Author: Stacey Stearns

Sugar Sweetened Beverages and You

Sugar sweetened beverages are prevalent throughout society, although they are not the best choice from a nutritional standpoint. Learn what a sugar sweetened beverage is, why they present nutritional challenges, and what are better alternatives. Video created by Caroline Thiede, UConn Allied Health Sciences student.  

Summer Library Program Brings 4-H STEM to New London County Youth

The 4-H Summer Library program in New London County started seven years ago with a program at the Waterford Library. The program added a few libraries every year. This year 12 libraries in the county are participating. Pamela Gray, the UConn Extension 4-H Educational Outreach Coordinator for New London County leads the program. Therese Foss, […]

Meet Bianca Castelan: Financial Literacy for Youth and Young Adults Intern

Hi, my name is Bianca Castelan and I am the Financial Literacy for Youth and Young Adults Intern for summer 2020 with the UConn Extension Financial Education Program. At UConn, I am studying Psychological Sciences with a minor in Spanish. During my two years working in the Community Outreach Program Jumpstart I had the opportunity […]

COVID-19 Resources: Hand washing & Activity Risk Chart

Are You Keeping Your Hands Clean? Keeping your hands clean is a good way to keep germs away. Make sure you are washing your hands effectively and are scrubbing every part! California.gov has published a graphic that details parts of our hands we often miss when handwashing. To view click here. Estas Manteniendo Tus Manos Limpias? Manteniendo sus […]

Connecticut stays on guard against toxic algae blooms

Article by Judy Benson If you’re a Connecticut shellfish farmer, your ears might perk up a bit when you hear the term HABs – harmful algal blooms. Toxic HABs outbreaks, sometimes referred to as “red tide” or “brown tide” because of the discolored water that can occur along with it, have caused recent shellfish bed […]

Discarded fabric, puppets are grist for marine-themed art

Two artists using different mediums have been awarded 2020 Connecticut Sea Grant Arts Support Awards to create works conveying messages about human connections to the sea and the threats it faces. The two artists were chosen to each receive a $1,000 award. The awards are funded by Connecticut Sea Grant and one is being matched […]

USDA Non-insured Disaster Assistance Program

  USDA Non-insured Disaster Assistance Program or “NAP” is accepting applications until Sept 1, 2020. NAP provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops (such as shellfish) when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters. The annual fee is $325 and is free in some cases. Beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged and qualifying […]

Dealing with Wind and Storm Damaged Trees

Article by Tom Worthley, UConn Extension This week on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, a striking example of one of those “severe weather events” we hear about from time to time occurred in CT. Tropical Storm Isaias, is being compared in the media to Super Storm Sandy and other severe storms in 2011 and 2012 in […]

CT Trail Census/UConn Extension Initiate CT Trail Finder Project

The Connecticut Trail Census, a project of UConn Extension, announced it is developing CT Trail Finder, a new one-stop web resource that will provide easy, fast, and centralized access to maps and reliable information about all of Connecticut’s trails!   Slated to launch in May 2021, this new resource will be especially helpful for new hikers, walkers, […]

Meet Lindsey Kollmer: Connecticut River Estuary Aquatic Invasive Plant Steward Intern

Hello! My name is Lindsey Kollmer and I am honored and excited to be the Connecticut River Estuary Aquatic Invasive Plant Steward Intern for the summer of 2020. I am a rising Junior at UConn currently pursuing a double major of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Molecular & Cellular Biology. I am a member of […]

Fellowship Supports Diversity in Marine, Coastal Research

Three undergraduate students helping pave the way for greater diversity in the sciences have been chosen as the first recipients of Connecticut Sea Grant’s new summer undergraduate research fellowships for underrepresented and underserved students in marine and coastal scientific research. UConn students Andrew Tienken and Larissa Tabb and Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) student James […]

Silvopasturing at UMass – Tri-State SARE Virtual Field Workshop

Join us for a tour of the silvopasture work at the UMass Agricultural Learning Center in Amherst, MA. With Nikki Burton of UMass Extension, we will have an online tour of their silvopasture, which includes sheep within a chestnut grove, and follow that with questions and discussion. The workshop will be Tuesday, August 18th from […]

Meet Erin Korowotny: New Haven County 4-H Intern

Hello everyone! My name is Erin Korowotny and I am very excited to be the intern for New Haven County 4-H this summer! I am a rising senior in UConn CAHNR, studying Agriculture and Natural Resources. Currently, I serve as the Treasurer of the UConn Agriculture Advocacy Club. After graduation, I hope to pursue a […]

In a Paradise Threatened, Teaching Girls to Be the Change They Want to See

Tessa L. Getchis, aquaculture extension educator and aquaculture extension specialist for Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension for the last 20 years, spent last August through December in the Dominican Republic with her husband Ryan and their two school-aged daughters. While past trips to this island nation had been vacation-length recreational time, this was an […]

Connecticut Residents Asked to Report Receipt of any Unsolicited Packages of Seeds

(HARTFORD, CT)- The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) have been notified that several Connecticut residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The types of seeds in the packages are unknown at this time and may be invasive plant species. The […]

COVID-19 & Social Capital Resources

Updated COVID-19 Resources from CDC: CDC has a new Toolkit for Young Adults: 15 to 21 that includes easy to read FAQ’s, fact sheets, infographics, PSA’s, social media messages, and videos. The webpage contains a Coronavirus Self-Checker with questions to help individuals determine if they need to seek medical care. Compiled mental health resources are also published on […]

CT Sea Grant Sponsors Three in Prestigious Marine Policy Fellowship

Two University of Connecticut graduate students and a third from Yale University have been chosen for the 2021 NOAA Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program, which places early career professionals with federal government offices for one year. Halle Berger and Alec Shub, UConn marine science graduate students, and Emily Tucker, a Yale […]

There is Still Time to Garden

August is just around the corner, and somehow you never got your vegetable garden started. Perhaps you had a wonderful early-season harvest but didn’t plant any later-season crops. The garden bed is just sitting there, empty except for weeds. Don’t think the garden season is over! There are plenty of short-season crops and cold-tolerant veggies […]

Meet Ryan Morais: Vegetable Entomology Intern

I am a Senior undergrad environmental engineering major and ecology and evolutionary biology minor with a passion for entomology. This summer I will be working as a vegetable entomology intern through UConn’s Extension Internship Program. I work closely with Professor Legrand to develop an informational entomology website and outreach educational materials. Other than web development, […]

CDC COVID-19 Resources for Families

Are you having trouble deciding whether you want your child to do virtual or in-person learning this coming school year? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a School Decision-Making tool for Parents, Caregivers and Guardians to help you with your decision. This tool will help you weigh the risk and benefits of […]

Public meeting about CT estuarine reserve set for Aug. 4

The CT-NERR (National Estuarine Research Reserve) is currently in a designation process that involves developing an environmental impact statement (EIS) and a management plan (MP).  When completed (estimated to be spring 2021), these documents will be submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for review and approval. As part of the EIS requirements, […]

Meet Autumn Blasi: UConn EFNEP Intern

Hi! My name is Autumn Blasi, and I’m one of the summer interns with UConn CAHNR Extension. I’m currently working in clinical and community nutrition with organizations like the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), and the Human Resource Agencies (HRA) of Bristol and New Britain. At UConn, I major in Nutritional Sciences, with […]

Climate Change and Aquaculture in Connecticut’s Long Island Sound

Tessa Getchis, one of our Connecticut Sea Grant Extension educators, and David Carey of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture look at the challenges that climate change is creating for Connecticut aquaculture producers in this new report available from the USDA Climate Hubs.  https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/index.php/hubs/northeast/topic/climate-change-and-aquaculture-connecticuts-long-island-sound

4-H in Sprague

One of UConn 4-H’s partners is the Sprague Public Library. “I cannot say enough about the programs 4-H offers libraries,” says Elizabeth Bezanson, the Sprague Public Library Director. “The 4-H educators are always extremely personable and well prepared for any number of participants or age group. Activities are engaging for our participants and, particularly in […]

Improving Health and Nutrition in Hartford

Participants at the Village Family Resource Center at Burns Latino Studies Academy in Hartford wanted more information on health and nutrition. Our Expanded Food and Nutrition Education program (EFNEP) partnered with the Family Resource Center to provide five educational outreach sessions in 2019. Community members wanted to learn about food security, healthy choices, feeding children, […]

Meet Will Carta: CLEAR Intern

My name is Will Carta and I am interning with CLEAR through UConn CAHNR Extension. I am going to be a senior at UConn and I am majoring in Natural Resources with a concentration in Water Resources and Climate. Before transferring to UConn I spent two and a half years at Manchester Community College. I […]