The official start of hurricane season is just a few weeks away. In March, The Weather Channel predicted a below-average hurricane season for the Atlantic, including 11 named storms, including five hurricanes, two of which are predicted to be Category 3 or stronger. It is important to note, however that there is no correlation between […]
People & Partners
Great Gull Island Airlift
If you are anywhere near the Groton shoreline on Friday April 25, 2014, you may see an unusual site. The Connecticut Army National Guard will airlift 28,000 pounds of lumber and equipment out to Great Gull Island (GGI) in Long Island Sound. Great Gull Island, owned by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), provides […]
A Congressman Supports Infiltration: of Stormwater, that is…
On Tuesday April 14th, Representative Joe Courtney of Connecticut’s Second District stopped by UConn for a brief tour of low impact development (LID), or green infrastructure (GI), stormwater practices on campus. The Congressman and his aide Cutter Oliver were doing some fact finding related to a bill introduced to the House last year, the […]
Data for All: Connecticut’s Push Toward Open Information
Connecticut is getting on board with the open data movement that’s sweeping federal, state and municipal governments across the nation. Thanks to Governor Dannel Malloy’s recent announcement of Executive Order 39, the state of Connecticut will soon be launching the new Connecticut Open Data Portal which will serve as an online repository for data collected […]
CLEAR’s Geospatial Training Program Goes Global
When an email from Dr. Yahaya Umar at the Nigerian Defence Academy came across my desk last July indicating interest in CLEAR’s hands-on workshop on Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, I was initially a bit skeptical. Why would anyone from the other side of the world want to travel all the way to UConn to […]
Teens Master the Art (and fun!) of Mapping at UConn’s NRC Academy
The Natural Resource Conservation Academy (NRCA) is an innovative program in conservation and land use planning for a select group of Connecticut high school students. The Academy starts with a week-long field course at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Throughout the week, students interact with UConn faculty and learn about mapping and geospatial information, […]
CLEAR Faculty/Staff Honored at 2013 Awards & Honors Event
Three CLEAR faculty/staff were recently honored by UConn’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For the second year in a row CLEAR team members (a team of two this year) have won the CES Grant for Innovative Programming in Extension Award. David Dickson and Michael Dietz won for their creation of the Rain Garden App, the […]
The Salt of the Earth
Although signs of spring are appearing around us (crocuses are up at my house!), the remnants of winter linger. Piles of dirty snow snow still litter the landscape, refusing to yield to the lengthening days. Very soon our thoughts and activities will turn to all things spring; snowplows and road salt will be distant memories. […]
Connecticut Has New Aerial Imagery
What’s stunning, statewide, and captured last March? No, not mountain lions — Connecticut’s new aerial imagery! And, while it may not be quite good enough to help you find your car keys, it’s probably good enough to allow you to identify the car in your driveway. Here are some key facts about this great new […]
Welcome, Cecelia!
The whole CLEAR gang welcomes Cecelia Chadwick Pulaski, born on December 19, 2012 and weighing in at 7 bs, 3 oz (for those of you keeping score at home). Congratulations to GTP Trainer Extraordinaire Cary Chadwick and her husband James! (The rumor is that Cece can already tell a vector from a raster).
CLEAR/DEEP Team Wins Award for "CT ECO" Mapping Website
The CLEAR and CT DEEP team responsible for the development and operation of the Connecticut Conditions Online, or CT ECO, website has won the 2012 Public Service Award from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association. CT ECO is a highly advanced internet mapping site that provides access to the state’s natural resource data. […]
Impacts of Hurricane Sandy to the Connecticut Shoreline
UConn’s Connecticut Sea Grant Program (CTSG) and CLEAR hosted a discussion of Hurricane Sandy impacts to Connecticut’s beaches and dunes on November 20, 2012. Several municipalities and private beach associations attended and provided insights into local shoreline changes. Many areas along the eastern part of the state experienced shoreline erosion with dunes heavily impacted by […]
CLEAR’s Newest Geospatial Technology Course Focuses on Land Trusts
CLEAR’s Geospatial Training Program (GTP) has partnered with the Connecticut Land Conservation Council to develop a new course for land trust staff and volunteers. The first workshop was held on a sunny Friday in September. The one-day course is designed to teach participants how to use a handheld GPS receiver to map property boundaries and […]
NEMO U8 A Tentacular Success
UConn CLEAR, in partnership with the Northland NEMO program, held the 8th NEMO University (a.k.a NEMO U8) conference in Duluth, MN last month. The conference brings together outreach professionals from around the country, primarily from programs modelled after the CT NEMO program, to share innovative approaches and ideas to working with communities on land use and water […]
CLEAR Faculty Receive EPA Award
CT NEMO’s Michael Dietz and Chet Arnold have been given the Environmental Merit Award through EPA Region 1, for their work on New England Rain Garden Trainings. To date, they have presented trainings in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. EPA’s Environmental Merit Award is an annual award that recognizes outstanding environmental advocates who have made significant […]
Emily Wilson Honored by CT Technology Council
CLEAR Geospatial Educator Emily Wilson is being honored as a Connecticut Woman of Innovation by the CT Technology Council. As stated at the CTC website, “the awards program, sponsored by the Connecticut Technology Council, recognizes women in the workforce and at the high school and college levels, who are innovators, role models and leaders in […]