ExtensionExpress
2019
Updates from UConn Extension
The College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources is about to undertake a strategic positioning process that we hope will ensure the college is successful for many years. Our goal will be to identify key knowledge areas that enable the college to have the greatest potential success for the next decade. The project will allow us to have a dialogue on the future implications of trends and issues affecting our society, state, industries and communities, and to reflect on the state of the college and then come to consensus on focus areas of teaching, research, and extension. Ultimately, the project will drive our work to be as successful in 2030 as we are today. The strategic plan will be available in late January.
At the same time, UConn Extension is re-organizing in five critical issue areas: food, health, sustainability, the urban-rural interface, and Long Island Sound. Our educators will identify unmet needs in these areas and form collaborative issues to address the challenges. It is an exciting time for UConn Extension, and we value your input through these processes.
Sea Level Rise Model - Viewer and Webinar
To better understand how Connecticut’s coastal area marshes and roads may respond to sea level rise (SLR), Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) was applied to Connecticut’s shoreline by Warren Pinnacle Consulting, Inc. This viewer displays the model’s results for Connecticut’s 21 largest marshes and all coastal area roads. For marshes, SLAMM was run two hundred times using alternative model inputs for key model parameters, including various SLR scenarios, to produce probability based results of likely future marsh conditions. For roads, the model uses a single SLR scenario of about 4.2 feet by 2100 from the base year of 2002. The Sea Level Rise Effects on Roads and Marshes projects is a project between CT DEEP and UConn CLEAR.
Access information about the project and the viewers on the CT ECO website.
Growing Food and Health with the Mashantucket Tribe
“The mission statement of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (MPTN) states they will ‘…establish a social, cultural and economic foundation that can never be undermined or destroyed…,’” says Tribal Councilor Daniel Menihan, Jr. MPTN was facing challenges growing their fruits and vegetables at a scale to meet the tribe’s needs on their land in Ledyard, and some members were struggling with diabetes. This story can be read at UConn Today, use the link below.
UConn Extension Growing Food With the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research Mapping Tools and Resources
CLEAR’s geospatial expertise is focused on remote sensing analysis, development of online geospatial land use tools, and training for professionals and others in the use of various types of geospatial technology. CLEAR’s geospatial programs and tools are designed to be accessible to everyone, from a commissioner looking for a PDF map of town soils to a GIS professional looking to download data or brush up on some computer skills. In partnership with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, we have developed the Connecticut Environmental Conditions Online, or CT ECO website, with a host of statewide maps and data related to natural resources.
A Healthy Home is in Good Repair
A healthy home supports the health and safety of the people who live there. UConn Extension has an educational series of workshops and information on how to make your home a healthy place to be. Your health is impacted by the health of your home. Learn about indoor air quality, asthma and allergies, lead poisoning prevention, carbon monoxide, residential drinking water, mold and moisture, household products, safe and green cleaning, pest control and home safety.
Homes that are in good repair are less likely to have moisture, pest, and safety problems. By checking your home regularly, and maintaining it or repairing it when needed, you can take care of small problems before they become big problems. Learn more about keeping a healthy home.
Helping Connecticut Families Eat Smart and Live Well
What made you sick? Is it food you cooked at home? While we continue to blame farmers, processors, food- service and restaurants for making the food that makes us sick, the fact is that home cooks are quite likely to handle food in a way that results in a foodborne illness. The safety of our food supply is the responsibility of all who grow, process, sell, prepare and eat food.
Welcome to the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) at UConn!
We’re here to help you and your family build healthier habits—without breaking the bank.
What We Do
EFNEP offers free, hands-on nutrition education to limited-resource families across Connecticut. Our programs are designed to help you:
- Eat healthier with simple, affordable recipes
- Shop smart and stretch your food dollars
- Get active with fun, family-friendly physical activities
- Cook confidently with easy, practical skills
- Build community through shared learning and support
Connecticut Institute of Water Resources
The Connecticut Institute of Water Resources mission mission is to collaborate with and serve all colleges and universities in the state to resolve state and regional water related problems and provide a strong connection between water resource managers and the academic community, in addition to sharing the results of water resources research and other information with the general public.
Subsidized Well Testing
UConn Extension has a new program to help you get your water tested. We are providing low-cost water testing and educational workshops in rural areas of Connecticut. The first workshop will provide information about groundwater, your well, and potential contaminants. We will then schedule follow-up meetings to collect your water sample and help you interpret the results.
If you are unable to attend the workshop or they are not available at the time of inquiry, you can watch a recording of the workshop at s.uconn.edu/CT-well-videoand sign up for our walk-in service where you can deliver a sample to UConn's main campus.
It's National Nutrition Month!
Did you know that buying frozen fruits and vegetables versus fresh have extra benefits? Frozen fruits and vegetables may be less expensive and can stretch your food dollars when fresh produce is not “in season” in your area. Frozen fruits and vegetables are frozen at the peak of their ripeness so their nutrients are available just as if they were fresh. Frozen produce is not limited to one season so you can buy all year round!
Wednesday was National Frozen Food Day, our recipe of the week features frozen fruit of your choice in our Build Your Own Overnight Oats recipe! All you have to do is pick one of the following ingredients, shake well or leave in layers, and stick them in the fridge before bed! Easy enough, right?
Here’s a tip: prepare the overnight oats in a Mason jar. No extra dishes required! Enjoy!
UConn Extension's Community Nutrition website has a variety of community nutrition resources available for you and your family. We offer recipes, shopping tips, nutrition advice and other resources.
CT Trail Census Receives Grant
Our Connecticut Trail Census program recently received $206,049.50 in grant funding from the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) Trails & Greenways Program and the Connecticut Greenways Council. UConn Extension's Connecticut Trail Census is a statewide volunteer-based data collection and education program implemented as a pilot from 2016-2018 on 16 multi-use (bicycle, pedestrian, equestrian) trail sites across the state.
CT Trail Symposium
We in Connecticut, over the last decade, have made great progress in building and connecting our trail systems. So much so that the Connecticut Greenways Council believes now is the time to celebrate and shout about our trail systems assuring that all members of our communities can gather, recreate, relax, run errands and even commute or travel together. This year, the Symposium hopes to offer sessions that focus on engaging with state and local tourism and marketing resources as well as technology that can maximize effective delivery of your trail information. UConn Extension is co-sponsoring the symposium.
School of Business Partnership
Extension brings the research of the land-grant university to communities statewide. The research and resources from other departments at UConn also help Extension grow and reach new audiences. We have built a partnership with the Department of Marketing in the School of Business that has transformed marketing initiatives of UConn Extension and strengthened our brand.