A Presentation by Dana Royer
Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Wesleyan University

Tuesday, March 10, 2014, 7 – 8:30 p.m. (snow date March 24)
At The deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown

You may know something about the human history of Middletown, but what about our region’s geologic history? Our city and its surrounding towns have a very interesting tale to tell, one that spans several hundred million years. Professor Dana Royer will tell us about one waypoint along this journey: 200 million years ago. Continue reading →

A new video is now available on the Home Energy Solutions℠ program, an EnergizeCT service that provides utility-authorized contractors to perform an energy checkup on your home and make on-the-spot improvements. The video highlights the aspects of the assessment, from start to finish.
Valued at $1,000, a Home Energy Solutions assessment is provided for a $99 fee, or at no cost for income eligible residents. Click Here to View the Video.

To schedule a Home Energy Solutions visit, call  New England Conservation Services at 1-877-389-7077 and tell them you were referred by the Jonah Center.

Continue reading →

Here are the summary  2014 scores for legislators in our area. (100% is the top score)

Sen. Dante Bartolomeo 100%  (Meriden and Middletown)

Sen. Paul Doyle 100%  (Middletown and Cromwell)

Rep. Matt Lesser 100%  (Middletown, Durham, Middlefield)

Rep. Phil Miller 94%  (Haddam, Essex)

Rep. Christie Carpino 80%  (Cromwell, Portland)

Rep. Joe Serra  78%  (Middletown)

Sen. Art Linares  73%  (East Hampton, Essex, Shoreline)

Rep. Melissa Ziobron 65%  (East Hampton, East Haddam) Continue reading →

On February 3, Middletown’s Common Council voted to appropriate $50,600 to pay for the City’s share of the engineering work to design the multi-use path from Wesleyan Hills (or, more specifically, the intersection of Randolph Rd. and Long Hill Rd.) to the intersection of Cross St. and Vine St. on the Wesleyan University campus. Continue reading →

Wesleyan’s College of the Environment invites the public to an exciting talk about the  impact of lawn chemicals and other pollutants on the endocrine systems of frogs — with obvious implications for humans. Thurs. Feb. 5, at noon.  Lunch provided at no charge  for all who attend. (Woodhead lounge is on 1st floor of Exley Science Bldg.)  RSVP to Valerie Marinelli, whose contact info can be found on the flyer here.  Sex, Drugs, & Suburbia

After a stressful few weeks and some bewilderment, the “Questions for Directors” session of Middletown’s Common Council revealed what had gone wrong when the position of “Planner and Environmental Specialist” was de-funded last May, after the search process began but before the hiring of Michelle Ford to fill the position in November 2014. Continue reading →

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 Boat Launch on the Coginchaug River is now finished. At least, the critical part — the ramp — has been constructed. It is made of interlocking cement pavers, held together with steel cables, and laid on 18″ of gravel. Even at the current extremely low water level, the ramp extends well into the water to form a solid bottom for people launching their boats. We anticipate a ribbon-cutting ceremony to be announced soon by the Mayor. Continue reading →

After many years of uphill struggle, construction of the boat launch on the Coginchaug River adjacent to the City’s recycling center is complete.

The Jonah Center wants to thank the members of CRAG (Coginchaug River Access Group); Joe Samolis, Chief of Staff for Mayor Dan Drew; Bill Russo, Director of Public Works; and Michiel Wackers, Director of Planning, Conservation, and Development for the critical roles they each played. Pat Munger Construction Company in Branford was the contractor.

The most critical part of the launch, the paved ramp leading into the water, was completed in the fall of 2014.  Other amenities such as information kiosk, paved turnaround, and solar lighting, will have to wait until more funds become available.

To use GPS navigation to locate the launch site, enter 181 Johnson Street, Middletown CT.

Tuesday, July 29, 3:30
End of Tuttle Place (just off Tuttle Road, near Newfield St.)

Mayor Daniel T. Drew, and Director of Public Works William Russo will perform a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the newly completed 1.75 mile “Tuttle Loop” section of the Westlake and Mattabesset Bike and Walking Trail (see section colored in purple on the map below). The new section means that the entire trail system from Middle Street to Tuttle Place is now 5.0 miles.

The Complete Streets Committee of Middletown encourages all residents who support and enjoy improved walking and bicycling facilities to attend the event. Citizen presence will demonstrate interest for other planned and to-be-planned improvements to Middletown’s pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure.
To reach the ribbon cutting, drive north on Newfield Street toward Cromwell. But just ¼ mile before reaching Cromwell, turn left on Tuttle Road. Drive ¼ mile to Tuttle Place on the right. Park along Tuttle Place where the bike lanes are painted (even though parking is usually not permitted in this location). To view on Mapquest, click http://www.mapquest.com/#d09a9e124023b61d66eb6be

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 4^th-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.