tortoise habitats. Held every May 23rd, it’s now celebrated in over 190 countries!

The day itself highlights threats like habitat destruction, the exotic pet trade, and climate change, all while also promoting actions like “adopt-don’t-shop” and supporting bans on selling specific turtles.

World Turtle Day fuels global efforts, from educational programs and social campaigns, to scientific research and policy work by groups like NOAA and the Oceanic Society, to protect these ancient creatures. 🌍💚

05/22/2026

𝐈𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:
(Registration: secure.rec1.com/CT/town-windsor/catalog)

05/21/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞?

Meet Georgina! 🐢🥚

She’s one of our animal ambassadors, a local eastern box turtle, and a quiet icon of Connecticut’s woodlands. Every spring and early summer, females like her begin nesting, often traveling surprising distances to find the perfect sunny, well-drained spot to lay a clutch of 3 to 8 eggs. (She laid 6 this morning!) Once buried, she leaves—and never returns. That’s the norm for most turtles: lay, leave, and let nature take its course.

And sometimes, that nature includes eating the eggs. While not typical in the wild, turtles can consume their own eggs; especially in captivity or after relocation. If the nesting sequence is disrupted, the clutch may no longer register as “hers,” and instinct kicks in differently.

Why eat them? Raw eggs are packed with nutrients, proteins, fats, and vital vitamins, many of which were drawn from her own body during egg formation. By eating them, she recovers some of that lost energy. The calcium in the shells is especially valuable, helping maintain strong bones, a healthy beak, and a resilient shell.

In CT, these amazing creatures face growing threats: habitat loss, road crossings, and climate shifts, all making successful nesting harder. That’s why minimizing disturbance during this critical time is so important. Every egg, every instinct, every moment counts.

05/21/2026