The Long Island Sound Blue Plan, a marine spatial plan for what many consider the state’s most valuable natural resource, has been voted out of the state Legislature’s Environment Committee and awaits a vote in the full House and Senate. Read about the plan and why many believe it should be approved in articles by […]
Climate Adaptation & Resiliency
Advancing Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate
Undergraduate Summer Internships with UConn Extension
Applications are being accepted for UConn Extension’s undergraduate summer internship program. Students: Get paid and gain valuable in-the-field experience in your chosen discipline at an in-state Extension office location. • Food • Health • Nutrition • Sustainability • Research • Agribusiness • Youth Education • Community Development • Marketing Learn where Extension offices are located across the […]
‘Right Trees for the Right Time’ series begins March 10
Connecticut Sea Grant is joining with the Avalonia Land Conservancy and UConn CLEAR in presenting, “Finding the Right Trees for the Right Time,” a series of four talks about planning and planting for a resilient coastal forest in southeastern Connecticut. The series begins March 10, culminating in a June 9 presentation by Juliana Barrett, coastal […]
Extension Impacts – 2020
Extension is a part of UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR). We have over 100 years of experience strengthening communities in Connecticut and beyond. Extension programs cover the full spectrum of topics aligned with CAHNR’s strategic initiatives: Ensuring a vibrant and sustainable agricultural industry and food supply Enhancing health and well-being locally, […]
Connecting Connecticut: A New Podcast from UConn Extension
Land-grant universities have provided communities, organizations, farmers and individuals with practical knowledge rooted in research through the Cooperative Extension System since the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914. Over the last 107 years a lot has changed with our Extension systems. The program has expanded beyond its agricultural production origin to encompass a […]
Connecticut Sea Grant’s Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report
Connecticut Sea Grant’s Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report is now available. With photos, graphics, and summaries of many projects and initiatives, it’s a great way to get a quick overview of Connecticut Sea Grant‘s programs. It is available here. Original Post
Winter Weather Kit
Are you prepared for winter storms? Prepare a severe winter weather kit today! You should include: “A flashlight and extra batteries. Battery-powered NOAA weather radio and portable radio to receive emergency information. Extra food and water. High-energy food, such as dried fruit or candy, and food requiring no cooking or refrigeration is best. Extra medicine […]
UConn CLEAR Webinars in February
Registration is open for all three February webinars! Wednesday, February 10, 1:00 – 1:30 PM Long Island Sound Report Card: Grading the Urban Sea Peter Linderoth, Save the Sound What is this map telling us? Join Peter Linderoth from Save the Sound as he discusses the latest release of the Long Island Sound Report Card. The Report […]
Registration For The CCNR-COEAA Conference Is Now Open
The Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources and Connecticut Outdoor & Environmental Education Association Joint Conference for 2021 will be Monday, March 15, 2021 from 9:00AM – 3:30PM. This year’s theme is Creating a More Equitable & Inclusive Environmental Sector. Click here to register. Visit the conference website to learn more about conference highlights, including: Plenary […]
What is Extension – New Video Released
UConn Extension connects thousands of people across Connecticut and beyond each year, with the research and resources of the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. We are comprised of more than 100 educators and a vast network of volunteers. UConn Extension works collaboratively to build more resilient communities through educational initiatives […]
CTSG, Avalonia project looks to prepare forest for the future
By Judy Benson Stonington – Battered by coastal storms and infestations of wooly adelgids, gypsy moth, winter moth and emerald ash borer, sections of the 200-acre Hoffman Evergreen Preserve will now serve as a living lab and demonstration site for how land managers can help forests adapt to climate change. “We want to increase the resilience […]
Diverse perspectives explored in new issue of Wrack Lines
Learn about bringing more diversity to the sciences, environmental justice, the Shoreline Greenway Trail, a new diversity fellowship and the unique career of Bob Pomeroy with fish and fishermen across the globe in the Fall-Winter 2020-21 issue of Wrack Lines magazine. With the theme of “Diverse Perspectives in the Environment We Share,” the issue highlights the contributions of […]
Holiday Greetings
Happy holidays from your friends at UConn Extension. We are committed to a sustainable future. Thank you for your partnership in creating transformational programming for Extension participants and stakeholders in all 169 municipalities of Connecticut.
As seas rise, communities can turn retreat into opportunity
Kristin Walker, project engineer for the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, explains on Oct. 22 how the former home site is now being planted with native species to create a flood plain habitat. Story and photos by Judy Benson Retreat isn’t defeat. It’s deliberately stepping back to make a better future. “Retreat is very difficult, […]
UConn Extension: Committed to a Sustainable Future
Connecticut has faced challenges related to sustainable landscapes, food and agriculture, health, and the climate for generations. As problems are solved, new issues arise. UConn Extension educators work in all 169 cities and towns of Connecticut to help solve the problems that our residents, communities, and state face. Connecting people with agriculture, the natural environment, […]
Chilling Injury Affects Turf Across Region
John Inguagiato, Ph.D. and Vickie Wallace, UConn Michelle DaCosta, Ph.D. UMass Turf managers and homeowners have been puzzled by the sudden appearance of unusual tan, blighted patches that showed up last week between Tuesday and Friday (Nov. 3 – 6). Reports have been widespread throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The symptoms appear as round […]
Job Opening: Director of Communications
Job Opening: The College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) at the University of Connecticut is seeking a full-time Director of Communications. Reporting to the Dean, the incumbent in this position will provide vision, leadership, and direction to support CAHNR’s communication and marketing strategies and promote its brand and reputation. The Communications Director must […]
Virtual Managed Retreat in the Age of Climate Change Workshop
When talking about community response to climate change issues, retreat is the “R” word. But it is already happening in coastal states throughout the country, including here in Connecticut. Is it a good or bad idea? Will we be forced to retreat due to sea level rise in 30 years or 50 years? What does […]
Journal examines role of ‘blue humanities’ in ocean literacy
This special issue of Parks Stewardship Forum, guest-edited by Connecticut Sea Grant Research Coordinator Syma Ebbin, looks at how the “blue humanities” can bolster the public’s ocean literacy and sense of stewardship for the seas. Articles in this issue make the case that the arts and humanities can and should contribute to marine conservation. In addition […]
Registration is now open for Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group’s VIRTUAL symposium
The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group’s 2020 Symposium will be held online on October 7th! Registration is now open! WHAT: Virtual Event: Realistic Solutions to Managing Invasive Plants WHEN: October 7, 2020; 8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. WHO: Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) WHERE: Webcast on your computer NOTES: CEUs for 11 organizations and […]
What to do during a drought
During a drought, it is important to conserve as much water as possible. Making small changes in our daily routines can go a long way. There are also other things we can do to help reduce the impact of a drought. Watch to learn more about what you should do. More information for residents are […]
Hurricanes and COVID – 19
Preparing for the 2020 hurricane season or severe storms during the COVID – 19 pandemic requires more planning than usual. First, make a “go kit” – a bag you can grab and go should you need to evacuate! Pack a kit for each household member and pet with a 2-week supply of emergency food, water, […]
Aquatic Invasive Species – Video Interview with Jim Straub Hosted by Lindsey Kollmer
Lindsey Kollmer, a summer intern with our Connecticut Sea Grant program and UConn Extension, interviews Jim Straub. They discuss the management of two invasive aquatic plants in Massachusetts, water chestnut and hydrilla, to potentially gain knowledge of successful techniques that can be used in Connecticut to control these plants.
Another Summer Chapter for a Climate Corps Student
By Sarah Schechter, UConn Class of 2021 In the fall of my sophomore year at UConn, I enrolled in EVST 3100 – “Climate Resilience and Adaptation: Municipal Policy and Planning.” This is a course about climate change that allows students to look at real world problems and learn how to solve them in a classroom […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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, […]
Pollinators
Zach Duda, one of our UConn 4-H interns talks pollinators with us! A Bee Hotel can help attract more pollinators to your garden. Watch and learn how to make your own.
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
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 […]
Tree Mortality
UConn Collaborates on Gypsy Moth Cleanup Connecticut residents are all too familiar with the damage wrought by gypsy moths in recent years, particularly in the eastern part of the state. In Windham County, for example, one of the most severely affected areas over the past few years, Canterbury first selectman Christopher Lippke puts the death […]
UVM 4-H Summer Online Programs
4-H staff in Vermont are offering programs on a variety of topics where youth can meet new friends and try new activities. CLOVERBUDS CONNECT CHALLENGE Cloverbud Connects Challenges are issued each Friday and are geared toward youth in grades K-2 (Flyer, PDF). Cloverbuds watch a video that demonstrates an activity and then we challenge you […]
Environmental Conditions Online
Your One Stop Shop for Maps and Geographic Information cteco.uconn.edu Technology has expanded the mapping world. No longer are maps static and flat. They are now interactive, zoom able and clickable. They allow focus on a location or a question and enable us to explore our backyard, town, state and world. The Connecticut Environmental Conditions […]
Riverfront Recapture’s partnership with UConn Extension’s CT Trail Census
Riverfront Recapture‘s partnership with UConn Extension’s CT Trail Census has advanced our mission to improve the quality of life and urban vitality for those who live, work and play in central Connecticut. Specifically, Trail Census data has supported successful funding requests, including our 2019 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award, and was integral to our recent request to […]