Projects

To support the grassroots organization identified in the Quinnipac Watershed Action Plan and continue to organize volunteers toward implementaing the plan's actions.  To harness the combined efforts of a large pool of citizen volunteers, clubs, civic roups, shcools and businesses, which hav eparticipated at least one year in a QRWA river activity.  To use our conservation, recreation and education events and programs to increase our volunteer ranks.  To continue to train and guide these volunteers toward reducing the point source and nonpoint source pollution that enters our waterways.  These volunteers will educate landowners and builders whose activities have a direct impact on water quality and habitat health in tributaries and main rivers.

To support a short course in river processes to local environmental activists and municipal officials that will cover the basic hydrologic, geomorphic, chemical and biological processes that govern stream ecosystems and how they are perturbed by human activities.

To support the annual monitoring, education, advocacy, public access and restoration activities as well as expanding grassroots organizing to continue with clean up activities in the Quinnipiac Rive Watershed Action Plan.

To support an education and awareness program for youth and the broader community.

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.

To offer a short course in river processes to local environmental activist and municipal officials.  The course will cover the basic hydrologic, geomorphic, chemical and biological processes that govern stream ecosystems and how they are perturbed by human activities. Participants will receive the scientific tools that they need in order to understand and critically evaluate environmental data on the Quinnipiac River.

To work directly with municipalities in the Quinnipiac river watershed not only to educate municipal officials, but also to follow up and help them improve municipal regulations that affect water quality in the Quinnipiac and watershed.  Primary target for this project are municipal CEO's, Planning and Zoning Commissions, Inland Wetland Commissions, and Town Councils.

To test various water quality parameters and assess the condition of the Hemingway Creek, a tributary of the Quinnipiac River which borders one of our preserves.

To offer a 2-day short course in river processes to local environmental activists and municipal officials.  The course will cover the basic hydrologic, geomorphic, chemical, and biological processes that govern stream ecosystems, and how they are perturbed by human activity.  Participants will receive the scientific tools that they need in order to understand and critically evaluate environmental data on the Quinnpiac River.