Projects

Funds are requested to support the convening of a bio blitz on August 22nd to provide a list of species found in the preserve during one 24-hour period.

Funds are requested to support the continuation of measuring elevation change and water levels in the Quinnipiac River marshes in efforts to understand the rate and causes  of marsh drowning (conversion to mudflat) that has been observed there.

Funds are requested to support an environmental study assessing relationships among habitat structure, marsh topography, ecological dynamics and potential conservation initiatives in the Lower Quinnipiac River marshes.

To support the organization and implementation of QRWA Stream Buffer Initiative to encourage land use practices that minimize adverse impacts on the watershed and increase public access to the river and its tributaries.

To support investigation of the various stresses that may be contributing to the extensive loss of vegetation in the Quinnipiac tidal marshes and begin to gather data on the relative importance of sub-surface compaction, decompositon in causing elevation loss in this ecosystem.

To offer a short course in river processes to local members of conservation/inland wetland commissions and environmrntal activists.  The course will cover the basic hydrologic, geomorphic, chemical and biological processes that govern stream exosystems, and how they are perturbed by human activities.  Participants will receive the scientific tools that they need in order to understand and critically evaluate environemntal data on the Q River.

To support funding for two aspects of the Quinnipiac River Conservation and Development corridor Project. RPG will develop an inter-municipal agreement between the three lower river communities that will include land-use guidelines and a tax sharing agreement.

To support a before and after pilot study of a residential neighborhood within the Quinnipiac River Watershed after it has participated in an education program that encourages the use of organic lawn care agents versus chemical lawn care agents.

To support the production of a student lead project of internet based-handheld computer field guides resources for the Quinnipiac River that calculates water quality data, geology, oysters, plants, macro-invertabrates, birds and oystering history.

To continue monitoring vegetation change and mudflat development in the Quinnipiac River brackish marshes, and begin to test hypothesized causes for the observed wetland loss.  To complete a nitrogen and trace metal analyses and begin to assess how marsh loss has affected the load of pollutants to the river.