Public Education

Quinnipiac River Watershed Association Action Plan

Organization: 
Quinnipiac River Watershed Association
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
10 000.00
Description: 
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.

QRWA achieved some significant conservation victories, as well as continuing to push towards its long term goals. Highlights include grassroots organizing, education, advocacy and conservation.

Elm City Park Conservancy/Dragon Oyster Co.

Organization: 
Rex Development (formerly known as South Central CT Regional Econ. Develop. Corp)
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
8 000.00
Description: 
To support funding for two aspects of the Quinnipiac River Conservation and Development corridor Project. RPG will develop an inter-municipal agreement between the three lower river communities that will include land-use guidelines and a tax sharing agreement.

Developed a GIS database of properties within the QRCDC. Collected and stored property card information. Calculated fund amounts for towns based on different percentage increments of the tax revenue increase. Provided examples of how the system might work on individual sites in each town.

Water Diversion & Instream Flow Policy

Organization: 
Trout Unlimited: Eastern Water Project
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
10 000.00
Description: 
Funds will be used to support the improvement of of water diversion and instream flow policy on the Quinnipiac River through advocacy and public education.

Trout Unlimited gave numerous lectures on streamflow, drafted and advocated for a House bill, participated in monthly DEP meetings, and created a 2-page document highlighting the problems with water withdrawals on the Quinnipiac River that was given to legislators and the DEP and resulted in positive newspaper editorials.

Stream Buffer Initiative

Organization: 
Quinnipiac River Watershed Association
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
15 000.00
Description: 
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.

Wrote and published the Streamside Landowners' Guide to the Quinnipiac Greenway, a one-stop conservation management resource for waterfront landowners. Developed a youth-centered nonpoint source outreach and education program that trains groups on how to stencil "no dumping, drains to Long Island Sound" messages on storm drains.

Water Quality Improvement

Organization: 
Elm City Parks Conservancy
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
4 000.00
Description: 
To support the salaries for two part-time Student Conservation Assocation interns who will work on improvement of water quality through community outreach.

River Processes Short Course

Organization: 
Yale University Grant and Contract Administration
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
8 064.00
Description: 
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.

Course evaluations were received from 18 of the 20 participants and were positive overall on factors including lectures, field trips, readings, problem sets, whether the course met students' expectations and whether students would recommend the course to others.

Freedom Lawn Campaign

Organization: 
Watershed Partnership, Inc
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
19 000.00
Description: 
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.

Through its efforts as a lead advocacy organization, the Connecticut legislature banned toxic lawn pesticides at all K-8 Schools. Thus all Quinnipiac River watershed municipalities will start to use some form of pesticide-free organic lawn care.

Quinnipiac Watershed Stream Buffer Initiative (Phase II)

Organization: 
Quinnipiac River Watershed Association
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
16 500.00
Description: 
Funds are requested to support organization and implementation of outreach and advocacy for the Quinnipiac Watershed Stream Buffer Initiative (Phase II) and regular grassroots events.

unavailable

The Clean Rivers Project w/Plainville Conservation Commission

Organization: 
Farmington River Watershed Association, Inc.
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
2 000.00
Description: 
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)

Eighteen of 58 parcels along the Quinnipiac River and 13 of 33 parcels along the Pequabuck River joined the Clean Rivers Project and are now pesticide free.

Consider the Quinnipiac Campaign

Organization: 
Catalyst Studios, Inc.
Date Issued: 
Amount: 
8 500.00
Description: 
Funds are requested to support the organization and implementation of "Consider the Qunnipiac" photo-based awareness campaign" motivationg people to consider the consequences of poor stewardship. The campaign will include photo exhibits, and web-based gallery including information about the specific threats, pollutants, and damages to the river.

unavailable

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