The Jonah Center’s earliest and longest-lasting project has born fruit. After 9 years of planning, proposal writing, grant writing, negotiations with City officials, set-backs, objections, more site-seeking, and much waiting, the Phil Salafia Canoe and Kayak Launch on the Coginchaug River is now open for use.
The official ribbon-cutting by the Mayor will take place on Friday, June 5, at 3 p.m., to coincide with the end of the Macdonough School Canoe Trip led by the Jonah Center and our volunteers. Continue reading →

Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts and College of the Environment, in collaboration with the Jonah Center and many other organizations, invite the wider community to this eco-arts event in Harbor Park, Middletown, on May 9.

Music, exhibits, food, activities for children, boat rides, rowing instruction, environmental action tent, and more.

For a full list of activities, click here. 

The Complete Streets Group of Portland invites the public to an information sharing session on Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m., at the Waverly Center (formerly Senior Center). After a brief overview by Kathy Herron on the Complete Streets movement along with the group’s mission and goals, the public will be asked to share their thoughts on areas in town where it feels safe and pleasant to walk or bicycle, as well as dangerous intersections, high-speed traffic roads, school walking routes, etc. – that they would like to see become more pedestrian/bicyclist friendly. Continue reading →

This year, the Jonah Center will lead Macdonough Elementary School students and teachers on a canoe trip on the Coginchaug and Mattabesset Rivers, launching at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 5.  Canoes, paddlers, and financial sponsors are needed!  Continue reading →

“Sustainability by Number”

Thursday, 23 April, 4:30 p.m.
Exley Science Center Room 58

Through its exuberance, humankind has dug itself into an enormous hole, one that requires some quantification to try to grasp. Through numbers, we will examine the size of the hole and its rate of growth. Giant problems require giant solutions; we will explore the form these solutions might take — and the form they probably will not take.

“Stop Drilling Down!”

Tuesday, 28 April, 7 p.m.
Exley Science Center, Room 150

“Drilling down” is a metaphor for probing a question ever more deeply, learning more and more in the process. It’s what academics do, and it’s a good thing to do — right? Only if we also take the time to synthesize what we and others have learned in an attempt to grasp the whole picture. This talk is an attempt to do just that, examining the human situation from a physical perspective. Continue reading →