Meetup in CT over the holidays?

I'm scheduled to work both days but if you decide on a day and a location, let me know and I'll see if I can get it off.

Ken-ichi, that sounds like a lot of fun! I would enjoy meeting @charlie as well. I don't think I could manage 12/26, but 12/27 is probably possible.

I'm not sure what taxa people are most interested in, but Bigelow Hollow State Park (http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325066), and James L. Goodwin State Forest (http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=437244) , might be nice places.

For what it's worth, many of us (@karolina @benedictgagliardi , and @rmedina) are conspecifics at the University of Connecticut in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, so we're all in the neighborhood of Storrs, CT. So is @kjhurme, though she'll be in Texas I think.

Ok, let's settle on December 27th, then. Probably easiest for everyone. I'll be down on the coast but I'm happy to head to wherever. Might be able to lure @maractwin or @cyric if it's in the northeastern part of CT. Let's wait a few more days to see who chimes in and then we can pick a location. Here's hoping the weather holds.

so far the weather this season has been utter crap, a failed winter with rain alternating with cloudy 40 degree days. At least in Vermont. Maybe in CT it's at least actually warm so there's some upside. here it's still cold but no snow.

I am in, great idea

This sounds like a great idea! I believe I'll be available that day. Looking forward to meeting everyone

Afternoon plus libations works for me. Any parks / pubs that could accommodate us, CT folks? Anywhere pubs near Bigelow Hollow? That seems like a good spot for a lot of people who've chimed in, plus there are only a handful of iNat observations, and none of them are trees, so Charlie is sure to have a big impact.

So 27th at Bigelow Hollow State Park sounds like the plan. Does 1pm give us enough time to walk around and grab a drink afterward, and can anyone recommend some place to get a drink, or another park / pub combo?

Unfortunately, the area around Bigelow Hollow is somewhat devoid of development. I don't think there's much of anything closer than Sturbridge and Southbridge in MA, which are about 20 minutes away. I don't know that area too well, but I will ask Karolina if she knows any places.

The alternative if most of you are coming from the south would be to take I84 east a ways towards Vernon/Manchester/Hartford where there are plenty of options.

I'll be in the Glastenbury area so it's easy for me to get to Hartford but I'm not sure what sort of outdoor areas there are around there to explore. Myself personally I'm more interested in an afternoon outdoor explore than dinner or drinks this time, since I'm visiting family and would rather be able to see them in the evening. So I'm still OK with Bigelow Hollow or something up that way. But don't let me ruin your fun of course and maybe I'd still stick around for a drink or quick meal.

Looks like there might be four parking lots... Do you know which one is best? Or maybe the gate will be locked due to off season and we park on the road. Weather for Sunday looks like rain in the morning but not in the afternoon. I think I won't be able to do dinner but am excited for the walk and inaturalisting

Wow, didn't realize it was so complicated. How about meeting at the southernmost parking area (by the "Park Entrance" arrow at http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/stateparks/maps/big_nipm.pdf) and figuring out a plan from there.

Also, I hate to say this, but there's a distinct chance I might have to bail. I got hit by this weird flu-ish thing on Christmas Day and I've yet to recover. If I'm feeling better tomorrow I'll be there, but will have to play it by ear. Sorry to be so lame.

I usually park at the 2nd lot near the boat ramp. That's the biggest lot I believe as long as the gate is open. The first is a "free" lot, but since we are in the offseason there shouldn't be a fee I think. But we can meet there to start.

My cell is 717-278-9126, though be forewarned cell service in that area can be rather spotty.

Depends how long of a hike you all would like but breakneck pond is a good spot. Taking the white trail north to the Nipmuck and then back down on blue/orange would capture some good topography.

Ken-ichi, best of luck recovering.

Sounds good. First lot it is and I'll check back around one but won't wander to far from Bigelow Pond. Maractwin and anyone else running behind, hang on to the numbers and call or text when you're getting close and we can meet up with you or let you know where we'll be. Hope you feel better Kueda.

Ok I'm gonna try to come for a few hours.

Thanks for the invitation @kueda ! I hope it was a success! I'm in Texas now, but will be moving to Berkeley with my husband in August, so hopefully we can meet up there!

It was fun! Well, I got there an hour and a half late, thanks to a previous commitment and a lot of traffic. Cell service was there was so bad it took 30 minutes to exchange a couple of messages to figure out where people were, but I finally ran into the group. Walked about a bit (saw lots of mosses and lichens), then went to a nearby restaurant to hang out for a while and have a snack. Forgot to take a group photo.

Hey folks, finally got some headache-free computer time. Just wanted to say I had a great time meeting you all, and making a decent dent in the Bigelow Hollow and Nipmuck State Forest checklists! I was especially impressed with the lichen diversity, and I still have a few I need to try and key out. If you haven't seen it, here's Charlie's shot using his "selfie stick" (aka his incredibly long right arm):

Back from left to right that's @cyric, @mickley, @kueda, and @constance, and in the front from left to right: @charlie, @jessicalodwick, and @berkshirenaturalist. We ran into @maractwin a few minutes later and ate delicious fried things at the totally unexpected Traveler Restaurant, where you get free books with your order.

Anyway, Happy New Year to all, and I hope everyone meets up with more iNat people in 2016!