Have you ever seen a porcupine in CT?  Would you like to know more about Connecticut’s elusive Quill Pig? Come join CT DEEP Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator Gerri Griswold and her non-releasable porcupine at the Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby, Connecticut.   Saturday, March 10 at 10:00 a.m. Gerri will give a one hour program and address the natural history of one of Connecticut’s most fascinating species.

North American Porcupines are large, solitary rodents commonly found in New England.  Although they are mostly nocturnal, they can be found perched in the top of a tree during the day. Porcupines are herbivores and typically have 20,000 to 30,000 quills which cover most of their body. Gerri will address the natural history of one of Connecticut’s most fascinating species and the world’s third largest rodent! 

Gerri Griswold is Director of Administration and Development at The White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield, Connecticut. She has handled bats for twenty five years as a wildlife rehabilitator and educator and is licensed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the United States Department of Agriculture to keep and exhibit non releasable bats and more recently, porcupines for education. Over the years Gerri has delivered hundreds of programs to libraries, classrooms, Scout troops and organizations like the National Park Service and the Yale Peabody Museum. She has appeared on the cover of The Weekly Reader and produced a segment about bats for The Late Show with David Letterman. Griswold was featured in “Seasons of Connecticut” by Diane Smith, published by Globe Pequot Press, released in June 2010. Griswold also serves as the morning voice of traffic on WTIC AM and WZMX FM. In 2010 she launched a travel company, Krummi Travel LLC, which takes small groups of adults on extraordinary trips to Iceland.

This event is free and open to the public. All ages are encouraged to come and learn more about the fascinating world of porcupines. Registration is requested, but not required.   The Kellogg Environmental Center, a facility of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is open 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. It is located at 500 Hawthorne Avenue off of Rte. 34 in Derby. For further information or directions please email donna.kingston@ct.gov or phone the Kellogg Environmental Center at (203)734-2513.