Pond Lily Nature Preserve is not just a great place for hiking and river views – it also serves as a crucial site for research on ecosystem change, plant systems, and climate change. Due to the removal of the Pond Lily Dam in February 2016, the natural ecosystem at Pond Lily Preserve is regenerating and returning to its natural state. Parts of the land that were previously six feet underwater are newly exposed and revegetating. The West River is forging a new course through the former dam site and the current flows more quickly than before.

Quinnipiac Meadows Nature Preserve was declared New Haven's newest IBA last week! IBA stands for Important Bird Area and it is a classification given by the Audubon Society to natural areas, both urban and rural, that are considered important for the conservation of at-risk bird populations. Audubon CT approved the addition of Quinnipiac Meadows Preserve to the pre-existing Quinnipiac Tidal Marsh IBA, which spans over 900 acres of marshland along the Quinnipiac River in New Haven, North Haven, and Hamden. 

The Schooner Summer Camp brings kids to the coastline to explore, learn, grow, get their feet wet in the water, and above all else - have fun! Our summer camp curriculum is designed to appeal to youth ages 4-12 years old with leadership and youth development opportunities for teens. The Schooner Summer Camp offers both a land-based Shore Program and a sea-based Sailing Program in which campers engage in science-based learning through adventure, exploration, crafts, songs, and games. 

We are so excited to announce that we have officially doubled the size of our Growing Entrepreneurs program.

In the early mornings, some neighbors of the Quinnipiac Meadows Nature Preserve hear gunshots. Currently, hunting is legal along the Quinnipiac River as long as all shooting happens north of the boundary line extending from Grannis Island (on the southernmost tip of the preserve) to Lombard Street on the other side of the river. The hunting boundary was moved up to this point in 2009 in response to safety concerns for families living nearby.

The winter season is a slow one for big projects that the growers love to do - nevertheless, we have been trying to sell healthy and tasteful seasonings at the winter farmers market at Metropolitan High School to enhance our entrepreneurial and communication skills.

Midsummer here in New Haven. Despite the heat, our Growing Entrepreneurs have been working hard to build a pergola – a spot for shade in the center of the Chapelseed community garden and a structure for grapevines to cling to. I’ve never seen a freestanding pergola before, so I’ve been learning right alongside the Growers.