Projects

To support the work of filling in the voids in the Rip-Rap at the edge of the river in Quinnipiac Park with crushed shells to reduce erosion.  

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.

Funds are requested to support implementation of informational and educational efforts and activities advocating for pesticide use reduction. These efforts will focus on the 80 property owners whose properties abut the Quinnipiac River in Plainville, CT. The activities will include 2 river clean-ups, coordination of a fishing derby, Earth Day Extravaganza, promotion and advocacy of Freedom Lawn Initiative, and a Tomasso Nature Park clean-up. (see grant notes)

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 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 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.