Community

Visit Extension at the Gather New Haven Festival

Our UConn Extension Master Gardeners will be at the 1st Annual Gather New Haven Festival on Sunday, September 18th, celebrating health, wellness, and nature. Stop by and visit us to learn more about the program, ask your plant and horticulture questions, or pick up an application for our 2023 class. — The First Annual Gather […]

Applications for the 2023 Master Gardener Program are Open

APPLY TO BECOME A UCONN EXTENSION MASTER GARDENER – 2023 classes will include hybrid and virtual options The hot, hazy summer days are a great time to plan for next year’s gardening activities! Apply now for the 2023 UConn Extension Master Gardener Program. Classes will be held in Farmington, Brooklyn, Haddam, and Stamford along with […]

Huerto Para Principiantes

¿Quieres empezar un huerto, pero no sabes cómo empezar? ¡Los Maestros Jardineros de UConn están listos para ayudar! Ofrecemos un taller “Huerto para Principiantes” el 25 de agosto. La presentación incluye como planear el huerto y la siembra, mantenimiento, y cosecha de sus vegetales favoritos. También hablaremos de como hacer un huerto en espacio limitado, […]

Summer Program Updates

Empowering Connecticut Communities  Extension programs are in full swing this summer, both in-person and online. we are here to serve and empower our Connecticut communities, while co-creating solutions to the critical issues that residents and communities are facing. Programs focus on the expertise of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) and incorporate […]

UConn Extension Attends National Urban Extension Conference

UConn Extensionists Mary Ellen Welch, Jacqueline Kowalski, Jeantyl Norze and Heather Peracchio attended the National Urban Extension Conference at Rutgers Camden May 23-26. Educators and directors from across the country came together to share best practices in Extension and vision the future of Urban Extension. Norze led a presentation on “Academic Structure Versus Urban Extension […]

Northeast CT Farm and Food Guide

Grown ConNECTed has released a new Guide to Farm Fresh Food in Northeastern CT  for 2022. This guide is an attempt at creating a comprehensive listing of farms selling directly to consumers in the Northeastern CT region and that your constituents can use to find local food, grown and raised in Northeastern CT.  A digital copy […]

Nutrition Education in the Community Through SNAP-Ed

Hello everyone! My name is Brooke Bosco, and I am a rising senior majoring in Dietetics. This summer I am an extension intern working with the UConn School and Family Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education Program (SNAP-Ed). UConn Healthy Family CT SNAP-Ed works towards accomplishing Connecticut’s goals and objectives to deliver nutrition education and […]

CT Trail Finder and GIS with Courtney Andreozzi

Greetings! My name is Courtney Andreozzi and I am honored to be the GIS intern for CT Trailfinder for Summer 2022. I am a rising senior at UConn studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) with a minor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). During this previous school year I worked in conjunction with UConn’s CLEAR and […]

Ian Harrington – Agencia de Acción Comunitaria Access – Vacunarse

Ian Harrington de Access Community Action Agency en Windham explica por qué recibió la vacuna contra el COVID-19. La financiación de este proyecto fue posible gracias a Extension Foundation, USDA-NIFA, los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades y UConn Extension. Watch the video in English at https://youtu.be/2UC8a9C0Bs0.

Public comment sought on CT Shellfish Restoration Guide

Connecticut Sea Grant, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are seeking comments from the public on a discussion draft of the Connecticut Shellfish Restoration Guide. The Guide is the state’s first and most comprehensive plan to lay the foundation for shellfish restoration in Connecticut’s navigable waters and […]

Extension Recognizes Program Volunteers

Volunteers are the heart of UConn Extension Master Gardener Program, UConn CLIR program, and our UConn 4-H program. We were honored to recognize a few of them for their contributions at an event on June 16, 2022. In total, our volunteers donated 156,597 hours (the equivalent of 6,524 days) to our programs in 2021. Thank […]

Job Openings with UConn Extension

UConn Extension is hiring! We have several positions open. Please visit the individual position links for full descriptions and information on how to apply: Assistant/Associate Extension Educator – Soil Health Associate Dean for Extension 4-H Youth Development Food and Agricultural Literacy Assistant/Associate Extension Educator in Water Quality Administrative Program Support 1, Storrs Campus Educational Program […]

Job Opening – Project Outreach Coordinator in Northeast Connecticut

Job Opening – Project Outreach Coordinator in Northeast Connecticut (Accepting applications until May 30, 2022) UConn Extension is actively seeking to fill a part-time, six month position of Project Outreach Educator in Northeast Connecticut. This is an exciting opportunity for the right person who is versatile, responsive, and demonstrates an interest in local food and […]

Long Island Sound teacher workshop planned for May 21

Come tour and learn about Copps Island Oyster Company, Sheffield Island Lighthouse, the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and how to take your students on an interdisciplinary field trip that incorporates NGSS, history and science into an unforgettable educational experience for all grade levels. Please see the flier attached here for details! Date: May […]

A Community of Farms in Northeastern Connecticut

The UConn Extension Sustainable Food Systems program launched a new brand in Northeastern Connecticut to help connect residents in the region with farms and farmers providing products directly to consumers. This new brand “Grown ConNECTed: A Community of Farms in Northeastern Connecticut” consists of a new website (grownconNECTed.org) with multiple resources for finding farms that […]

Raising awareness to help sturgeon make a comeback in CT

UConn and Connecticut Sea Grant will unveil a sign at Hammonasset Beach State Park at 10 a.m.  on May 7 to raise awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered Atlantic sturgeon. The ceremony will take place at the beach house at Meigs Point. The ancient and iconic Atlantic Sturgeon were once common in Connecticut waters. However, […]

Community Promise Week – Thank You Volunteers!

To celebrate our amazing volunteers, we are recognizing the work they’ve done. This April 24-30 is our #CommunityPromiseWeek, where we’ll be highlighting a few key leaders that make our programs possible. Thank you to Carol, Sandy, Ellen, Kim, Peg and Rich for all that you do! Stay tuned throughout the week as we highlight more […]

Food and Nutrition Classes at Home

Hartford County’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provided virtual nutrition education and cooking programs to limited resource adults and youth in 2021. We held the Cook and Chat virtual series for adults online. It included sessions on cooking basics, food safety, food budgeting, and nutrition topics over three to 12 lessons. Programs partners […]

4-H Mentoring Continues Serving Youth 

Youth in Waterbury continued benefitting from the 4-H Mentoring project during the pandemic. The 4-H Mentoring Project is a prevention program where youth gain knowledge, build character, and develop life skills. It is a fun learning environment that helps them become self-directing, productive members of society.   Approximately 45 youth ages nine through 14 participate annually. […]

Jacqueline Kowalski Hired as Urban Agriculture Educator

Urban agriculture in Connecticut is growing! Urban farms, community gardens, and innovative practices such as hydroponics are all a part of the urban agriculture landscape. To help meet the needs of the urban agriculture community, Jacqueline Kowalski recently joined the UConn Extension team. She is based at the Fairfield County Extension Center in Bethel. Identified […]

Job: Educational Program Assistant – Part-Time in Fairfield Co.

Apply Here: https://jobs.hr.uconn.edu/cw/en-us/job/496223/educational-program-assistant-1-fairfield-county-extension Search #: 496223Work type: Part-timeLocation: Fairfield County Extension CtrCategories: Academic Programs and Services JOB SUMMARY The UConn Extension Center located in Bethel, CT is seeking applications for a part-time Educational Program Assistant 1 position (50%).  This position is responsible for supporting and helping implement high-quality, comprehensive, Extension programming at different program sites throughout the region, with […]

Waterbury 4-H Youth Mentoring Program is Thriving

Waterbury’s 4-H program is going strong! As we all know the past two years have been far from ordinary. While Waterbury Youth Services, Inc. (WYS) has been facilitating 4-H programing for 30 years, we have had to face new challenges and with them, new joys. While in person programming was not an option, our team […]

Job Posting Assistant/Associate Extension Educator in Water Quality

The Department of Extension in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources invites applications for an Assistant/Associate Extension Educator in Water Quality. We seek an individual whose professional skills and abilities can foster the integration of extension with research to address local and regional water quality issues such as urban stormwater and agricultural runoff. […]

Job Opening: Water Quality Extension Educator

We are seeking an Assistant/Associate Extension Educator in Water Quality with a 75% extension, 25% research mission split housed within the UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research in Haddam. This joint-appointed position between UConn Extension and the Natural Resources & the Environment in UConn CAHNR begins reviewing applications on April 1st. Full details: […]

Master Gardner Community Garden

Several of our 2021 Master Gardener interns from Litchfield County worked on community gardens that helped provide not only food, but much needed outdoor learning environments.  Rebekah Chestna spearheaded the creation of an outdoor classroom garden in Watertown, CT that donated over 200 pounds of food to the Watertown Food Bank. Carolyn Morin worked with […]

Black History Month 2022 – Health and Wellness

Have your ever wondered about the history of Black History Month? Dr. Carter G. Woodson is credited with bringing to the forefront the importance of teaching about Black History, Culture and Life. Carter G. Woodson, was the son of former slaves, and as a child, worked as a sharecropper, a miner and other odd jobs […]

2021 Highlights of Extension Report

  The past two years have challenged us more than anyone could have predicted. Extension adapted our services and programs to continue serving our audiences. We are addressing critical issues related to agriculture and food, climate adaptation, enhancing health and well-being, social justice, and sustainable landscapes.  Extension is unique because the services we provide are […]

Umekia “Mickey” Taylor: Educator Spotlight

Merging Fitness and Nutrition to Create Healthy Lifestyles  Umekia “Mickey” Taylor ’83 (CAHNR) merges fitness and nutrition to help people create healthy lifestyles. She is a community nutrition extension educator and the supervisor for Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in New Haven County. “UConn Extension’s nutrition outreach education is valuable because we […]

Contaminants of Emerging Concern Project

Manmade chemicals known as PFAS and microplastics emerged as the top concerns of the 646 people who responded to a survey conducted in late 2021 by the Contaminants of Emerging Concern Project. The project is being led by the Connecticut, New Hampshire and North Carolina Sea Grant programs along with Lighthouse Consulting Group. Learn more about […]

Celebrating Black History Month, The Paradigm Shift

Have your ever wondered about the history of Black History Month? Dr. Carter G. Woodson is credited with bringing to the forefront the importance of teaching about Black History, Culture and Life. Carter G. Woodson, was the son of former slaves, and as a child, worked as a sharecropper, a miner and other odd jobs […]

Master Gardeners Making a Difference!

Congratulations to UConn Extension Master Gardener Program Holly Kocet and Barbara Thomas out of Extension’s Bethel office for making a difference in their communities! Both women worked to address native plantings for commercial projects. Check out this article: https://www.primepublishers.com/voicesnews/news/top_stories/newtown-regulations-address-commercial-projects-plants/article_46aa7174-6d6e-11ec-b2df-038565fb4be5.html

Dr. Jeantyl Norze Joins Extension as Evaluation Specialist

Dr. Jeantyl Norze joined Extension as our Evaluation Specialist in January of 2022. “I am very excited to join the UConn CAHNR Extension and hopeful about my contributions to help advance the land grant mission of the university. CAHNR Extension has an amazing dynamic team who is knowledgeable and open to new ideas that help […]

Urban Agriculture Webinar – January 19th

Join us on January 19th at 7 PM for a webinar on Urban Agriculture Opportunities in Connecticut. Dean Indrajeet Chaubey from the UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, and Extension educators Jacqueline Kowalski and Jiff Martin are presenting along with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, USDA, and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Full details and […]

Job Openings with Extension and CAHNR

We are hiring! Extension and the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources currently have several open positions. The list of positions is below, as well as the link to the job description and details on how to apply. Associate Dean for Extension and Diversity 4-H Youth Development Food and Agricultural Literacy- Assistant/Associate Cooperative Extension […]