Conservation

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 fund the protection of the Heminway Creek, a tributary of the Quinnipiac River through the purchase of wetlands.

To support the work of the Freedom Lawn Campaign to educate users of 'traditional'  chemical lawn care about the harmful environmental and health effects of pesticides and fertilizers, and encourage a switch to organic lawn care methods that are safe for the natural environment and people.

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 the development and adoption of an intermunicipal agreement with the lower river towns regarding land use guidelines and tax sharing.

To support the creation and development of the Organic Land and Turf Handbook for school, municipal, and commercial groundskeepsers to manage lawns and turf without the use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Funds are requested to support the continuation and extension of the successful Safe Grounds Campaign in efforts to reduce non-point source pollution from lawn pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

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)

Funds are requested to support the continuation of short courses concerning river processes to local members of the conservation/inlan wetland commissions and environmental activists.