A friend of mine recently told me that they thought all teenagers were lazy. Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought this before. Anyone? Bueller? Don’t worry, it’s okay if you have. I won’t tell anyone. I personally think teens get a bad rap. High schools often start in the seven o’clock hour, course loads […]
CT MS4 Mapping Details, Clarifications, and Tools
October 24, 2017 Presented By Dave Dickson & Cary Chadwick, UConn CLEAR CT’s new MS4 permit includes several mapping related requirements. From mapping your stormwater system to determining where to focus your efforts, geospatial technologies will certainly be helpful in meeting your permit obligations. This webinar will (1) highlight the parts of the permit where […]
Ocean Data for Connecticut
I recently learned about two impressive resources for ocean-based geographic information. One is the Northeast Ocean Data Portal and the other is the New York Geographic Information Gateway. Both are well-developed websites that include a comprehensive data viewer, ancillary information and stories about how ocean information has been used with multiple benefits. The Northeast Ocean […]
The Emerald Ash Borer Beetle on the UConn Campus
CLEAR’s Tom Worthley recently discussed the Emerald Ash Borer beetle and its impacts on the UConn Campus with UConn Today. Read the full article on the UConn Today website, link below. Big Changes in Store for UConn’s Trees and Yours
Can You Hear Me Now? Smartphone Maps (that work!) Off the Beaten Path
It’s summer. Family vacation time. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for this all year. We had planned to take the family west for two weeks in the mountains. Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Off the beaten path. Round up the kids, pack up the camping […]
My 2017 Climate Corps Summer Internship by Nikki Pirtel
The shoreline community of Westbrook, Connecticut, situated halfway between New Haven and New London, is home to approximately 7,000 residents while supporting seasonal tourists with numerous beaches and shopping stores in the town’s outlet. It is also the municipality I was assigned to research and create a vulnerability assessment for during my time at the […]
Butts on the Beach
Butts on the Beach This past weekend, while stuck in traffic for 20 minutes, I noticed four different people throw 6 cigarette butts out the widow and onto the highway. That, and the fact that I am lazy, moved me to re-post something I wrote several years ago. Recently a columnist in a local Southeastern […]
That Sound You Hear is the Hatching of Conservation Projects!
Last week saw the successful launch of the Conservation Training Partnership program, the goal of which is to develop and carry out local conservation projects around the state powered by teams of high school students and community volunteers. The CTP is an outgrowth of the Natural Resources Conservation Academy, the week-long program for high school […]
CT DEEP’s New Strategy for Addressing Nitrogen Pollution
June 28, 2017 Presented By Kelly Streich, CT DEEP This webinar is part II of a two-part webinar focused on nitrogen pollution in Long Island Sound. This session will highlight CT DEEP’s secondary generation strategy for addressing the sources of nitrogen pollution. The webinar will cover progress made to date in addressing Nitrogen as well […]
Nitrogen Pollution in Long Island Sound Embayments – From Where?
June 14, 2017 Presented By Jamie Vaudrey, UConn Marine Sciences This webinar will highlight the folks of UConn Professor Dr. Jamie Vaudrey’s research into the sources of nitrogen pollution in Long Island Sound embayments. The results of her study are very useful in determining the greatest contributors of nitrogen to each of the coastal embayments […]
Meet the New CT ECO – Home to CT’s Natural Resource Maps
June 1, 2017 Presented By Emily Wilson, Geospatial Educator, UConn CLEAR Connecticut Environmental Conditions Online or CT ECO is the state’s home to natural resource based geospatial data. The website has been revamped with a new look and new viewers to make the data easier to find and use for everyone from the casual user […]
What is a CFS anyway?
Certified Forestry Surveyor? Calculated Fournier Series? A recent conversation (most likely over a beer, but that doesn’t really factor in here…) with my neighbor provided fodder for this post. We were mapping out our route for opening day of fishing season, and I commented that the Fenton was running over 150 cfs, so it might […]
You’ve Got the Whole Atlas in Your Hand
The NEMO program’s National Low Impact Development (LID) Map is an interactive resource for finding examples of LID like green roofs, pervious pavements, and bioretention areas. These approaches to stormwater management help prevent flooding and water pollution by encourage infiltration into the ground instead of runoff. First launched in 2008, the site now has 1,400 […]
Climate Adaptation Legal Questions and Answers
May 2, 2017 Presented By Juliana Barrett, Associate Extension Educator, UConn CLEAR & Bruce Hyde, Land Use Academy Director, UConn CLEAR This webinar will provide answers to a number of the questions raised at Legal Issues in the Age of Climate Adaptation, a conference held by UConn CLEAR and and Connecticut Sea Grant’s Climate Adaptation […]
Urban Forestry Work of UConn Natural Resources Conservation Academy Student Recognized By City of Hartford
Now in its sixth year, UConn’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) has worked with over 115 teens throughout Connecticut on 10-month individual conservation projects that have directly benefited their local community and environment. NRCA students present their conservation work to over 300 environmental professionals at the Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, and graduate from the […]
The Journey from Airsick Bag to Dizzying Activity
April 15 marked the 15th anniversary of the founding of CLEAR. On that date in 2002, the UConn Board of Trustees approved CLEAR as an official university center. (It may surprise some of you to know that, at UConn at least, you can’t just hang up a shingle and call yourself an institute or center, […]
Anti-Bullying Campaign Gets an Assist from CLEAR Offspring
Anna Dietz, the 11 year-old daughter of CLEAR member Dr. Mike Dietz and his wife Sandra Guerrero, was the winner of a contest held by Munson’s Chocolates to design a new chocolate bar wrapper with an anti-bullying theme. The contest description and pictures of the three finalist designs, including Anna’s KINDNESS COUNTS, are on the […]
Light Nights
Is light pollution high on your list of concerns? With so many disturbing developments happening globally, light pollution probably doesn’t hold a candle to your worries about accelerating climate change, failing governments, or spreading superbugs. Nevertheless, we are learning more about the impacts of light pollution and there are people in many fields including ecology, […]
CLEARscapes – Spring 2017 Edition
In This Issue NRCA CT ECO Climate Adaptation CLEAR Awards New Websites Amanda Ryan, New Hire (View Newsletter as pdf)
Legal Issues in the Age of Climate Adaptation: Four New Legal Fact Sheets
A number of questions were raised at Legal Issues in the Age of Climate Adaptation, a conference held by UConn CLEAR’s and Connecticut Sea Grant’s Climate Adaptation Academy in late 2015. The Marine Affairs Institute & RI Sea Grant Legal Program at Roger Williams University School of Law reviewed the questions, which came from the audience […]