Archive for December 2009

Clarification: POCD not yet complete | Winsted Journal

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

WINSTED — Although a draft of the town’s revised plan of conservation and development has been posted online, it is not yet the final, completed version, according to the chairman of the subcommittee charged with updating it. via TCExtra.com Clarification: POCD not yet complete. Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook
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EPA Reports Effective Enforcement Year In State, New England — Courant.com

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

Federal regulators notched a string of victories in environmental cases in Connecticut and throughout New England in 2009, doubling the amount of pollutants removed and money recovered in hazardous-waste settlements over 2008. In Connecticut, companies or individuals agreed to invest a total of $35.4 million in pollution-reduction equipment or programs as part of EPA enforcement
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Block Island Times – Environmental struggle in Mount Hope Bay

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

While Block Island residents await a state Supreme Court ruling on the proposed 3-acre Champlin’s Marina expansion in the Great Salt Pond, environmentalists on the mainland are embroiled in a struggle regarding a plan to install a liquefied natural gas (LNG) platform off Narragansett Bay. Weaver’s Cove Energy, partially owned by Amerada Hess Corporation, has
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Open Season: MassWildlife protected 10,000+ acres | SouthCoastToday.com

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

More than 10,280 acres of fish and wildlife habitat in 42 Massachusetts towns were protected for wildlife and the public by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) in the past fiscal year, reported MassWildlife this week. Key wildlife habitats ranged from one-acre acquisitions in Pepperell on
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Bat Deaths: Some Species At Risk Of Becoming Endangered — Courant.com

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

The die-off of bats in Connecticut and other Northeastern states is now so severe that federal wildlife officials consider it “the most precipitous decline of North American wildlife caused by infectious disease in recorded history.” State and federal wildlife agencies might have to consider listing some species as endangered. In other states, where species such
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Video: From ‘cows and plows’ to 21st-century science | www.MyRecordJournal.com

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

WALLINGFORD – From farming hundreds of fish in a second-floor aquaculture lab to studying plants inside a weather-controlled hydroponic greenhouse, the new 70,000-square-foot Vernon E. Cleaves Vocational Agriculture Center at Lyman Hall High School, scheduled to open next month, will allow the program room to grow into one the state's best. It may even become
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YSPH: Birds spreading Lyme disease – The New Haven Register

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

NEW HAVEN — Birds are a prime reason Lyme disease is spreading to places it hasn’t been before, such as Canada, according to a new study by the Yale School of Public Health. Researchers studied published records and found 70 species of birds can be infected by black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), which spreads the Lyme
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One Year Later, NJ Company Calls Biodiesel “a Success” | HeatingOil.com

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

The first commercial service station in New Jersey to offer a biodiesel blend is celebrating its first anniversary, reports the Maplewood Patch. And others have taken notice. In the year since Woolley pioneered the cleaner burning fuel, ten more companies have begun to offer the biodiesel blend. “It’s nice to be the first, but it’s
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Bird City – David K. Leff, Essayist, Poet, Lecturer

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

Last week a clutch of intrepid birders braved frigid temperatures and a biting wind for Hartford’s leg of the annual Audubon bird count. Forty-four species were spotted in one of Connecticut’s most urban precincts. via Bird City – David K. Leff, Essayist, Poet, Lecturer. Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook
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Smarter Money Would Be On Main Street — Courant.com

Dec 30th, 2009 | By

After the federal bailouts were faulted for enriching Wall Street and for proving rather anemic in creating jobs, the president and congressional Democrats sent a message in choosing a name for the jobs bill they introduced this month. “It is with great enthusiasm that we present our 'Jobs for Main Street' legislation,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi
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Land Trust Alliance Rally, Oct. 2-5, Hartford, Connecticut

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

The Land Trust Alliance, along with the generous help of our program committees, brings you a Rally conservation-training program without rival. There will be workshops, seminars, field trips and other special events. The Land Trust Alliance will gather next in Hartford, Connecticut, from October 2-5, and the Rally 2010 brochure will be available in the spring of
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Governor Rell: Gov. Rell: $26M for Double-Tracking on New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Line

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell today announced that $26 million for design, environmental documentation and construction of double-tracking along portions of the rail line connecting New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts will be on the agenda when the state Bond Commission meets January 8, 2010. The work is needed to upgrade sections of the existing
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Gov. Rell Unveils First M-8 Rail Cars

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who has championed the investment and enhancement of Connecticut’s public transportation infrastructure since taking office in 2004, today unveiled the first two-car set of M-8 rail cars for use on the New Haven Line — one of the busiest commuter lines in the country. “These state-of-the-art train cars will be
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Connecticut 2020: The Future of Transportation – News- msnbc.com

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

By the year 2020? We may see that long talked about, but stalled, commuter line from New Haven to Springfield. “I think the next 12 months will be key to whether this actually moves forward or not,” said state senator Donald DeFronzo, (D) New Britain, who chairs the legislature's transportation committee. The project is gaining
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Agenda 2010: Little Fiefdoms Or Powerhouse Region? — Courant.com

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

This Monday through Friday, The Courant editorial page proposes a blueprint for more effective regional cooperation in Greater Hartford and around the state. An agenda for the state will follow next week. The series begins here: Agenda 2010: Little Fiefdoms Or Powerhouse Region? — Courant.com. It continues here on Tuesday: Since the end of World
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Conservationists seek help with survey of Ridgefield’s fauna and flora | Ridgefield Press

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

The Ridgefield Conservation Commission has launched its annual appeal for contributions for open space acquisition and, this year, for a survey of the town’s fauna and flora. via Conservationists seek help with survey of Ridgefield’s fauna and flora. Blog this! Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin share via Reddit
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UConn receives grant to study dairy farm sustainability | The Day

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, announced today that the University of Connecticut will receive $404,966 to study the economic and environmental sustainability of the small- and medium-sized dairy farms in New England, including the 152 that dot the Connecticut landscape. Courtney is founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus. via The
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DEP, UConn Launch Website with Digital Maps and Data on State’s Environment

Dec 29th, 2009 | By
DEP, UConn Launch Website with Digital Maps and Data on State’s Environment

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) today launched a new website, Connecticut Environmental Conditions Online (CT ECO) that includes the latest and most accessible online maps and tools for viewing Connecticut’s environmental and natural resource information. CT News Junkie reports that
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At Highstead: Mini-symposium focuses on forest research | Redding Pilot

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

Once noted primarily as an arboretum, now Highstead, at 127 Lonetown Road, is focused more on conservation and ecology. A mini symposium in November on current forest research in southern Connecticut is a recent example. The theme of the forum was “to discuss results from ongoing forest research projects in southwestern Connecticut,” said Bill Toomey,
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The New Climate Litigation – WSJ.com

Dec 29th, 2009 | By

How about if we sue you for breathing? A group of 12 Gulf Coast residents whose homes were damaged by Katrina are suing 33 energy companies for greenhouse gas emissions that allegedly contributed to the global warming that allegedly made the hurricane worse. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and seven state AG allies plus New
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