Projects

to support the study of microplastics and macroplastics in the Quinnipiac River and its source waters.

to support a study that will focus on characterizing the gut microbiomes of estuarine fish in the lower Quinnipiac River and New Haven Harbor, as well as assessing the relationships between environmental conditions, diet, microplastic prevalence, and these microbial communities.

to support the study of the effects of temperature change on the behavior of freshwater crustaceans in the Quinnipiac River.

to support reclaiming a floodplain habitat of Wharton Brook from invasive plant species, in partnership with a science class at Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford.

to support a coliform bacteria testing program that uses trained volunteers to collect and a professional lab to analyze to support a coliform bacteria testing program that uses trained volunteers to collect and a professional lab to analyze bacteria in stream and river segments of the Quinnipiac Watershed, and to support advocacy for state and local permits affecting water quality of the Quinnipiac River.

to support the study of the presence and spatial distribution of industrial pollutants and other water quality parameters along the Quinnipiac River.

to support the initiation of a Quinnipiac River watershed plan.

Funds are requested to conduct mercury contamination research at Wharton Brook in Quinnipiac River system. Research activities include measuring mercury in water, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish along the length of thw Wharton Brook and its tributaries.

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 the offering of a short course in river processes to local members of conservation/inland wetland commissions and environmental activists. 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 recieve the scientific tools that they need in order to understand and critically evaluate environmental data on the Quinnipiac River.