64th Annual Meeting Held at Priam Vineyards

Friends, board members and staff of the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District's gathered for our 64th annual meeting on Saturday, October 23, 2011 at Priam Vineyards in Colchester.  The meeting was hosted by board member Gary Crump and his wife Gloria Priam, co-owners of the farm winery.  Priam is an environmentally sustainable vineyard and winery located in the Salmon River Watershed, producing a variety of award-winning handcrafted white and red wines.  Notably the first completely solar-powered winery in New England, the winery and 40-acre farm provide many notable examples of practices designed to reduce their impact on the environment.  Participants were treated to an informative presentation and tour led by Gary Crump, Vineyard Manager and Winemaker, highlighting the vineyards' environmental features, including the large solar array, sustainable agricultural practices and wildlife habitat enhancements.  Following the tour and a brief business meeting we were pleased to recognize and congratulate our 2011 conservation award winners.  Then, after we enjoyed some refreshments, many of the attendees retired to the busy and buzzing tasting room to sample the fruits of Gary and Gloria's labor.  Many thanks to everyone who came to the vineyard for our meeting, and to Gary and Gloria for taking time out of their busy weekend schedule to graciously host our meeting   We applaud them for their passion for their land, and their commitment to managing their farm winery in an environmentally sustainable way.

 

7th Annual Tree Swallow Cruise and Wine Tasting Fundraiser Our Biggest Ever!

Our rescheduled cruise aboard the RiverQuest to benefit the Connecticut River Watch Program set off without a snag from Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam on October 4, 2011 despite the threatening rain.  The evening turned a bit chilly but not a drop of rain fell on us the entire time, although the dock was drenched when we returned from our trip!  We are very grateful to our sponsors for their generous contributions that make the cruise possible, including RiverQuest owners Mark and Mindy Yuknat; David Richards of Clinton Nurseries; Priam Vineyards' Gary Crump and Gloria Priam; and R2 Graphics.  A variety of fine Priam wines and delicious and plentiful fare from The Cooking Company were enjoyed by all, as were the beautiful scenery, Mark and Mindy's stories about the river and natural history information, and, of course, the swallow show.  Thanks to all of our enthusiastic and fun-loving Connecticut River Watch Program supporters for joining us on board and making the evening so enjoyable!   

 

Coginchaug River Cleanup Held at Veterans Park in Middletown

For the second year, the Conservation District and Middletown Regional Agricultural Science and Technology Center cosponsored a river cleanup at Veteran's Park in Middletown.  The cleanup took place on October 8, 2011 as part of the watershed-wide Connecticut River Watershed Council Source to Sea Cleanup.  Despite the fact that the river was cleaned up a year ago, volunteers once again picked up an impressive dumptruck full of trash, with many recyclables separated out.  Thanks to the many students, parents, and members of the community who helped. Thanks also to the City of Middletown Parks and Recreation Department, which provided cleanup supplies and a dumptruck for the event.

Once again, the cleanup was scheduled in conjunction with the Mattabeset FFA duck race fundraiser, which was held earlier in the day at Wadsworth Falls State Park. The duck race raised over $3,000, which will support the Mattabeset FFA chapter and student leadership trip to Indiana this fall.

 

Demonstration Rain Garden Built in Old Saybrook as Part of Workshop

A beautiful and functional rain garden is now featured at the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook as a result of our "Build a Rain Garden" workshop held in September.   The workshop drew a great group, who came to learn about rain garden benefits and design, and then pulled up their sleeves to help construct the rain garden on-site.  We were excited to partner with the town of Old Saybrook, Connecticut Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Program, and The Rockfall Foundation on this project to promote the use of rain gardens to protect and improve water quality in developed areas.  The rain garden, with accompanied educational signage (still under development), will serve as a learning tool and inspiration for library patrons.  For more information about the project see our newsletter.

 

Healthy Fall Lawns Program Features Scott Reil

As a follow-up to the spring screening of the documentary about the health and environmental risks of lawn care chemicals, A Chemical Reaction (see below), Project Green Lawn hosted a talk on making the switch to organic lawn care methods on September 12, 2011 at Russell Library in Middletown.  There are many things to do in the fall to prepare your lawn for the spring growing season,like seeding and spreading compost, and it is also an excellent time to begin the transition to organic methods, according to local organic land care professional, Scott Reil, who presented the program.  Scott provided many tips along with a schedule for when to do what to have beautiful organic lawns that aren't harmful to us, our pets or our environment.  Sponsored by Project Green Lawn (go to Community Outreach tab).

 

Second Annual Screening of A Chemical Reaction an Inspiring and Eye-Opening Event

Over fifty people came out on a rainy night in March to Middlesex Community College to watch our second annual screening of A Chemical Reaction, an inspirational documentary about the dangerous health effects of lawn chemicals and a community’s successful campaign to ban them in Canada.  The film followed Paul Tukey, a former lawn care practitioner and founder of SafeLawns, on his path across the county and into Canada to spread the word about the dangers of lawn chemicals and how to have beautiful, lush lawns organically.  Paul’s own health was affected from using lawn chemicals and at his doctor’s advice he made a transition to organic methods.  He now has extensive experience maintaining organic lawns.  Through the movie Paul tracked the progress of Dr. June Irwin’s efforts to ban lawn care chemicals from her town due to the medical problems she was seeing in her patients.  The ban passed, was upheld by the Canadian Supreme Court and eventually spread all across Canada. 

After the film Scott Reil, a Connecticut accredited nurseryman, organic lawn care professional, and representative of SafeLawns, led a discussion on organic lawn care. He answered many questions ranging from how to make the switch to organic methods, to how to deal with poison ivy, and whether crabgrass really is bad for your lawn. 

Community leaders attending the event included State Representative Matt Lesser, Middletown Common Councilmen David Bauer and Dan Drew and the Director of Middletown's Water & Sewer Department, Guy Russo. 

The evening ended with a drawing for a variety of fun door prizes.  Winners received low water use plants suitable for use in place of grass (donated by Scott Reil); The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Tukey, and a plant sale gift certificate (donated by Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District); The Healthy Home Book by Dr. Myron Wentz and Dave Wentz (donated by Cindy Snow), a Middlesex Community College t-shirt (donated by the college); and a Green Cone food digester (donated by the Middletown Public Works Department).

Little yellow signs popping up all over at the time of the screening announced the beginning of lawn care season--the time to think about what we apply to our lawns.  The film makes a compelling case for chem-free, organic lawns, not only the safe choice, but the choice for sustainable, healthy and lush lawns.  When human health is at stake, “better safe than sorry” as one expert aptly told it.   

More information on the film can be found at safelawns.org/chemical-reaction.   If you missed the screening but would like to see the film, contact Kim O'Rourke, Middletown's Recycling Coordinator at 860-344-3526 or kim.orourke@cityofmiddletown.com.  Other useful information about organic gardening can be found on Scott Reil’s website, www.helpfulgardener.com, and on the SafeLawns website, www.safelawns.org.

The film screening was held as part of the Project Green Lawn public awareness campaign to encourage residents and businesses to maintain healthy lawns free of chemicals that are harmful to people, pets and the environment.  For more information about the campaign go to the Education page on our website (Community Outreach tab).

63rd Annual Meeting Held at McKinney National Wildlife Refuge

An enjoyable time was had by all at the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District's 63rd Annual Meeting held at the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in October. In addition to the annual business, the agenda included a slide show about the past year's conservation activities (link to PDF), and presentation of the 2010 conservation awards (link to PDF).  Our featured speaker/ program leader was Refuge Manager Rick Potvin, who spoke about the history of the refuge and some of the ongoing management work being conducted there, and then led us on a guided walk of the refuge's cultural and natural features.  It was a picture perfect warm and sunny fall day—a beautiful day for a walk through the woods to a stunning marsh overlook.

 

 

 

Cruise and Wine Tasting a Dazzling Success!

Our 6th Annual Tree Swallow Cruise and Wine Tasting to benefit the Connecticut River Watch Program held on September 9, 2010 was a great success.  Many thanks to everyone who joined us on the cruise or made a donation in support of the program.  And a special thanks to our generous sponsors who made the event possible: RiverQuest owners Captain Mark and Mindy Yuknat, Priam Vineyards, Chamard Vineyards, Jones Winery, Clinton Nurseries, The Riverhouse, and R2 Graphics.  The evening was beautiful; the food and wine delicious; the company great; and the swallow show amazing.  A wonderful time was had by all!

  

Workshop Participants Learn About Creating Backyard Wildlife Habitat

Beginning in 2006 we were pleased to collaborate with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Project Green Lawn Partners to promote backyard conservation for wildlife at on-site seminars highlighting a Middletown resident's yard.  The last such program was held on Sunday, October 4, 2009, when 20 people gathered to learn from Eleanore Milardo's yard, transformed from a lawn dominated 3/4 acre suburban lot into a diverse array of plants and habitats, now featuring 120 native species planted to enhance wildlife value. DEP Wildlife Biologist Peter Picone gave an information-packed onsite presentation and walking tour, highlighting the relationship between the native plants and abundant insects, birds, and mammals that now share the garden. 

At the workshop, we were pleased to present Eleanore with an award from the District in recognition of her ongoing efforts to transform her suburban lot into a haven for wildlife using native plants, and to teach and inspire others with her yard. 

In June 2010, we were saddened to learn of Eleanore's passing.  As it was her wish to allow continued use of her property for workshops, we hope to continue the tradition.