environment

Advancing Environmental & Climate Justice in CT

Romina Flores Diaz, a political science student at UConn Hartford, and Mayra Rodríguez González, our urban and community forestry assistant extension educator, advanced UConn CAHNR’s strategic vision through their collaborative research on Resilient Cities, Racism, and Equity. At the Undergraduate Research Conference in Storrs, Romina presented an evidence-based approach to achieve environmental and climate justice […]

Fall-Winter 2022-2023 Wrack Lines

The Fall-Winter 2022-2023 issue of Wrack Lines is filled with articles and images telling stories around the theme of “Looking Ahead: people and projects shaping the future.” The magazine leads with the first in what will be a series of articles about offshore wind development impacting Connecticut, followed by the inspiring story of how a dying forest was […]

Calling All Citizen Scientists: Mallard Duck Research

Have you found a Mallard duck nest this spring? Please support the research project of Dr. Tracy Rittenhouse in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment by letting us know. We have several students searching for nests all day, every day, but CT is full of people who are outside observing wildlife. We would greatly appreciate […]

Connecticut Master Woodland Manager Program

Make your mark on Connecticut’s woodlands,  become a Master Woodland Manager! CFPA is excited to introduce the Connecticut Master Woodland Manager (MWM) program beginning August 2021. This year-long program provides woodland owners and managers with the knowledge and skills that they need to make the right decisions for their woodland that can help enhance their lives […]

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 […]

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 […]

Mitchell Elementary School Receives UConn 4-H Tower Garden

A good side of the Coronavirus Pandemic, people want to eat and live locally. As we are becoming more and more aware of our neighboring farms, farmers, and small businesses a push to be local seems to have swept the nation. That is no different in Connecticut where Litchfield County UConn 4-H Extension Educator Bill […]

Conservation Training Partnerships

Connecting Generations for Conservation The Cheshire Land Trust’s largest conservation property, Ives Farm, is a working 164-acre farm along the Quinnipiac River that includes picturesque public hiking trails through 80 acres of woodlands with mature stands of oak, mixed hardwoods, and old field cedars. In recent years, the trails became overgrown, impassable in spots and […]

Headphone Etiquette on the Trail

Headphone etiquette on the trail: With the world situation changing daily, more people have been finding their way out to trails. Some it maybe their 1 st time riding or walking trails. There are still some rules and etiquette that need to be followed. Most of us enjoy listening to music, podcasts or audiobooks to […]

NRCA Program Receives Award

Congratulations to our Natural Resources Conservation Academy on their 2020 Excellence in Conservation Org Award from the Connecticut Land Conservation Council! The NRCA team comprises faculty members in Natural Resources & the Environment, UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research, Extension, UConn CAHNR, UConn Neag School of Education, and NRCS!

Happy 50th Year of Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! Earth day is dedicated to raising awareness and support for environmental protection. This year it is a little different as there are no outdoor events. Luckily, you can still celebrate from home! Maggi Anstett, one of our UConn CAHNR students, suggests many ways you can demonstrate your support.

Extension in Our Communities

Programs delivered by Extension reach individuals, communities, and businesses in each of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities. UConn Extension has collaborated with our partners, communities and stakeholders for over 100 years. Find your community on our map of Extension programs (based on 2019 data) and see how active we are in your city or town. Learn more […]

CLEAR Mini-webinar Series

In a small attempt at lessening the pain of social distancing, CLEAR has been hosting a “mini-webinar” series since late March. There are two 30-minute webinars per week, on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. So far, we’ve held 5 and had almost 500 people in attendance. The webinars are also taped and posted on the website. […]

Ask UConn Extension Your Questions

UConn Extension has collaborated with our partners, communities and stakeholders for over 100 years. We are proud to serve all 169 cities and towns in Connecticut. The worldwide pandemic involving COVID-19 (coronavirus) has produced unprecedented challenges in the UConn community and around the world. Our services continue during this challenging time. We are still delivering the […]

Free Environmental Webinar Series from UConn CLEAR

The UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research is offering free webinars. Here is the schedule for the next three weeks:   WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2020 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM UConn Environment Corps: Harnessing Student Power to Help Towns Chet Arnold, CLEAR Director THURSDAY MARCH 26, 2020 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Emergency […]

Ask UConn Extension

Do you have food, health, or environmental sustainability questions? Ask UConn Extension. We have specialists located throughout the state to answer your questions and connect you with the power of UConn research. Fill out this form with your question: http://bit.ly/AskUConnExtension

Take the Climate Change Challenge with UConn Extension

Connecticut Environmental Action Day (CEAD) is a one-day conference that seeks to inspire students to take the #ClimateChangeChallenge and then post their actions using #ExtendtheChange to encourage friends and families to do the same. CEAD is sponsored by UConn Extension with our partners from UConn’s Department of Marketing, Department of Anthropology, and UConn PIRG. The goals […]

Supporting Communities Responding to New Stormwater Regulations

UConn Extension’s Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program is a national leader in developing innovative approaches to help communities address water quality issues. NEMO has been working directly with Connecticut municipalities for 26 years, won multiple national awards, and inspired a national network of sister programs in 33 states. Over the past year, the […]

Stormwater Research from Extension

Our UConn Extension educators working in land use, and the environment have recently published two articles: Extension Educators Mike Dietz and Chet Arnold have an article, Can Green Infrastructure Provide Both Water Quality and Flood Reduction Benefits?, in the May issue of the Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment. You can read the […]

Online Course Catalog of Extension Programs

There are more than one hundred UConn Extension specialists working throughout Connecticut. These educators are teaching and training in local communities, sharing their experience and knowledge with residents through a variety of programs. These instructional activities now will be easily accessible with the creation of an online extension course catalog. Extension classes address a wide range […]

New Website Launched to Help Coastal Property Owners and Beach Associations

GROTON, CT—Connecticut Sea Grant announces a new website intended to assist coastal Connecticut beach property owners and beach associations with hazards such as impacts from storms and associated erosion and flooding.  The new site helps users evaluate threats and prepare to protect property from further damage.   A variety of actions, depending on the scale of […]

CT Envirothon

Several UConn Extension educators worked at the Envirothon Event on May 21st. It’s a great event and well worth all the effort that goes into it. UConn Extension’s Donna Ellis made a presentation at the teacher’s workshop (as the technical expert) during the event on invasive species which is next year’s current issue challenge. This year’s current […]

When It Comes To Climate Change – Money Talks

By Bruce Hyde It is generally accepted by climate scientists that New England will experience a trend of increasing intensity and frequency of storms resulting in an increase in flooding and coastal erosion. Recent storms have raised our collective awareness of the damage, both fiscal and physical, that these storms can cause. Consider that Sandy […]

Do “We” Believe in Climate Change

By David Dickson Over the last year and a half here in Connecticut, we have certainly seen our fair share of extreme weather events – Irene, the Halloween nor’easter of 2011, Sandy, Winter Storm NEMO (no relation to our NEMO), etc. These events have certainly had a big physical and financial impact on our state, […]

New Rain Garden Smartphone App Helps Protect Water Quality

By:  Sheila Foran, UConn Today & David Dickson, UConn Extension The Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), a partnership between Extension and  NRE in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and CT Sea Grant, has developed the Rain Garden smart phone app in Apple’s iTunes store. It is the University’s first mobile […]