November 8, 2011
Presented by Emily Wilson and Chet Arnold, UConn CLEAR
Eligible for 1 CM credit.
Local land trusts and conservation commissions are major players in land conservation in Connecticut, yet few have direct access to technical resources that can help them in their task of permanently protecting open space. In many cases, web-based information and tools created by the UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) can help. This presentation will use live online demonstration of these tools to show how they can be used to help make the case for, analyze and prioritize open space. The “tour” will include examples using the Connecticut’s Changing Landscape website, online Community Resource Inventory, CT-ECO online mapping site, and GoogleEarth (which CLEAR, alas, did not create).
October 18, 2011
Presented by Joan Nichols, Government Relations Specialist, Connecticut Farm Bureau Association
Eligible for 1 CM credit.
According to a 2010 UCONN study, in 2007 Connecticut agriculture contributed $3.5 billion dollars to the state’s economy and 20,000 jobs statewide. Agriculture is growing and diversifying in Connecticut to meet the demand for locally grown food and farm products. Agriculture is a unique land use that often does not fit into the mold of most land use regulations. It is important that municipalities understand the unique characteristics of agriculture so that regulations are written that allow for sustainability of local agriculture. This one hour webinar will highlight key points community leaders and planners should consider when drafting “farm-friendly” regulations and what steps communities should take to insure that the needs of the farming and non-farming community are addressed.
September 13, 2011
Presented by Michael Dietz, UConn CLEAR
Pervious pavements are recommended as an alternative to traditional asphalt or concrete pavements to reduce stormwater impacts. This webinar will discuss some different types of pervious pavements that are currently available, including pervious concrete, pervious asphalt, pervious interlocking concrete pavers (PICPs), and plastic grid pavements. Performance data, advantages/disadvantages for different applications, and some cost information will be discussed.
July 19, 2011
Presented by Cary Chadwick and David Dickson, UConn CLEAR
Eligible for 1 CM credit.
In today’s high tech world, it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing how the Global Positioning System (GPS) influences our daily activities. GPS technology is built into many new products, from smartphones to smart shoes. This webinar will introduce you to the magic behind the Global Positioning System and will discuss topics including how to choose a GPS unit to meet your needs, how to collect and display GPS data on a map and how to link photographs to a geographic location. This webinar will also discuss new trends in smartphone technology and methods for mapping field points using an iPhone or iPad.
June 22, 2011
Presented by Bruce Hyde, UConn CLEAR and Dudley (Skip) Alleman, Senior Project Manager HRP Associates, Inc
Eligible for 1 CM credit.
Is that old gas station, dry cleaners or auto body shop in your town a Brownfield? Is a Brownfield an agricultural field in the winter or one that’s contaminated? It might be both. Brownfields come in all sizes and can be found in most communities, urban and rural. This presentation will focus on the Brownfield basics: types of Brownfields commonly found in communities, what it takes to clean them up, who’s responsible and who’s available to help. The impacts of Brownfields on the community and the environment will also be discussed.
May 10, 2011
Presented by Cary Chadwick and Emily Wilson, UConn CLEAR
Eligible for 1 CM credit.
A mapping “mashup” is a web application that combines data from different sources into a single integrated, online mapping tool. With the rise in online mapping technology from leaders like Google Maps and Google Earth, creating these mashup applications has never been easier. This one-hour webinar will demonstrate how anyone can use Google tools to publish basic geographic information on a customized map using Google Maps and Google Earth. Topics will include how to add place markers, lines and shapes to a map, how to add content including photos and videos to the map and how to import existing data from other sources. The webinar will also highlight collaborative mapping techniques and methods for sharing and embedding maps on websites. The webinar will include live demonstration of tools and techniques along with plenty of real world examples.
April 19, 2011
Presented by Michael Dietz, UConn CLEAR
A rain garden is a depressed area in the landscape designed to collect and infiltrate stormwater. In addition to treating stormwater, rain gardens can be beautiful additions to the home landscape. This webinar will provide an overview of the functions and features of rain gardens. Learn how to size them, where to locate them, how to install them, and what types of plants to put in them. The focus will be on residential scale rain gardens, but a brief coverage of bioretention systems will be provided as well.
March 15, 2011
Presented by Bruce Hyde, UConn CLEAR and David Fink, Policy Director Partnership for Strong Communities
The mere mention of affordable housing can be a lightning rod for the NIMBY (“not in my back yard”) elements in any community. But what is affordable housing and who really lives in it? Access to decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing has long been an issue of public importance in Connecticut. This webinar focuses on the challenges of providing affordable housing in our communities and why it’s important to create it to solve economic growth, municipal finance, educational, healthcare, environmental quality-of-life, transportation and other problems that our towns and state face. Methods of overcoming the barriers to affordable housing—erasing myths and misconceptions—and discussing why creating affordable housing is in the interest of municipalities will be discussed. The information provided will help foster an understanding of the relationship between housing costs and household incomes, development revenues versus municipal costs, and will include the role of planners in educating their towns’ residents on the benefits of affordable housing in their communities.
February 8, 2011
Presented by Emily Wilson, UConn CLEAR and Juliana Barrett, CT Sea Grant
Riparian, or streamside, corridors provide a host of environmental benefits, from erosion control and wildlife habitat to water quality protection. What is the state of riparian corridors in Connecticut, and what options are there for addressing riparian corridor protection?
This webinar will focus on a recently completed CLEAR study showing changes to 100 foot and 300 foot riparian corridor areas during the 21-year period from 1985 to 2006. We will review statewide, watershed, and town-level data, and demonstrate the use of the project website. We will also present information on the functions and values of riparian corridors of various widths, the relationship between wetlands and riparian corridors, and the need for local commissions, land trusts and other conservation groups to work together on the conservation of these critical areas.