JONAH CENTER PROGRAMS ARE POSTED AS SOON AS SCHEDULED. (Please send us a message to receive Jonah Center News emails — on average 1x per month.)
Over 100 Souls Participate in Crowd Performance Art Paddle 
On June 28, 2014, over 100 individuals, including over 20 students from Macdonough Elementary School, photographers, videographers, and a record number of paddlers, managed to deal with a strong breeze while forming a rosette or mandala just south of Wilcox Island in the Connecticut River. The colorful arrangement of canoes and kayaks was photographed from the Arrigoni Bridge above. (Photo by Bill Bynum) Crowd Performance Art On The Connecticut River 
This year’s Jonah Center canoe and kayak paddle will create a living art work. We hope you will help make it happen on Saturday, June 28, launching from the boathouse ramp at Harbor Park at 1 p.m. After launching and a short paddle up river to Wilcox Island, all the boaters will “raft up” in a rosette near the southern tip of the island, just under the Arrigoni Bridge. We will then float slowly in formation under the bridge, where photographers will be posted to capture the art work in still shots and video from above. We will then then paddle upstream around Wilcox Island, exploring its many small beaches and access points, before re-gathering at the southern tip. From there, the boats will return in close formation to the launch area, this time being photographed from Harbor Park. The still and moving images of all the canoes and kayaks will promote protection of local waterways and the creative possibilities of Middletown’s riverfront. As in recent years, the paddle will include as many as 16 Macdonough School 4th-graders, most of them experiencing for the first time close-up the spectacular waterway that borders their neighborhood. The Macdonough School PTA, the North End Action Team (NEAT), and financial donors collaborated with the Jonah Center to support the involvement of these children. Paddlers need to provide their own boats, paddles, drinking water, sunscreen, and life jackets. Participants will be required to register at the launch site and are asked for a $10 donation to the Jonah Center to help cover insurance costs. Advance registration is not necessary. The entire activity should take approximately 2 hours. For more information, or for a last minute update in case of inclement weather, call John Hall at 860-398-3771 (mobile). For directions to the launch site, point your location device or browser to “76 Harbor Drive Middletown CT.”
Taking Care of Forests and Open Space March 12, 2014, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at The DeKoven House (Corner of Washington St. and DeKoven Drive) 
The Jonah Center for Earth and Art and Middletown’s Environmental Collective Impact Network (Ecoin) invite the public to learn about woodland management and its role in open space conservation. Local experts Tom Worthley, UCONN Professor of Forestry from the Middlesex County Extension Center, and Jeremy Clark, a CT Certified Forester and newly elected member of Middletown’s Planning and Zoning Commission, will lead the discussion. Middletown has been successful at protecting key parcels of open space – woodlands, farms, floodplains, and shrub lands – to preserve the community’s rural beauty and biodiversity. Now, in our role as stewards of these properties, what steps should we take to manage them for their optimum benefit to human residents and the many other plant and animal species in our ecosystem? What are the potential benefits of timber harvesting on public land, as well as the potential risks or costs of this activity? How can additional open space acquisitions contribute to the health of these lands by linking isolated parcels for wildlife migration? Middletown’s Environmental Collective Impact Network includes The Jonah Center for Earth and Art, Middlesex Community College, Middlesex Land Trust, Middletown’s Conservation Commission, Middletown’s Urban Forestry Commission, Earth Ministry, and The Rockfall Foundation. Those organizations all contributed to offering this program. Representatives from other Ecoin members will be present as well, to take part in a rich and informative discussion. The event is free, open to the public, and no reservations are required. For more information, call the Jonah Center at 860-398-3771, or visit www.old.thejonahcenter.org to learn more about the Jonah Center or Ecoin.
Bringing the Air Line Trail to Portland
Tuesday, November 26, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Portland Library, Mary Flood Room
Presentation and Discussion on the campaign to extend the “south” section of the Air Line Trail from East Hampton to Portland. John Shafer, President of the Jonah Center for Earth and Art, and Deanna Rhodes, Planning and Zoning Administrator for the Town of Portland will describe the project through photos, maps, cost estimates, planning process, and community organizing that will be required to realize this vision.
Making Middletown Bike- and Pedestrian-Friendly
Tuesday, December 3, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Middletown’s Russell Library, Hubbard Room
Presentation by Middletown’s Complete Streets Committee on Middletown’s “Master Plan” to encourage safe cycling and walking, and the use of public transit. The program will include priority areas of Middletown identified by the Master Plan; proposed routes to connect residential neighborhoods to the downtown area, parks, and schools; the already-funded multi-use trail from the Wesleyan Hills area to Wesleyan University and a new sidewalk along Saybrook Road near the Stop & Shop; proposed improvements in the area of Veterans Park and West Street; Safe Routes to School programs; results of a recent bike-pedestrian traffic count; and state-wide advocacy for biking and walking.
Jonah Center News
Middletown Voters – Please support the “Road Bond Referendum” on Election Day, Nov. 5. The ballot question includes $200,000 for the addition of a badly needed sidewalk along Saybrook Rd. near the Stop & Shop, between East Main St. and Tryon St. This project was included on the road bond project list as a result of advocacy by the Jonah Center and Middletown’s Complete Streets Committee. Currently, this area is dangerous to people who walk to buy groceries or catch a bus.
Home Energy Efficiency
The City of Middletown and Ecoin (Environmental Collective Impact Network) are promoting Home Energy Solutions, a state program to help residents make their homes more energy efficient. For each Middletown residence that takes advantage of the program, a $25 donation will be made to Middletown’s “Tree Planting Fund.” Visit http://www.cityofmiddletown.com/content/117/121/167/2011.aspx , call 860-398-3771, or reply to this email for more information.
