Audubon Center at Bent of the River in Southbury Names Board Vice Chair

The Audubon Center at Bent of the River in South Britain/Southbury has announced that Barbara Branagan-Mitchell, owner of Branagan Communications Consultants LLC, a public relations, publicity placement, marketing communications and writing/editing service firm in New Milford and Tolland/Storrs, has been named vice chair of their board of directors. A member of the board since January 2012, Branagan-Mitchell was unanimously welcomed to the position on July 17, 2013. In addition to her board position, she also serves as a member of the Audubon Center’s Events Committee which coordinates numerous fundraising activities throughout each year for the non-profit Audubon Center. The Committee also coordinates of the annual BENT FEST family music festival that will be held Saturday, September 21, 2013 at the Audubon Center at 185 East Flat Hill Road in the South Britain hamlet of Southbury.

The Audubon Center’s annual BENT FEST family festival is held in the meadow next to the historic 1870s barn on the Audubon property’s 650 plus acres. The 2013 event will feature live music, picnicking in the meadow, hayrides, tie-dye t-shirt creations, river and nature walks, local food vendors, numerous kids’ activities, bird watching, raffle prizes, and hot beverages and desserts will be available for purchase in the historic barn. “This is truly a delightful day for families in one of this area’s most spectacular natural havens,” Branagan-Mitchell commented. “Few people know about the natural beauty, tranquility and amazing hiking paths throughout the Audubon Center at the Bent of the River. Our annual BENT FEST is a very family-affordable, lively outdoor event that we believe is always a true delight for everyone who attends.”

Located in the Southbury hamlet of South Britain, the Audubon Center at Bent of the River nature center and sanctuary’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats. The Bent sanctuary includes about 15 miles of hiking trails through a wide variety of habitats and borders the Pomperaug River and Little Pootatuck Brook. Many ecosystems can be found at The Bent including deciduous and coniferous forest, rocky ledges, grasslands, old meadows, vernal pools, red maple swamps, and river habitats. Audubon owns both sides of the Pomperaug River for almost one mile which is an undisturbed and wild environment where beaver, muskrat, river otter, and mink can be found, and Bald eagles regularly fish.

In 2013, Branagan Communications Consultants LLC is celebrating 20 years as a sole proprietorship. For the past 38 years, Branagan-Mitchell has gained expertise in the public relations, marketing communications, content writing and editing fields. Her specialties include helping companies and organizations increase awareness of their products and services through traditional public relations ambitions of writing and placing press releases and captioned photos with national and regional newspapers and magazines including trade media outlets, social media Internet sites, and securing interviews for clients on radio and TV talk-show format broadcast programs.

Since 2004, Branagan Communications Consultants LLC, which opened in Westchester County, New York in 1993, has been providing content writing, editing, public relations, publicity placement and marketing communications services to small to medium sized businesses throughout the northern Fairfield, southern Litchfield County and northwestern New Haven County region. In addition to her positions with the Audubon Center at Bent of the River, and she has been an Ambassador with the Waterbury Regional Chamber for four years. In 2010, she received the prestigious Volunteer of the Year Award from the Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce and graduated as

coordinator for the Economic Development Team of the Leadership Greater Waterbury program.

Barbara Branagan-Mitchell and Branagan Communications Consultants LLC in New Milford, Conn. can be reached at 860-210-0149 or via www.branagancommunications.com.                     

The 2013 BENT FEST will be held on Saturday, September 21, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Fees are $25/family, $12/adult (over 18), $8 children ages 6 to 18, and children 6 and younger enter free. Tickets can be purchased in advance at http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org or at the gate on September 21. No pets permitted.

The Audubon Center at Bent of the River is located off Route 172 at 185 East Flat Hill Road, 0.3 miles from corner of General Store and South Britain Congregational Church. For information call 203.264.5098 or visit http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org.