This is not my first blog about salt- in 2013 I detailed the problems we are facing in the Northeast with rising salt levels in our fresh waters in this blog. I have continued the monitoring in Eagleville Brook that I described in the past blog, and now four years later, I have the ability […]
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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
UConn’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy Adds Two New Education Programs in 2017
Founded in 2011, the Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) is designed to provide high school students with a structured informal learning experience focused on the environment, natural resources and geospatial technologies. In case you haven’t heard about it yet, let me get you caught up. The NRCA is all about making connections. Connecting young adults […]
Sunrise, sunset and the Equation of Time
The days are finally getting longer. It is always a slow, subtle and most welcome change from the days of leaving for work in the dark and arriving home again in the dark. Since the winter solstice on December 21, 2016 when the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun the amount of daylight […]
Deny the Deniers
Last fall I thought about using this title to write about denying federal aid for climate change related disasters to states with administrations that deny climate change. To those governors and legislatures who take no or little action to prepare for sea level rise, increased precipitation events, more intense storms, droughts, etc. that science tells […]
Seven Signs of Spring in Connecticut
Forget meteorological winter or astronomical winter. When does spring really come to Connecticut and how do we know? We all have our favorites – not walking the dog with a flashlight in the morning, red-winged blackbirds calling, piles of snow are melted, snow drops in bloom… As a New England transplant from the mid-Atlantic, the […]
CLEAR’s 2015 Family Update Letter
Like ugly sweaters and fruitcake, the family update letter is a wonderfully annoying/possibly charming holiday staple. Here is our contribution to that time-honored tradition. (Note: In keeping with tradition, this post may have been embellished a bit.): Chet Took his first sabbatical after 28 years at UConn. Scoped out a few promising spots to plant a […]
Connecticut Celebrates GIS Day
Every year on the third Wednesday of November, in the heart of Geography Awareness Week, the world celebrates GIS Day. GIS Day is a global educational event that encourages geographic information system (GIS) users to participate in events and programs that showcase real-world applications of geospatial science and technology. According to Esri, the official guardian […]
A small tribute to clean water in Connecticut’s capitol city.
Have you ever drunk water in a restaurant in the Hartford region? Maybe you live or work in one of the towns surrounding the City, and get your water from the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC)? We take this seemingly limitless supply of pure, clean water for granted, but in the not-so-distant past, obtaining water in […]
Part 3: Customizing Connecticut’s Changing Landscape Story
Visit Part 1: The Story of Connecticut’s Changing Landscape and Visit Part 2: Creating the Story Map of Connecticut’s Changing Landscape This is part 3 of a 3-part blog about the Connecticut’s Changing Landscape Story Map. This blog is the most technical and is meant for folks that already have created a story map and […]
A Brief Departure from the Hallowed Halls
With the summer pretty much behind us (sorry, but it’s true), the Center puts its nose back to the grindstone and, among many other things, turns its attention back to the blog. Except for me. My nose will not touch whirling pumice this semester, because I’m going on sabbatical leave. For those of you not […]
The Human Pixels of CLEAR
CLEAR is a communal entity, kind of like a coral reef or The Blob of classic science fiction fame. We are much less extensive than either of these examples, however, allowing you the inestimable opportunity to get to know a little more about each of the human pixels that make up the CLEAR image. You […]
Cece & Sully Super CNN Sibling Celebrants!
Last Friday Cary Chadwick’s children Cece and Sully quite literally became CNN’s national poster children for National Siblings Day (4/10). Check it out!
Happy Spring!
Just when all hope seems lost (those of us stuck in the snow and frigid temperatures all winter long), I offer a reminder of what’s to come!