With a CLEAR webinar on SLAMM (Sea level affecting marsh migration) this week by Emily Wilson (UConn CLEAR) and David Kozak (CT DEEP), it is timely to provide an update on the marsh migration buffer we’ve been developing in Stonington Borough. A small parcel of land was donated to Avalonia Land Conservancy (ALC) and added […]
Stormwater Utilities in Connecticut
October 1, 2019 Presented By Amanda Ryan, UConn CLEAR, David Dickson, UConn CLEAR, Joe Lanzafame, City of New London and Randy Collins, CT Conference of Municipalities (CCM) Stormwater utilities are used across the country as a way for municipalities to cover the costs of installing and maintaining their stormwater infrastructure. The concept has been slow […]
The Start of Something Big: UConn Environment Corps
A UConn partnership led by CLEAR has received a $2.25 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand and study a new public engagement program that combines teaching, service learning, and Extension outreach. The program is called the Environment Corps and focuses on using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills to address important […]
New Template for Mapping Your Stormwater System
A new tool is available to make it easier for communities to create or enhance a map of their stormwater system. The CT GIS Network‘s Standards Committee has collaborated with the CT Department of Transportation (CTDOT)to develop a Stormwater System Mapping Template. The template provides a framework for mapping everything from your catch basins to […]
Teen-Adult Conservation Projects Contributing to Town’s Sustainable CT Efforts
Every year, UConn’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy supports ~50 teen-adult partnerships as the teams embark on a common goal: to tackle an environmental issue that is relevant to their community. These intergenerational conservation efforts span an incredible range of topics (e.g., mapping, invasive species, restoration, soils & agriculture, wildlife & fisheries, public outreach, and water […]
MS4 Permit Year 3 tasks
June 24, 2019 Presented By Dave Dickson & Amanda Ryan, UConn CLEAR The third year of the updated MS4 permit is about to begin and that means there are a few more tasks that towns will need to start tackling. This webinar will breeze through the permit tasks that recur each year, cover the new […]
Oak Mortality in Eastern Connecticut
May 29, 2019 Presented By Douglas Emmerthal, Program Leader CT-DEEP Forestry Division and Todd Bobowick, Resource Conservationist NRCS State Forester USDA-NRCS Stress factors affecting oak trees in eastern CT including drought, defoliation due to gypsy moth caterpillars, and impacts of native opportunistic pathogens have caused the deaths of oak trees on tens of thousands of […]
Spring- time for…a soil test?
There’s nothing like the smell of fresh cut grass in the springtime…after a long winter we all seem to be longing for something green. Our lawns provide a place for recreation, but if not managed properly, they can cause problems for our local waters, and ultimately the Long Island Sound. Perhaps you fertilize your lawn, […]
Harnessing Student Power to Find Greener Stormwater Options
If you were out and about in the towns of North Haven, Milford, Hamden, West Haven or Cheshire this summer, you may have seen a team of four young adults writing on clipboards, snapping pictures of parking lots, laying their phones down on the sidewalk, and peering down into storm drains. These four intrepid UConn […]
Apply Now for NRCA Summer Programs!
Registration is now open for the Natural Resources Conservation Academy’s 2019 summer programs. The Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) is an innovative program in environmental conservation that engages Connecticut high school students, adult conservation volunteers and teachers in conservation efforts at the community level. NRCA’s three interconnected programs (below) benefit participants through education on natural resource […]
New Training! Intro to ArcGIS Online & Storymaps
The CLEAR Geospatial Training Program (GTP) has just launched a brand new workshop! It is called Introduction to ArcGIS Online and Esri Story Maps and includes presentations, demos, hands-on exploration and hands-on exercises. The morning of the day-long workshop covers ArcGIS Online and the web map in particular. Topics include: Introduction to GIS and ArcGIS […]
CLEARscapes, Just the Facts
The latest edition of CLEAR’s newsletter, CLEARscapes, is now online for your viewing pleasure (embedded below, or link to the pdf here). Our CLEAR newsletter is one way we connect with Connecticut towns and communities, by highlighting all the cool things happening here at the Center. Once or twice a year we publish a newsletter […]
CLEARscapes – Winter 2019 Edition
In This Issue Stormwater Corps NRCA TPL Class Climate Corps New Story Map Program Updates (View Newsletter as pdf)
CT GIS Day is November 14 in Hartford
Next week is Geography Awareness Week and the CT GIS Network is celebrating by hosting the annual CT GIS Day on Wednesday, November 14 at the Hartford Public Library. This event is free and open to the public and will include a full day of activities including presentations from mapping professionals from across CT and […]
Projections Matter, Especially on Election Night
The first thing I teach someone about maps is that they are more than just lines and direction on a page, screen, or device. Maps convey information. Maps tell a story. But maps can also be deceiving. Consider for a minute, election maps. If you’re reading this blog post then you survived, if just barely, […]
A marsh migration buffer takes shape
Dodge Paddock Beal Preserve is a small oasis in Stonington Borough and is owned by Avalonia Land Conservancy. With tidal wetlands, coastal grassland and a rocky intertidal area, the area has much to offer visitors. The preserve has been the focus of many efforts involving the land trust, CT Dept of Energy and Environmental Protection, […]
CT’s First Stormwater Utility!
Earlier this summer, New London became the first municipality in Connecticut to establish a stormwater utility which goes into effect January 1, 2019. This means they will begin charging all property owners a fee for their contribution to the city’s stormwater runoff. Previously, New London relied on property taxes to fund maintenance of their stormwater […]
The Slow Storm: Tree Mortality in Connecticut from Invasive Insect Pests
Tom Worthley, UConn Associate Extension Professor, Forestry recently wrote a compelling report (below) on Connecticut’s tree mortality rates, and how and why they are dying. You don’t need to go far to see what Tom is talking about. Just outside our windows here at the UConn Cooperative Extension building in Haddam, we were all saddened […]
CT DOT’s “MS4” General Permit
July 10, 2018 Presented by Adam Fox, P.E., Principal Engineer, Environmental Compliance, Contract Development & Permit Coordination Connecticut Department Of Transportation & Daniel Imig, P.E., Transportation Engineer 3, Environmental Compliance Section, Connecticut Department Of Transportation CTDEEP recently released an MS4 permit for the Department of Transportation (DOT). While largely similar to the municipal version, there […]
MS4 Permit Year 2 Tasks
June 26, 2018 Presented By Dave Dickson & Amanda Ryan, UConn CLEAR Connecticut’s updated MS4 permit begins its second year on July 1st. Now that a year has passed, MS4 towns and institutions may be getting the hang of things but with a new year comes at least a few new tasks. This webinar will […]