November 17, 2021 Presented By Kristin Floberg & Charles Vidich, WestCOG Following an explosion in scientific evidence pointing to the importance of riparian buffers as a means to reduce nonpoint source pollutants, on June 10, 2021 the Connecticut General Assembly enacted Public Act 21-29. This law expands the responsibility of zoning commissions in protecting the […]
coastal
The N-Sink Tool: Tracking Nitrogen Through Coastal Watersheds
April 21, 2021 Presented By Chet Arnold, UConn Extension & CLEAR and Qian Lei-Parent, UConn Extension & CLEAR Land use planners, property owners, and watershed managers need all the help that they can get to reduce the impacts of nitrogen (N) pollution on waterways, particularly in coastal areas. CLEAR, URI and EPA have developed an […]
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 […]
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 […]
Hurricane Season is Almost Here
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 […]
Climate Change: Beyond Dispute or an Attempt to Redistribute Wealth?
On Friday Governor Dannel Malloy and UConn President Susan Herbst, along with a host of federal and state officials, announced the creation of the Institute for Community Resiliency and Climate Adaptation. Located at UConn’s Avery Point Campus, the Institute is a collaboration between UConn and CTDEEP and its mission, in broad terms, is to coordinate […]
Keep Your Butts Off Our Beaches
Recently a columnist in a local Southeastern Connecticut newspaper wrote about the things that bug him when driving. It included the usual gripes that we all have—people driving slowly in the passing lane, failure to use turn signals, merging on the highway with little consideration of the traffic already on the highway, able-bodied people parking […]
Connecticut Shoreline Resiliency Fund
Last week, on the one year anniversary of SuperStorm Sandy, Governor Malloy announced the creation of the Connecticut Shoreline Resiliency Fund. This fund is for state residents whose homes or businesses are subject to flooding allowing them to obtain low interest loans to elevate homes and flood proof businesses. With no income limits defining eligibility, […]
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 […]