Saturday Shorts: 06.07.14 Special New Haven Edition

American Hornbeam, a native tree

New Haven, CT is very much a Green city, populated with people donating their time and talents to making New Haven a more sustainable place in which to live.

It’s a gorgeous, pre-summer day, and I am drafting this post outside, the old-fashioned way with paper and pen, and I may not post until the sun is down. 

Here is an update on some of the good things that have been happening in my fair city:

Good Groups Get Grants for Good Things

• The New Haven Land Trust received a NewHavenAlliance Foundation 10 for 10 Grant  of $10,000 to create an Urban Agriculture Resource Center in New Haven.
• Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven received a grant from the Greater New Haven Green Fund to educate neighborhood activists about ways to reduce stormwater runoff. Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven staff and volunteers will be digging and installing two rain gardens in their Hudson Street demo lot on Friday under the direction of Michael Dietz, Director of U Conn College of Agriculture and Natural Resource’s NEMO Program.

Local Produce is Back

• Joel Tolman of Common Ground High School reported on Facebook that their first strawberry is ripe.
• City Seed is now open for the season at Wooster Square (on Saturdays) and Edgewood Park (on Sundays). The Wednesday Downtown Market will open on the Green on June 18. The markets in Fair Haven and the Hill will open in July. The full schedule is posted here.

Historic Preservation is Alive and Well

• The Little Theater on Lincoln Street, formerly known as the Lincoln Theater, was dedicated yesterday after a $5.8 million restoration. The funds came from a state grant, supplemented by foundation support and private donations. It will be used students at ACES/ECA and the community.
• Two brothers from Trumbull, along with a preservationist from Terryville, are seeking help to purchase an historic oyster barge now docked in a marina in New Haven’s Fair Haven section for use as a floating restaurant and museum. 

New Haven Green Drinks is Going Strong

The June New Haven Green Drinks will be held at Miya’s Sushi in celebration of World Ocean Day. Chef Bun Lai will discuss his efforts to promote sustainable seafood, including his Invasive Species Menu. Attendees will also learn about tools for making better seafood choices, including the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Guide.

Native Plants are Thriving

• The American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) we planted in the backyard last spring (photo above) seems happy in its new home. Something [squirrels?] found and devoured all the catkins shortly after they appeared. So far no birds have nested in it. It is now fully leafed out and very green.
• Rain followed by sunny days has made it a great spring for plants in pots. See what you can do with native Heuchera in a partly shaded spot?

Happy Saturday. Hope you are enjoying (or have enjoyed) the day.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).