Earth Day is only once a year, but environmental action and education are happening all year round.
Newtown residents were introduced to a range of “green” coverage in 2022, ranging from how to let nature thrive to how to achieve energy efficiency in your home.
From January new townby Connecticut Audubon Society’s 16th Annualbird stateThe report consisted of multiple evidence-based articles written by experts in the field.
“Three Billion Birds Are Gone. How do you put them back together?”
with attendees bee Readers learned why Connecticut’s bird populations are declining and how climate change is affecting these statistics. It was also an opportunity to learn how we can contribute to
That same month, the Connecticut Confederation of Conservative Voters (CTLCV) Education Fund hosted its 22nd Annual. environmental summit The event took place before the 2022 State Legislature on February 9th.
CTLCV Executive Director Lori Brown said, “The Connecticut League of Conservation Boaters is working with supporters and elected leaders in every part of the state to push for stronger laws to protect the environment. I am fighting,” he said.
The two-day event will discuss state funding, environmental justice, clean energy, waste management, pesticides, transportation, land conservation and many other topics, with first-hand insights from Connecticut’s elected officials and young people. I was able to get
Shortly thereafter, CTLCV released its annual report. environmental scorecard This included the standings applied to members of the Newtown Legislative Delegation. It included Senator Tony Huang, Congressman Mitch Bolinski, Rajiv Ali Brennan, and Tony Scott.
CTLCV used detailed reports to rank Connecticut legislators based on votes on key environmental issues at the 2021 Connecticut General Assembly.
CTLCV worked with environmental groups in Connecticut to identify key legislation, consulted supporters during sessions, and lobbied legislators about the initiative. We then tracked politicians’ votes to create a scorecard.
new townby In addition to reporting the CTLCV findings, we also contacted Newtown officials who were referred to for direct feedback on the scorecard results.
On March 2nd, Sustainable Southbury will Residential Energy Efficiency WebinarThe Newtown Sustainable Energy Commission was invited to the online event.
Lectures were given on various energy saving measures that can be taken at home, Eversource’s Home Energy Solutions Program, and CT Green Bank financing options.
On April 9, the Newtown Forestry Association (NFA) Invasive plant control committee Meet at the Holcombe Memorial Trail.
A group of environmentally conscious volunteers gathered and continued the painstaking work of removing invasive plants, especially the abundant burning bush and Japanese barberry. All volunteers did it manually or with equipment, and no harmful pesticides or chemicals were used.
Field experts included NFA Executive Director Trent McCann, Newtown Conservation Commission Chair Holly Cossette, and our Pollinator Protection (POP) member Christine St. Georges. They provided insight into how to properly identify and remove invasive plants, and shared prevention techniques to prevent them from growing again.
After CTLCV released its environmental scorecard, it named Republican Senator Huang as an “environmental advocate” and invited him to be its 2022 speaker. Debriefing session on environmental legislation May 6th.
“Environment has no party affiliation,” Huang said during the event.
A virtual session examined the climate, energy, and environment bills passed by this year’s Connecticut General Assembly.
Through 2022, Newtown’s own Real Food CT (formerly Real Food Share) will: Grow Your Own Garden Workshop Series At Sticks & Stones Farm. Our monthly programs are designed to help anyone bring out their inner farmer and make their gardening dreams come true.
This nonprofit maintains the Giving Garden on the farm and produces fresh produce for the FAITH Food Pantry in Newtown and similar organizations throughout Connecticut.
Real Food CT Member and CT Master Gardener Nancy Zychek led a session on seed initiation and transplanting on May 15th. new townby attended.
The following month, Holly Cossett, chairman of the Newtown Conservation Committee, organized a workday for fellow commissioners and volunteers to get hands-on experience. Removal of invasive plant species From Fairfield Hills Campus.
The group’s main focus was to clear the land of all barberry (Berberis thunbergia) and mugwort that continued to creep into the meadows. Both are invasive plants and are prevalent throughout Newtown, including residential areas and Newtown Forestry Society nature reserves.
The plight of controlling invasive plants is statewide. As a result, Cossett worked with Monroe Conservation and Water Resources Commissioner Barbara Thomas.
“We, with the support of other town committees, land trusts, channels and like-minded groups, will propose a bill during the January 2023 legislative session to address the invaders in our state. We started an initiative to get something done,” said Kocet.
Another Newtown resident who made a positive environmental impact in 2022 was Mark Forstrom. He has dedicated his time and expertise to implementing all-natural techniques. Victory Garden Orchard at Fairfield Hills.
The orchard has 46 fruit trees, mainly apples such as wisteria and honeycrisp, 5 peach trees, 4 pear trees, 3 cherry trees and 1 nectarine tree.
“Our goal in the orchard is to grow nutrient-rich fruit without the use of pesticides or fungicides,” he said. I found this out on YouTube 2 winters ago when I was looking for ways to grow fruit organically, as everything has to be organic at Victory Garden.”
Lights Out Connecticut He turned off the lights, especially at night, and called on people to do their part to help migratory birds. From September 1st to November 15th, billions of birds migrate to improve their chances of survival during the fall migration.
Lights Out Connecticut is a project created by the Connecticut Ornithological Association in February 2022 to reduce bird deaths from collisions with buildings in Connecticut.
Newtown Pollinator Conservation joined the initiative and encouraged residents to do the same. This non-profit organization is dedicated to public education and the protection of pollinators, including birds and their habitats.
On October 21, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced: Information forest tour Open to the public in the Lower Block of Pawgusset State Forest.
Afternoon walks with DEEP representatives from the Forestry and Wildlife Department welcomed more than a dozen residents, including Mitch Volinski State Representative, at the parking lot at the end of the Stone Bridge Trail.
Officials explained that they will be taking a guided walk through land called W-457, where DEEP will be harvesting future forest products. The purpose of selective harvesting on the 41 acres is to expand the New England Cottontail habitat and create conditions for young forest growth.
At the end of the year, we took up environmental issues. new townbysummarizes the four-part series of Connecticut Invasive Plants Working Group 2022 Virtual Symposium November 3rd.
The theme of the all-day webcast was “Strategies for Managing Invasive Plants: Assessment, Removal, Replacement, and Restoration.” It featured multiple sessions covering the topic of terrestrial and aquatic invasive plants.
These stories are just a few of the daily efforts Connecticut and Newtown residents are doing their part to make a positive impact on the environment. If you are running an environmental event in 2023, please email John Voket to editor@thebee.com to request coverage.
Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com..
On April 9, on the Holcombe Memorial Trail, Invasive Plants Task Force volunteer and pollinator conservation member Christine St. Georges pulls out a Japanese barberry with a weed wrench.
Real Food CT member and CT Master Gardener Nancy Zychek has a metal gardening tool called a soil block maker. This creates a small square block of dirt that you can put your seeds in. The soil retains its shape and is convenient for transplanting. In front of her are the zinnia and nasturtium saplings she has grown in the device. — Bee Photo, Silver
Young Aaron Fong volunteers remove invasive plants with members of the Newtown Conservation Board at the Fairfield Hills campus on Wednesday, June 15. —Bee Photo, Silber
Newtown resident Mark Forstrom tends the fruit trees at The Victory Garden and employs a new organic technique called holistic orcharding. — Bee Photo, Silver
From left, Jill Humphreys, DEEP Department of Forestry/Natural Resources, and Tanner Steeves, a DEEP wildlife biologist with the Habitat Program, meet Newtown residents at the DEEP Informational Woods Tour at Paugusett State Forest on October 21. I’m talking to Congressman Mitch Bolinski. — Bee Photo, Silver