By John Loughery, of the Berlin Land Trust

To view an enlarged version of this image on the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences website, click here.

The spotted lanternfly, a particularly beautiful, plant-hopping insect with a fiercely destructive nature, was unknown in the U.S. prior to the 2010s. September will be the crucial month.  That is when spotted lantern flies deposit their eggs on tree bark, covering them with a thick white or gray-ish substance.  It is necessary to scrape that substance off the tree, immediately killing the eggs, or vast numbers of these insects will be released into the environment in the spring, endangering plants and trees in that area.  So, the message is: examine your trees! Continue reading →

Reader’s Theater Presents “THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN” by Eric Coble.  A play about a 79-year-old artist, Alexandra, who barricades herself in her Brooklyn brownstone with Molotov cocktails to avoid moving into a nursing home. Her estranged son, Chris, climbs through a second-story window to mediate the situation, leading to a confrontation that explores themes of aging, independence, family dynamics, and the struggle to maintain one’s identity.

Sunday October 5th at 3:00 PM at the Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown, CT.

To reserve a seat, please call OP at 860-347-6143, leaving your name and number of seats.  

Donations accepted at the door.

Videographer Phil LeMontagne wrote: This video proves that you don’t have to leave the planet to see something that looks truly alien. I took the video on the grounds of the Wadsworth Mansion.  I believe that it is a Tawny Garden Slug, (Limax flavus).  The long tentacles at the front are for sight and smell.  The short ones are for taste and touch.  It was probably looking for something to eat, but since it was very exposed, in the middle of a very wide trail, it was more likely to be eaten itself.

Phi LeMontagne captured this video of our Paddle With A Purpose event on July 14, 2024. We invite new volunteers, even if you have never paddled before, to join us this summer. Our partner, The Connecticut River Conservancy, has a limited number of kayak to loan to those who don’t own one. See our 2025 paddle schedule and access our registration form here.

Remember our “Power Moves” article, where we shared ways to cut energy costs? Have you tried any of those ideas?  

 If you’ve successfully lowered your energy bills, we want to hear your success story! 

Please send us a message through the Contact Page on our website. Just give us the best way to contact you, and we’ll reach out to hear the full details.  Continue reading →

Every year, Wesleyan Physics Professor Brian Stewart presents an illuminating talk about the world’s environmental and energy crisis.  It is always well worth attending.  Here is what Brian says as preview to this year’s talk. Continue reading →

UConn Extension Service is offering reduced cost well water testing to residents of Middlesex County. To register for the program, use this link.

This excellent video by Phil LeMontagne shows close-ups of some, but not all, of the backyard birds commonly found in northern Middlesex County in the winter. Most are year-round residents, but two of them, the Slate- colored Junco and the White-throated Sparrow, tend to move a little farther north in the summer. How many of these birds can you name? Keep watching until the end of the video to see why they are all constantly looking around nervously!

For a list of birds in order of first appearance, see below. Continue reading →

A Message from Krishna Winston, Jonah Center Board President

As a Jonah Center follower and, we hope, supporter, you may have noticed two things.

First, our advocacy and work on behalf of the natural and human environment has grown wider and deeper over the years. Tree-planting, sidewalk improvements, planning and construction of multi-use trails, home energy efficiency, climate action, removal of invasive aquatic plants, litter cleanup, and waste reduction have all been significant areas of effort. Add to that John Hall’s leadership in keeping track of and intervening to affect legislation, policy, and action—or lack thereof—locally and at the state level, and the myriad tasks involved in administering a non-profit organization of any size.

Second, in 2024 the Jonah Center celebrated its twentieth anniversary. The Center has gained an enviable reputation as a responsible, engaged, and effective representative of multiple environmental interests. Our founder, John Hall, now admits to being twenty-one years older than he was when, at the age of 56, he got us started on this venture. The scope and complexity of the Jonah Center’s work has grown primarily as a result of his indefatigable volunteer labor over the years, and he recognizes that the time has come for him to begin stepping back and turning the burdens—and the rewards—over to leaders who will be appropriately remunerated for maintaining the organization’s momentum.

Recognizing these realities, the Jonah Center applied for and received from the City of Middletown a Community Development Block Grant of nearly $25,000 that will fund two part-time employees from January through August of this year. We are seeking funds to take us beyond this initial period. John Hall remains very much involved as we make the transition to a new phase in the life of the Jonah Center,

The Jonah Center  Board of Directors has hired John Shafer as Associate Director, and Kristen Colombo as Community Organizer and Advocate. We are very excited about the skills, experience, and enthusiasm they bring to our organization. Continue reading →