L.L.Bean Donates $20,000 to Connecticut Audubon Society

South Windsor, CT, August 9, 2007 –

In celebration of the grand opening of its newest store, L.L.Bean presented the Connecticut Audubon Society with a $20,000 grant which will allow more than 1,000 schoolchildren to attend the society's science and nature education programs. Students from Manchester and South Windsor schools will travel to the society's Glastonbury Center and participate in outdoor, educational science and nature programs to learn not just the basics of science but respect for and appreciation of the outdoors. This grant provides a new and needed opportunity not typically available to many of the schools' students.

Robert Martinez, President of Connecticut Audubon Society, stated, “Becoming partners with a company like L.L.Bean, which understands and respects the environment, truly helps to foster our mission. Their grant will help so many children learn about the great outdoors…the best classroom you can find…and make a positive impact on our environmental efforts.”

Founded in 1898 by pioneering conservationist Mabel Osgood Wright (a schoolmate of Theodore Roosevelt), Connecticut Audubon Society (CAS) conserves Connecticut's environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state's bird populations and habitats. CAS operates the historic Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield (declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993, it is the first private songbird sanctuary in the US) and four other nature centers in Fairfield, Milford, Glastonbury and Pomfret; all offer year-round educational and environmental programs and special events for children, families and adults. CAS also operates an EcoTravel office in Essex; manages 19 wildlife sanctuaries statewide (most are accessible to the public) comprising 2,600 acres, and educates 200,000 children and adults annually. In 2007, 20,000 people attended Connecticut Audubon Society's 8th Annual Eagle Festival™, held every Presidents' Day weekend in Essex, CT. Since 2006, CAS has published “Connecticut State of the Birds,” a groundbreaking report about the health of the state's native bird populations and habitats, major threats to their well-being and the implications for the larger environment that sustains us all, including recommendations for how we can conserve and protect our treasured natural resources. Working exclusively in the state of Connecticut for over 100 years, Connecticut Audubon Society is an independent organization, not affiliated with any national or governmental group.