It was a chilly, wet Saturday afternoon, November 22nd. But our volunteers were warmed by the spirit of sharing the HeatSmart program with Middletown neighbors!
Donning Jonah Center safety vests and excellent energy, from left to right, Genesis, Eli, Tamira, and Kristen.
Wesleyan College of the Environment interns for Sustainable Middletown, helping with two Jonah Center initiatives: HeatSmart and the Midden Lookout Park.
by Steve Cronkite
The Middletown Urban Forestry Commission (UFC) has been endeavoring to install a Miyawaki-style micro-forest in town for over two years. They are therefore thrilled to announce that on November 8th, with the help of 20 hard-working volunteers, they planted 99 donated native trees and shrubs and one native perennial in a Miyawaki-style micro-forest on the southeast corner of Van Buren Moody Elementary School on Country Club Road in Middletown. Continue reading
We are thrilled to have been awarded a grant through the Community Partnership Initiative. This is a partnership with the Sponsors of @Energize Connecticut and the City of Middletown to promote energy-saving solutions for our community. This kicks off a full year of focused efforts to promote the Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible and Multifamily Initiative, including outreach to renters and landlords.
The Jonah Center has been working on “Complete Streets” projects in both the City of Middletown and the Town of Portland for several years and helped initiate Complete Streets committees in both municipalities. But what are “Complete Streets“? We are happy to present a recently completed short video that explains what the term means featuring Jonah Center Executive Director, John Hall and Board of Directors President, Krishna Winston. The video was produced by Wesleyan University film students, Jackson Barber-Just and Cyrus Mailer, with assistance from John Shafer, Director of Media, Art, and Technology for the Jonah Center.
For further information:
To date, thirty people supported the new trail at the Midden Lookout by attending public walks, including Mayor Gene Nocera, who is very interested in the community vision for this amazing space. It’s time to get more organized to keep this project going!
Walking at the Midden:
Acting Middletown Mayor, Gene Nocera!
Here are two ways to get involved:
Sign up here to join us at our next walk, Thursday, October 2nd at 5PM, for an early sunset view. Plus, an optional post-walk meet-up at Forest City Brewery.
Join our official “Trail Blazers” Group to commit to actively supporting the Midden Lookout Park and Trail. We’ll use the Trail Blazers distribution list to share milestones, public meetings, calls for time and talent, and moments to celebrate along the way. Keep reading for a recap of our walk with the Mayor.
Continue readingJoin us for one or both dates! Click here for more details and to register.
Litter clean-up events are a fun way to accomplish something good while socializing with like-minded friends and neighbors.
Our final Paddle With A Purpose for the season was on August 2. Volunteers and field workers removed 2000 pounds of invasive water chestnut plants. That makes our total for the year come to 18,500 pounds. (We removed 24,000 pounds last year. So, we’ve made progress in reducing this infestation.) Continue reading
We are so thrilled to have awesome volunteers step up to help us on a hot, humid day in July. This crew showed up ready to work!
Work Party – From left to right – Marek Kozikowski, Chantal Foster, Rob Evans, John Hall, Ann Percival, Nathaneal Rodbourn, Carl Lecce, Mick Bolduc, Mike Thomas, Kevin Markowski – Other volunteers not pictured– John LeShane, Kristen Colombo, Gary Middleton and James Sipperly
Before we arrived on site, Joe Pac (from Plummer Landscaping) kicked off the volunteer effort by driving a Brush Hog through Mugwort that was up to 5ft tall in some places.
Continue readingWe’re kicking off the transformation of the Middletown landfill summit into a nature trail loop on Thursday, July 17th at 9AM. (Pictured – Aerial view before solar panels)
When this trail is complete, it will have educational signs, benches, and an elevated wildlife viewing platform.
This is a sneak “peak” of the view.
See the rest for yourself, join an upcoming walk with us!
– May afternoon at the retired landfill
Imagine yesterday’s trash as today’s treasure. At Middletown’s retired landfill, you can see stunning views of three rivers, a 1000-acre tidal marshland, the Arrigoni Bridge, and faraway hills. This quarter-mile path (rising 80 feet to the top) is next to the city’s transfer station and the Keating Building. It even has its own soundtrack…bird songs! This is a transformation in progress that’s worth seeing.
Join the Jonah Center for a short, invigorating walk! It’s about 10 minutes or less to get to the top where we can have a snack and take in the view together.
Ready to explore?
Come to a group walk: Sunday, June 8th, 9-10 AM and Saturday, July 19th, 9-10 AM
Sign up to walk with us or explore on your own and share your feedback!
How did this happen?
Through the dedication of the RRA and resident advocacy, this important ordinance change has been discussed publicly and passed through the Public Works & Facilities Commission as well as the General Council before it moved forward to the Middletown Town Council for discussion and approval.
On April 8th, Middletown Common Council members heard final public comments from the community and unanimously approved this change!
Wesleyan staff and students recently hosted an event to share the Middletown Government Participation Guide (available here in English and Spanish). This is an important “tool for our times” that offers a peek behind the curtain of our local government and explains the many ways we all can use our skills and voices to get involved.
Continue reading