Projects

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.

To work with selected leaders from Quinnipiac River Watershed communities to improve the land use decision-making process and control non-point source pollution.  The proposed program is for a 4-day workshop, emphasizing the regulatory power to make wise land use decisions, and presenting collaborative decision making techniques.

To continue efforts in support of the Quinnipiac River Linear Trail Project and the development of a greenway corridor along the Quinnpiac River Watershed.  Activities will include further land acquisition, trail development, public outreach and education with regard to environmental and recreational aspects of the river.

To support The Cleaning and Canoeing the Quinnipiac Program that will get all Fair Haven students onto the river for education, provide community canoeing programs, and lay the foundation for a canoe ranger station in Fair Haven.

To further acquire land for the trail right of way, construction of bridges, boardwalks, and observation platform, and fund raising in support of those activities.

To support educational activities taking place on-board the schooner Quinnipiac that will connect students and teachers from upper watershed schools with students and teachers in lower watershed schools.

To help design and build a bicycle/hiking bridge over the Quinnipiac River.

To continue to work on scientifically validated Stream Team assessment program, to redesign the program to use a larger poll of personnel who will learn to perform rapid assessment  in the field to collect baseline and annual data, develop a bioassessment protocol for the salt marsh in the lower river that can be performed by teams, and enlarge citizen "eyes on the river," the Adopt-the-River program, but reorganizing adopters so that they are convened together at least once per year to learn skills of river protection and restoration and to report progress to officials.

To purchase a 16.8 acre parcel along the Quinnipiac River to encourage the use of the property for recreational and educational purposes.

To plan an initial layout for an active inear trail along the Quinnipiac River corridor, initially through Wallingford from boarder to boarder, eventually connecting with other towns along the river.