Aton Forest Centennial Exhibition

This exhibition focuses on the lives of Dr. Frank Egler, ecologist, and his wife, the photographer Happy Kitchel Egler, two Connecticut pioneers of natural area preserve conservation.

It highlights Aton Forest’s scientific research work and the history of the Egler and Kitchel families’ conservation work in Norfolk and Colebrook, Connecticut. Aton has owned the Egler Preserve, a 1500-acre natural and semi-natural area, since 1926. As of 2026, it is acquiring the Spaulding Pond Preserve, a 1000-acre natural area, the creation of Happy Kitchel Egler, reuniting husband and wife under the Forest’s umbrella.

The exhibition also sheds light on Egler’s relationship with Rachel Carson, who ushered in the modern global environmental era.