Education

CLEAR Education Programs

NEMO Program (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials)

Created in 1991, the Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Program educates local land use decision makers about the impacts of land use on natural resources, particularly water resources. NEMO addresses natural resource management through the promotion of comprehensive local land use planning and has worked in well over half of Connecticut's 169 municipalities. The success of the CT program has led to other states adapting NEMO to their localities (see below). NEMO is currently supported by grants from the CT Department of Environmental Protection and the CT Sea Grant program.

--> Visit the NEMO website.

For more information contact John Rozum, NEMO Program Coordinator, at (860) 345-4511 or email john.rozum@uconn.edu.

National NEMO Network Program

The National NEMO Network is a confederation of programs that educate local land use decision makers about the links between land use and natural resource protection. Network programs are patterned after the original UConn NEMO Program (above), but each program is a unique entity, typically operated as a multi-organizational consortium. University-based USDA Land Grant and NOAA Sea Grant programs are the most common institutional homes of NEMO programs, although lead organizations also include state agencies and nonprofit groups. These programs, now numbering 32 in 31 states, have joined together to create a unique national network that is sharing information, educational methods and technical tools across state and agency lines. Network coordination is provided by the CLEAR NEMO Network "Hub," which is funded by grants from the EPA Office of Water Nonpoint Source Branch, and the USDA/CSREES Water Quality Program.

--> Visit the National NEMO website.

For more information contact Dave Dickson, National NEMO Program Coordinator, at (860) 345-4511 or email david.dickson@uconn.edu.

Geospatial Technology Program (GTP)

The Geospatial Technology Program was established to provide technical education and training outside the traditional academic environment. Its goal is to help municipal land use officials, staff and commission members understand and apply geospatial information technologies to help solve local land use problems and to develop environmentally sensitive land use plans. The program focuses on the use of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS), and global positioning systems (GPS) and introduces new users to these technologies through hands-on training courses. The program also is involved with geospatial research and tools development, in collaboration with other CLEAR programs and a variety of partner organizations.

Read more. | --> Visit the GTP Website.

For more information contact Sandy Prisloe, GeoSpatial Extension Specialist, or Emily Wilson, GeoSpatial Technology Specialist, at (860) 345-4511 or email michael.prisloe@uconn.edu or emily.wilson@uconn.edu.

Green Valley Institute (GVI)

The Green Valley Institute is about sustaining natural resources through good local decision making. The GVI targets audiences who most influence land use in the Quinebaug And Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, including private landowners, municipal boards and commissions, Corridor land trusts and local builders/contractors. GVI is dedicated to improving the knowledge base from which land use and natural resource decisions are made, and building local capacity to protect and manage natural resources as our region grows. Our goal: to insure they have the information, knowledge and resources they need to make good land use decisions as they plan for the future.

--> Visit the GVI website.

For more information contact Steve Broderick or Susan Westa at (860)774-9600 or email stephen.broderick@uconn.edu or susan.westa@uconn.edu.

Forest Stewardship Program

The Connecticut Forest Stewardship Program is a program of education, information and technical assistance for private forest landowners who wish to plan for and enjoy the multiple benefits their forest land can provide. A working partnership between the USDA Forest Service, the CT DEP Division of Forestry and UConn Cooperative Extension, the Connecticut Forest Stewardship Program mission is to bring reliable forest management planning expertise to the private forest land holdings that comprise over 83% of the forest resource base in Connecticut. Forest Resources faculty within the Department of Extension in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources provide educational programming to landowners and forestry professionals, as well as access to research, science and technology that may be applied to forest management planning.

Read more.| --> Visit the Forest Stewardship Website.

Contact Tom Worthley, Forest Stewardship Program Coordinator, at (860)345-4511 or email thomas.worthley@uconn.edu.

Urban and Community Forestry Program

Connecticut is the fifth most densely populated state yet retains fifty-nine percent tree cover. This extreme population density causes factors that not only shorten the lives of municipal, public trees (along streets, in parks, around schools, for example) but also creates hazardous ones as well. In spite of being a wealthy state, Connecticut cities and towns typically do not adequately fund municipal forestry/tree care operations thereby undermining the health of public trees and compromising public safety.

Contact Bob Ricard, Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator, at (860)570-9257 or email robert.ricard@uconn.edu.

Land Use Planning Program

The Land Use Planning Program is a statewide program that addresses basic planning issues and procedures for Connecticut communities. The program offers a wide variety of educational workshops for local officials that focus on various aspects of planning, zoning, economic development and other issues, from Farmland Preservation to Commercial Strip Development. The Land Use Planning Program collaborates with the NEMO Program on a number of workshops and projects, the most recent of which is the Connecticut Land Use Academy (below).

--> Visit the Land Use Planning Program's workshops page.

For more information contact Jim Gibbons, Community Planning Director, at (860) 345-4511 or email jim.gibbons@uconn.edu.

Connecticut Land Use Academy

The Connecticut Land Use Academy is a new CLEAR program that will be getting underway in the Fall of 2006. The Academy strives to provide accessible and sustainable basic land use education for local land use decision makers across the state. This effort is supported by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management, with funds provided by the Connecticut Legislature. The Academy is built upon the curricular foundation of the former Connecticut Land Use Education Partnership, which was coordinated by the CLEAR Land Use Planning Program (above). Each Academy "course" will be composed of a core curriculum of three workshops, designed to convey to land use officials the basic knowledge and skills needed to do their job. 

--> Visit the Land Use Academy Program's page.