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Funding to study microplastics and other pollutants, advocacy and organizations working to improve the water quality and enjoyment of the Quinnipiac River

April 22, 2020 (New Haven, CT) Once home to a thriving waterfront, the Quinnipiac River has suffered from pollution since the Industrial Revolution. Although the river has become cleaner in recent decades, most sections are classified by the State Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection as impaired, or not supporting aquatic life and recreation.

The Quinnipiac River Fund annually provides grant funding to projects working to improve the health of the river and its ecology. For 2020, the fund awarded 10 projects a total of $131,388. Funded projects include the identification and monitoring of known pollutants, the study of microplastics in the water and soils, and ecological research. The creation of a volunteer corps established to monitor inland/wetlands permits also received funding. See the full list below.

The Quinnipiac River Fund was established in 1990 at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven with a mission to improve the environmental quality of the river, New Haven Harbor and the surrounding watersheds. Since the fund’s inception, it has granted more than $2.7 million to support a variety of projects to benefit the river: scientific research of the river and its ecology; identifying and monitoring pollutants; pollution mitigation and control; permit monitoring; river advocacy; habitat restoration; public access; education; and other projects. See a full list on www.thequinnipiacriver.com.

Note: Grant awards were made prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which will delay some of the projects described below.

2020 QUINNIPIAC RIVER FUND RECOMMENDATONS FOR FUNDING
Organization	Award	Description
Canal Dock Boathouse, Inc.	$15,000	Recreation and engagement: Boating programs on the New Haven Harbor and on the Quinnipiac and Mill rivers for New Haven high school students, summer camp programs for youth, dragon boat competitions for adults and community boating events for adults.
New Haven Land Trust	$15,000	Conservation and education: The protection and care of the Quinnipiac Meadows and Long Wharf Nature Preserves along with outreach programming and volunteer events. Support will also benefit Schooner Camp and a new Preserves Intern training program.
Quinnipiac University	$20,000	Pollutant Monitoring and Research: Monitoring, identifying and quantifying known pollutants from industrial outflows along the Quinnipiac River, specifically industrial areas in Wallingford and North Haven.
River Advocates of South Central Connecticut	$15,769	Permit Monitoring: The recruitment and training of a permits observer corps to monitor local land use commissions and screen for testimony local land use permits, and to assist in monitoring of state level permits affecting water quality.
Southwest Conservation District	$3,650	Recreation and Engagement: Cleaning logs and debris from a blocked access for boats in the Quinnipiac River.
University of New Haven	$9,675	Scientific Research: Study of the prevalence of the ulvoid bloom in the New Haven Harbor.
University of New Haven	$13,859	Pollutant Monitoring and Research: Study the prevalence, concentration, and physical characteristics of microplastics in water and sediment samples throughout the lower Quinnipiac River and New Haven Harbor, and their fish communities.
University of New Haven	$13,822	Scientific Research: Study of the thermal profile of the Quinnipiac River in response to climate change.
Yale University	$4,856	Scientific Research: Monitoring marsh surface elevations as well as the salinity and vegetation in one lobe of the marsh, and to support measurement of soil salinity and vegetation cover in marsh-bordering areas at the Quinnipiac Meadows Preserve.
Yale University	$19,757	Pollutant Monitoring and Research: Study of microplastics in storm run-off to tributaries throughout the Quinnipiac River watershed.
Total:	$131,388

North Haven Tidal Marsh Trail reveals secrets of its railway past

photos by Ian Christmann

He tells hobo tales to captivate the audience gathered on the grassy slope, recounting fables of those who rode the rails in bygone days. Behind him, the Quinnipiac winds its way through the North Haven marshes, bearing its own unspoken stories of a railroad era as it passes the vine-wrapped light platforms and towers that once guided the freight cars of Cedar Hill.

Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk, and his hobo tales, are just one of the many events organized by the North Haven Trail Association to peek the public’s interest in the scenic Tidal Marsh Trail that stretches a half mile between portions of the abandoned rail yard and Quinnipiac’s marshy banks.

The trailhead begins behind Target on Universal Drive, offering sweeping views westward over the river and marsh grass, with East Rock’s Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and Sleeping Giant’s dozing profile in the distance. Small fishing paths lead down eroded banks to the water’s edge, where you may find osprey, heron and even eagles hunting in the

To the east, the forest floor bears evidence of Cedar Hill rail yard’s former glory. Steel tracks curve through grasses, leaves and tree roots. Rusted light towers — now home to nesting ospreys — rise in the distance. At the trail’s end, unofficial and mostly-overgrown footpaths lead to more abandoned remnants: collapsed pump houses, derelict warehouses and eerie concrete tunnels.

At its hey-day, Cedar Hill was the largest rail depot east of the Mississippi, covering more than 880 acres and stretching seven miles from New Haven to North Haven. Built between 1910 – 1920, Cedar Hill served as a major terminal for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. It held 14 of New Haven’s 25 yards, and handled a record of 9,415 cars in a single day.

After WWII, with advancements in transportation methods, Cedar Hill grew quiet. By the 80s, most of the yards and tracks were abandoned. What remains today adds mystery and intrigue to the woodland trail, and reminds us of the complex history of development in New Haven and its impact on the watershed, whether through injury or apathy.

The latter still apparent on the trail today. Rather than rails and freight, rows of boxy retail stores and restaurants, built with their back to the river, and thousands of patrons who daily frequent the area, with no awareness of the beauty just behind them.

Current day photos by Ian Christmann

Once home to a thriving oyster industry, the community along the banks of the Quinnipiac River in New Haven, Connecticut still reflects its rich heritage. Though much has changed since its peak in the mid 1800s, thanks to the preservation efforts of residents, non-profit organizations, and city and state agencies, its charm and character remains. Strolling the neighborhood, homes, buildings and bridges speak of its heritage, and invoke wonder of days gone by. This photo series provides a glimpse of the landscapes of today and how they looked in yesteryears, a reminiscence that is especially important as one of the community’s iconic bridges, the Grand Avenue bridge, closes for a two-year rehabilitation, aimed at restoring its infrastructure, while retaining its historic form.

*click on a photo to view fullscreen

Eco-art makes a splash for New Haven waterways

Photos by Ian Christmann

“It’s incredible how a little bit of art can change a space,” a passerby observed of the empty lot between two abandoned buildings on Grand Avenue. Once bland and crumbling concrete walls now burst with colorful murals of sea-swirls, waves, fish and aquatic creatures — and eclectic art installations fill the parcel with intrigue.

The transformation was accomplished by a summer-long environmental program called Lots of Fish, aptly named for the creature featured most often throughout the art. The multi-faceted program was the vision of JoAnn Moran, founder of Art25, and made possible by a grant from the Quinnipiac River Fund.

JoAnn’s aim was to engage youth and community members in art and impact projects that encourage thought and care for the Quinnipiac and New Haven’s other waterways.

Her mission took many forms, most of which involved brushes and bright paints. Working with teens from Youth At Work, and community volunteers of all ages, Lots of Fish used color to make a scene.

Street banners from City festivals and events were re-purposed with witty and thought-provoking environmental themes. A banner advertising a midsummer night’s dream became midsummer night’s fish, and poised the question “Do Fish Sleep?”

Storm Drains were adorned with sea creatures and reminders that “all water leads to the sea” to raise citizen awareness of the direct connection between rainwater runoff and the health of our waterways.

Tires, boots and other refuse collected from Quinnipiac’s banks and other dumping sites turned into sculptures and installation art. For volunteer Ricky, an abandoned boat became a canvas to stretch his creativity.

“I wanted to be a part of this so bad,” he described seeing the activity in the lot early in the summer. Though he had often passed by the area, joining Lots of Fish inspired him to consider the river in a new light. “I feel like people should utilize [the Quinnipiac] rather than destroy it with litter.”

Of all the projects created by Lots of Fish, one of the most popular and practical were one-of-a-kind rain barrels, featuring art hand-painted by children and community members. The barrels were given for free, and in high demand. Attached to a gutter’s downspout, rain barrels catch and store rainwater that can be later used to water gardens or potted plants, wash windows or even the car, thus reducing city water consumption.

“It’s amazing how many people want rain barrels now. How would that be exciting any other way,” JoAnn expressed.

On August 1, Lots of Fish showcased their eclectic creations with an Eco-Art festival in the lot they had transformed. The event featured live music, organic produce, art, and lots of creatively-named kids games, such as “yes, we can strike out litter” bowling and pin the fin on the fish.

Building on the success of the summer program and the state-mandated sustainability goals it fulfills, Lots Of Fish is launching Run-off Art, a storm water impact and education program for New Haven’s schools. This city-wide model will engage schools, community groups, artists and even musicians who will write ballads and songs dedicated to storm drains and rain barrels!

“But it’s not all songs and paint” Jo Ann explains that the initiative will undertake mapping the watershed storm drains neighborhood by neighborhood.

So when you see the bright art on storm drains, take notice, and remember, we’re all connected, especially by our waterways.

For more information on Lots of Fish, and continued opportunities for creative involvement, visit: https://lotsoffish.info.
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Pipe and dam removal restore Quinnipiac’s current

In early April 2019, backhoes and excavators descended on the River in Meriden, dismantling an exposed but obsolete water line. The pipe was the last barrier preventing migratory fish from swimming upstream to their spawning grounds of days gone by. Its removal was part of a multi-year collaborative effort that included dismantling two dams in 2016: the Carpenters Dam in Meriden and the Clark Brothers Dam in Southington. The result: 16 miles of river opened for unimpeded travel, a benefit for herrings and humans alike.

The newly opened upstream gives the river’s fin-bearing residents — such as shad, herring and other migratory fish — access to habitat critical for growing their population. And for those voyagers wielding paddles, it means an end to tricky portages during canoe or kayak excursions of the upper Quinnipiac. And as an added bonus, the work was complete just in time for QRWA’s annual Downriver Classic boat race.

New England is replete with dams, and Connecticut waterways have more than 5,000. According to a dam inventory in 1983, 109 dams have been constructed on the Quinnipiac River and its tributaries. Many of Connecticut’s dams no longer provide economic benefit and have fallen into disrepair. These outdated dams prevent fish movement, impede recreational access, pose flooding risks, and block natural sediment from flowing downstream to replenish estuaries and beaches.

In recent years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound have targeted the removal of dams in New Haven and Mystic, joining a trend across the nation to remove dams that cause environmental damage.

A 2011 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assessment showed that every mile of river opened can contribute more than $500,000 annually in social and economic benefits once fish populations are at their full productivity.

Such progress is especially important for a river like the Quinnipiac, whose history is replete with mistreatment. In fact, the project itself was funded by a settlement with the Solvents Recovery Service and Old Southington Landfill Superfund sites, both located in Southington, CT, and both contaminators of the river. When active, these sites leached hazardous wastes including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals into the river. Later remediation efforts further injured the river and its wetlands, destroying foraging habitat for fish and birds and rendered millions of gallons of water in the watershed undrinkable.

In the 1980s, a five-year legal battle against the polluters resulted in a damages settlement of approximately $800,000 to restore impacted natural resources. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified dam and barrier removals as an efficient use of the funds.

With the project’s completion, all but three of Quinnipiac’s 38 miles flow freely for the first time in more than two centuries. And while this unhindered current won’t wash away all the abuses the River’s endured, it’s indeed a positive course of action for the Quinnipiac.

Read more:
http://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/Barrier-removed-from-Quinnipiac-River-in-Meriden-in-last-phase-of-restoration-project.html

https://www.apnews.com/1eca50c79e2b41abaeee3387494c034b

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-quinnipiac-river-barriers-removed-20190425-r5krrvyrzfacrdmzooswccmt3i-story.html

Canal Dock Boathouse opens doors for New Haven to engage its waterfront

Photos by Ian Christmann (may not be reused without permission)

We’ve watched the walls rise and the architecture emerge on the striking new building on Long Wharf. Passing by on I95, or after a trip to the food trucks or Ikea, we’ve navigated construction fencing and closed sidewalks. But on September 22, 2018, all traces of hard hats and machinery disappeared, and the doors to New Haven’s newest landmark — the Canal Dock Boathouse — opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew hundreds (see photos from the ribbon-cutting ceremony below). As guests toured the gleaming halls and spacious rooms, the building buzzed with salty possibilities, yet the excitement would have to wait just a little while longer, as final occupancy details kept the boathouse shuttered for the fall.

Today, warmer weather beckons us outside and sea-side, and the Canal Dock Boathouse is ready to greet us, “opening New Haven’s waterfront for adventure, discovery and growth” with opportunities that include rowing lessons, rowing-based fitness, paddling excursions, boat storage, youth programs, interpretive displays, and event-ready meeting rooms with breath-taking views.

So if you’re ready to engage the sea, here are ways you can do it at Canal Dock.

1. Visit. Visiting hours are Tuesday through Sunday – 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Guests can explore the building’s unique architecture, which blends modern design with historic elements from the original Adee Memorial Boathouse. History buffs will also appreciate the many interpretive displays chronicling New Haven’s harbor and rowing history, the Adee Boathouse, as well as the Connecticut Freedom Trail. And no visit would be complete without a stroll along the water on the community plaza, where views and breezes abound.

2. Learn.  Are you captivated by the allure of rowing, but never held an oar? Canal Dock provides opportunities for all ages to learn the sport. Private or small-group lessons are available at $75 per hour or $325 for five (one-hour) sessions. For youth (8^th – 10^th grade) Canal Dock will offer an “Intro to Rowing” camp this summer with four, one-week sessions (June 24 – June 28, July 8 – July 12, July 22 – July 26, August 5 – August 9). Hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. No prior rowing experience is necessary. Participants will learn to scull in single shells, learn plyometric & stretching exercises, row on Concept2 ergometers, and have fun exploring the New Haven Harbor and Quinnipiac & Mill Rivers in New Haven. Space is limited to nine youth per session. Cost: $575 for a one-week session. Contact Nicole for more information. (nicole@canaldock.org)

3. Join. If you’re ready to dive in and make rowing or paddling a regular part of your fitness and recreation routine, Canal Dock membership provides access to equipment, outings, social events and more. Contact Jan for more information. (jan@canaldock.org)
   1. Basic Membership: $100 annually
      – fitness classes (when available)
      – social events
      – locker room access
      – boat storage program (additional fees apply for boat storage)
   2. Paddling Membership: $250 annually (over age 30), $200 annually (under age 30)
      – fitness classes  (when available)
      – social events
      – locker room access
      – boat storage program (additional fees apply for boat storage)
      – use of Canal Dock paddling equipment
      – group paddling outings 2 – 4 times per week
   3. Rowing Membership (rowing competency must be demonstrated prior to activation of membership): $250 annually (over age 30), $200 annually (under age 30)
      – fitness classes (when available)
      – social events
      – locker room access
      – boat storage program (additional fees apply for boat storage)
      – group rowing outings 2 – 4 times per week
      – use of Canal Dock rowing equipment
   4. Paddling and Rowing combined: $300 annually (over age 30), $250 annually (under age 30)
      – fitness classes (when available)
      – social events
      – locker room access
      – boat storage program (additional fees apply for boat storage)
      – group rowing or paddling outings 2 – 4 times per week
      – use of Canal Dock rowing and paddling equipment

4. Celebrate. Have an event and need a venue? Consider treating your guests to Canal Dock’s waterfront beauty. The Boathouse has two rooms available for private meetings or events: the Canal Dock Room (just over 3600 square feet) and the Adee Room (just shy of 1300 square feet). Both rooms offer direct access to a large outdoor balcony with expansive views of New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound. Click here for more information and pricing. Contact Erika for more information. (erika@canaldock.org).

5. Race. Ready for a fun, high-spirited, team-building experience? Canal Dock’s annual Dragon Boat Regatta promotes camaraderie, community-building, and light-hearted competition. On Saturday, June 1, 2019, participants of all sizes and ages will paddle in unison to the beat of their very own drummer as they propel 41-foot dragon boats over a 200-meter racecourse. After the races, the festivities will continue with Long Wharf’s annual Food Truck Festival. So grab your friends, co-workers, or colleagues and get on board for a unique dragon boat adventure. Canal Dock supplies all boats and equipment. Space is limited and registration ends on May 20, 2019.  Click here for more information.

6. Contribute. Canal Dock Boathouse aims to give all New Haven residents opportunities to experience New Haven’s waterfront, and they could use your help. Although Canal Dock operates in a shiny new building, the organization itself is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, leasing the City-owned boathouse building. Canal Dock runs Metro Boating, a free weekly program for students from Metropolitan Business Academy. Your support of Canal Dock enables them to continue low-cost community rowing, as well as expand opportunities to introduce more New Haven youth to the physical and social benefits of paddling and rowing. Click here to donate.

New Haven, CT (April 22, 2019) – The Quinnipiac River Fund at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven has awarded $138,000 in grants to study, improve, and reduce the pollution in the Quinnipiac River and its surrounding watershed. The competitive grants were awarded to eleven organizations working in Greater New Haven.

The Quinnipiac River starts west of New Britain and flows through Wallingford and North Haven before spilling into New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound. The river has long history pollution from heavy industry and urban development.

The Quinnipiac River Fund was established in 1990 and has a mission is to improve the environmental quality of the river, New Haven Harbor and the surrounding watershed. It is a permanent fund at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and its grants and distributions are recommended each spring by an Advisory Committee and approved by The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors. The grants support studies of the ecology, studies of pollution, public access to the river, land use planning, land acquisition around the river, habitat restoration, advocacy, education, and other relevant projects.

2019 Grant Awards

$4,500 to ART 25, a New Haven arts group, to support a summer employment program for New Haven youth that will help reduce pollution entering in the Quinnipiac River. The employed youth will stencil messages at stormwater drains warning not to dump polluting materials.

$16,800 to Canal Dock Boathouse, Inc. to support boating events, club boating programs, and vendor-operated rentals of kayaks and paddle boards on the New Haven Harbor and on the Quinnipiac and Mill rivers.

$3000 to the City of Meriden, to support a Public Works Department pilot program to retrofit hooded outlet protection on ten existing storm water catch basins that are in storm water systems that discharge into the Quinnipiac River or one of its tributaries.

$13,000 to Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA), to support policy, planning and regulatory training for natural resource protection, stormwater runoff, watershed protection, and shoreline resiliency to municipalities in the Quinnipiac River Watershed.

$10,000 to New Haven Land Trust, to support the protection and care of the Quinnipiac Meadows and Long Wharf Nature Preserves, as well as to support efforts  to acquire additional preserve property and increase outreach programming, volunteer events, and Schooner programs that engage the local community with the Quinnipiac River and its surrounding environments.

$17,000 to Quinnipiac University, to support monitoring, identifying and quantifying known pollutants from industrial outflows along the Quinnipiac River, specifically industrial areas in Wallingford and North Haven.

$15,000 to River Advocates of South Central CT to support the recruitment and training of a permits observer corps to monitor local land use commissions and screen for testimony local land use permits, as well as assist in monitoring of state level permits affecting water quality.

$16,000 to Southern Connecticut State University, to support an examination of the seasonal variation in the composition and quantity of microplastic particles from wastewater treatment facilities discharging treated wastewater into the Quinnipiac River.

$17,300 to University of New Haven, to support the sampling of cyanobacterial communities in the Quinnipiac River in order to identify and monitor known bloom-forming species that may also produce toxins.

$8,400 to Yale University to support the monitoring of marsh surface elevations as well as the salinity and vegetation in one lobe of the marsh, and to support measurement of soil salinity and vegetation cover in marsh-bordering areas at the Quinnipiac Meadows Preserve.

$17,000 to Yale University to support to support the measurement of mercury in bottom sediments and in fish from ponds spanning the Quinnipiac River watershed to determine where it exceeds safety thresholds.

About The Community Foundation

Thanks to the generosity of three generations of donors, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven gave out $34.6 Million in grants and distributions in 2018. The endowment, valued at approximately $570 million at year-end, is composed of hundreds of individually-named funds. In addition to its grantmaking, The Community Foundation helps build a stronger community by leading on issues and supporting donors and nonprofits in creating a community of opportunity for all. The Foundation’s 20-town service area includes: Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven, Woodbridge. For more information about The Community Foundation, visit www.cfgnh.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.org/cfgnh or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cfgnh

Quinnipiac-River

If you’re keen to explore the upper passages of the Quinnipiac River by canoe or kayak, be prepared to duck, climb and carry. Downed trees and woody debris form frequent obstacles, requiring clever craft maneuvering or an occasional short portage. The Quinnipiac River Fund estimates that 30 – 40 newly fallen trees impact the river each year. That’s a significant nuisance for boat navigation, so why not remove them?

While they may be inconvenient, the most eco-sensitive solution is not to extract them, the Fund explains, but rather address the root of the problem, which happens to involve the roots. Trees along the Quinnipiac are uprooted more often than those along less-developed waterways due to the high-levels of impervious cover in Quinnipiac’s watershed. Hard surfaces — such as driveways, roads and parking lots — carry stormwater at greater amounts and velocities than natural surfaces, leading to increased bank erosion and more frequent tree falls.

To help mitigate the erosion, the Fund supports efforts aimed at educating landowners and municipalities on the importance of low-impact development, including encouraging towns to require vegetative buffers — strips of land with permanent vegetation designed to intercept rapid stormwater runoff.

In the meantime, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection suggest that most wood and downed trees should be allowed to remain in the river, as they help reduce the erosion problem by dissipating energy and stabilizing the banks. Likewise, DEP fisheries say that fallen trees provide important habitat for fish and wildlife.

Although removal of the downed trees is discouraged, minimal clearing and cutting is permissible, and often critical, to provide safe passage for water activities. Organizations like the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association organize clean-up activities and train volunteers to address the fallen trees in a manner sensitive to both environment and recreational access.

So when you encounter a maze of trunks and branches on your next Quinnipiac adventure, remember the river’s many challenges, and let the inconvenience propel you to action for a healthier Quinnipiac. Visit our conservation page to see how simple household actions — from lawn care to composting — can make a difference.

Pick-up Artists de-litter the landscape in Quinnipiac River Park

By Carolyn Christmann

Photos by Ian Christmann

Desmond drags the broken chair from the water’s edge, disentangling himself from discarded fishing wire as he goes. Zoe aims her garbage picker at cigarette butts and bottle caps. Eight-year-old Roan searches the crevices for broken bits of styrofoam. While musician Adam dumps sludge from mud-encased beer cans, postulating about the urban archaeology of civilizations only 20 days past. Two hours and 12 garbage bags later, the ragtag group, playfully known as the “Pick-Up Artists,” sits together by the river’s edge, enjoying the scenic landscape so recently redeemed from blight, and turning their attention to making art.

Started by New Haven artist Zoe Matthiessen, the Pick-Up Artists campaign is part clean-up, part connection and part creativity. It is an opportunity for artists to come together and clean-up beautiful — but heavily-littered — public spaces, which made the scenic — but trash-laden — Quinnipiac River Park the perfect spot for the groups’ second gathering.

On a sunny Saturday in October, ten people wandered Quinnipiac’s banks with bags in tow, including Zoe and some of her artist friends, local community members, and a college student who drove from Middletown to join the effort. While not a large turn-out, the participants left no stone unturned when it came to fishing the debris from the tall grasses and crevices in the rip-rap (riverside armiture).

“It’s not easy recruiting people to pick up garbage,” says Zoe, whose own interest in trash began long before she formed Pick-Up Artists. “I address the subject of garbage and pollution in my environmental art,” she explained, detailing the irony in her drawing of a duck with a discarded chip bag stuck on its head. Not just any chips, she notes, the all-natural organic kind of course.

Like many artists inspired by nature, Zoe was deeply disturbed by the trash she encountered in New Haven’s parks and waterways. She describes sketching one day in East Rock, and the persistent distraction of a plastic bag flapping in the branches of a tree. “It drove me crazy,” she said. Not long after, while biking by Long Wharf, absorbing the beauty of clouds and water, she observed two seagulls on the side of the road, dueling over a piece of garbage. Distracted by its styrofoam-encased prize, the victorious bird didn’t see the approaching vehicle until it was too late. Watching the seagull get struck by a car was the last straw for Zoe. “That’s it,” she resolved. “I need to pick it up.” Soon after, Pick-Up Artists was born, and hit the ground…drawing.

Zoe’s idea was well received, with positive response through Facebook, ads and flyers. She partnered with New Haven Parks and Recreation, who provided tools, supplies and disposal of the trash, and received a generous donation of art materials from Artist & Craftsman Supplies on Chapel St, including paper, pens, and ink, all which were put to good use by the artists who lingered in Quinnipiac Park to get creative after their clean-up.

“We’re a bunch of weirdos,” Zoe noted as ink and conversation flowed among the eclectic group. Indeed the artistic results were as varied as their creators: Zoe’s detailed ink sketch of the view across the river, with self-described lasagna-style trees; Roan’s colored pencil rendition of the oyster boats, complete with waving American flags; Gabe’s pithy poetic statement; Adam’s angry political pen and ink drawing, adorned with an unfortunate, but somehow fitting, ink spill; Desmond’s precise study of a historic lamppost.

As for myself, though often a more anonymous reporter, I couldn’t help but be drawn in. I donned gloves and filled bags, and then — sitting beside the river I have long-known and loved, with friends I had just met — I embraced the creative moment with my own small tribute:

bag-laden artists
find satisfaction
in freeing the earth
from its blight.
uncovering life
that falls through
the cracks.
moments chewed,
uncherished,
forgotten.
broken needles,
crumpled bags,
fishing line,
containers of things
consumed,
weigh the upward
inspirationof cloud, light, water,
bird, flight,
with the gravity
of waste and want.

For more information on The Pick-Up Artists, please visit:
www.NHpickupArtists.org
facebook.com/nhpickupartist

Schooner Camp excites kids to care for the environment through songs, games and adventures.

“Imagine a clean river as it flows through a healthy watershed. In this river lives Fred the Fish. Fred has lived here his whole life, but today he is starting a long journey downstream to the ocean. HOW IS FRED?”

The Schooner Camp counselor introduces the kids to Fred, a sponge cut into the shape of a fish. Then, one by one, the children enact Fred’s journey by reading a card they were given and following its instructions.

Fred’s travels include:

• Fred swims into farm country. He passes a freshly plowed riverbank. It begins to rain and some soil erodes into the river. (DUMP SOIL INTO FRED’S WATER) HOW IS FRED?

• Fred swims under a bridge. The winter trucks put salt on the road. The rain washes the salt into the river. (ADD SALT TO FRED’S WATER). HOW IS FRED?

• Fred swims past the city park. Some picnickers didn’t throw their trash into the garbage can. The wind is blowing it into the river. (ADD LITTER TO FRED’S WATER) HOW IS FRED?

This thought-provoking activity is part of the Schooner Summer Camp curriculum, designed to encourage kids to explore and steward the natural world. And it’s one of the few activities that takes place indoors. Camp participants, ages 4 – 14, spend most of their day donned in bathing suits, sunscreen and water shoes, discovering their local coastal ecosystem in ways they may never have before.

“In many cases in New Haven we forget we live on the water, and so many New Haven residents have never set foot in Long Island Sound. Schooner summer camp opens the door to explore the wealth of environmental opportunities that exists here,” says Justin Elicker, executive director of the New Haven Land Trust that facilitates the Schooner program.

These opportunities include daily explorations of the coastline, delving into marine science and, for those ages 9 and above, sailing in the harbor. By engaging campers, hands and feet first, in New Haven’s sea and shore, Schooner hopes to excite young citizens to preserve and protect watershed land.

“I love everything about being at camp, just everything,” enthused one camp participant. “I love learning and doing activities, being by the water.”

Schooner has set a course to offer this excitement to as many New Haven youth as possible, by providing scholarship support to at least half of its campers, and by expanding its staff and resources to double the spaces available each week. To this end, Schooner is inviting younger and older campers on board: introducing a new Sea Sprites program for 4-5 year-olds and creating a Leaders In Training program for teens 13 and 14 years old.

For more than four decades, the Schooner program has introduced New Haven youth to the wonders of the shore and sea, but in 2014, financial difficulties nearly capsized the camp. The merger with New Haven Land Trust put new wind in Schooner’s sails and the program has made much headway, empowered by new leadership, partnerships, and grants including $9,500 from the Quinnipiac River Fund.

The Schooner grants are a part of the Fund’s broader support of the Land Trust, which, over the course of 20 years, has totaled more than $100,000 to help the Trust establish and maintain preserves in New Haven, as well as provide public education and activities.

“We can’t underscore just how much the Quinnipiac River Fund has helped activate our programs and nature preserves along the Quinnipiac River and Watershed,” says Elicker. “Thanks to the Fund, we’ve hosted more than 50 educational events, expanded participation in our Schooner program to school groups and kids, installed educational signs and made our preserves much more beautiful and accessible to the public.”

The camp takes place at the Sound School and the Long Wharf Nature Preserve, where each day delivers new science-based learning through adventure, crafts, songs, and games. Shore program participants spend most of their hours exploring the habitats of the preserve, while youth in the Sailing Program head out to the harbor, learning how to sail and skipper a small sailboat, as well as boat handling maneuvers, knots and boat safety.

One-week sessions run from June 25 – August 17. Children can participate in up to two sessions. Full and partial scholarships are available for income-eligible families.

For more information on program dates, prices and schedules, or to enroll in camp or apply for scholarships, please visit: http://www.newhavenlandtrust.org/Schooner. For questions, please email schooner@newhavenlandtrust.org or call 203-562-6655

Photos by Ian Christmann