Organization: NEW HAVEN - URBAN RESOURCES INITIATIVE
Mission: SEE STATEMENT #1
Activities: URI'S GREENSPACE PROGRAM CONTINUES TO EMPOWER VOLUNTEERS TO MAKE TANGIBLE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE LANDSCAPE OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE THREE PROGRAMMATIC GOALS - COMMUNITY BUILDING, ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION, AND STEWARDSHIP - HAVE NOT CHANGED SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION IN 1995. OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS THE PARTNERSHIP FOR THE GREENSPACE PROGRAM HAS EXPANDED BEYOND CITY AGENCIES AND THE CFGNH TO ALSO INCLUDE USFWS, AUDUBON CT, AND COMMON GROUND HIGH SCHOOL ON SITES THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON CREATING BIRD HABITAT. THESE SITES TEND TO BE IN PARKS, AND INCLUDED 8 OF THE GREENSPACE GROUPS. URI CELEBRATED THE 25TH YEAR OF SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY VIA THE COMMUNITY GREENSPACE PROGRAM. APPROXIMATELY 50 NEIGHBORHOOD VOLUNTEER GROUPS, AND 650 INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS IN THE GREENSPACE PROGRAM COLLECTIVELY CONTRIBUTED NEARLY 3800 HOURS OF WORK. VOLUNTEERS PLANTED 55 TREES OVER THE COURSE OF THE SUMMER. WE CONTINUED OUR WORK AT CHERRY ANN PARK WITH 150 INCOMING STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FROM THE YALE SCHOOL OF FORESTRY & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PARK INCLUDED INSTALLATION OF NEW TRAILS AND ENTRANCES AND A PAVILION.
GREENSKILLS PROGRAM CREATED PAID GREEN JOB TREE PLANTING TRAINING AND BIOSWALES CONSTRUCTION FOR 20 ADULTS WITH A HISTORY OF INCARCERATION AND 30 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. TOGETHER THEY PLANTED 533 STREET TREES ON BEHALF OF 302 TREE ADOPTERS. GREENSKILLS ADULT TEAMS ALSO INSTALLED 100 NEW BIOSWALES THIS YEAR TO HELAP REDUCE POLLUTION AND FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH STOMRWATER RUNOFF IN DOWNTOWN NEW HAVEN.
IN 2019 URI BUILT 100 NEW BIOSWALES IN DOWTOWN NEW HAVEN AND PERFORMED MAINTENANCE REGULARLY EXISTING BIOSWALES. MAINTENANCE INCLUDED, REMOVING LEAF LITTER, SEDIMENT, SNOW AND TRASH, WEEDING, PRUNING, CLEANING THE SEDIMENT TRAP, REPAIRING FENCING, AND WATERING. THE ACTIVITES ALLOWED THE BIOSWALES TO CONTINUOUSLY PERFORM AT THEIR TOP FUNCTION, DIVERTING THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF WATER FROM THE CITY STORMWATER SYSTEM.
NTEE category: Environment