Two great debates coming up in city

Universities square off at NAACP event

HARTFORD — The State Conference of the NAACP will hold the 2nd Annual Great Debate, featuring Yale, Howard, Hampton and Columbia universities’ debate teams at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 3at Yale’s Woolsey Hall, 500 College St.
The event will be moderated by actor Nate Parker, who starred in “The Great Debaters,” released in 2007 and directed by Denzel Washington. The film tells the story of an all-black debating team from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, that rose to national prominence in the 1930s and defeated a powerhouse Ivy League debate team.
“The movie inspired students everywhere to embrace the power of thoughtful, focused dialogue,” NAACP President Scot X. Esdaile said. “With this annual event, we hope to keep that enthusiasm alive, and to provide a forum for young voices to be heard.”
General admission is $20; VIP admission, which includes a pre-event reception, is $50. All tickets purchased include a free NAACP youth membership.

PETA leader to debate Yalies on meat-eating

NEW HAVEN — Whether or not it is ethical to eat meat will be the topic of a debate Wednesday night between the vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Yale Debate Association.
Bruce Friedrich will take on the Yalies to make the case that eating meat results in abuse to animals, devastation to the environment and poor health.
Friedrich has debated against use of fur and meat and experimenting on animals for years, and appeared on the Showtime reality series, “American Candidate.”
The Yale Debate Association has won the American Parliamentary Debate Association’s Team of the Year award four times, the national championship four times, the North American championship three times and, in 2006, was the first U.S. team to reach the final round of the modern World Championships.
The free event will be held at 7 p.m. at Linsly-Chittenden Hall, 63 High St., Room 102. The host is peta2, PETA’s youth division.

It’s ID Day at the Peabody Museum

Visitors are invited to bring in rocks, feathers, bones, artifacts,
shells, critters and other natural history objects and curiosities

NEW HAVEN - Experts are ready to identify visitors' object at the “Skeletons in the Closet: It’s ID Day at the Peabody” event from 2 to 5 p.m. April 15 at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven.

The Museum will be free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day.

“It’s a perfect opportunity to bring what we call natural history curiosity objects,” Daniel L. Brinkman, museum assistant in Peabody’s Vertebrate Paleontology Division said in a statemnet. “Some objects have been handed down through families while others have been picked up in a backyard or out walking on a trail.”

About 10museum experts will be on hand to identify rocks, artifacts, feathers, insects, shells and any other likely objects, but not antiques, the statement said. All specimens are welcome, but living creatures must be safely secured in breathable containers and promptly returned to their native environment, Brinkman said. In each case, a certificate will be available, signed by the proper expert on what the object actually is, the statement said.

“We want to get the word out ahead of time to give people a chance to bring in what they have,” Brinkman said in the statement. “People have been disappointed to arrive on ID Day not realizing they could have brought in their interesting objects for identification.”

The best area for fossilized findings is the Central Connecticut River Valley, Brinkman noted. Most authentic submitted findings from there have been dinosaur footprints and fish fossils, he said. People without items of their own will have a chance to look at rarely seen objects and specimens from the Museum’s collections.

Patrick Sweeney, collections manager at the Yale University Herbarium, will be on hand to identify botanical specimens. Visitors might bring in dried fruits, bark or twigs, but photos of plants not now in bloom also are welcome. He will display a cross-section of Herbarium specimens from fungi to flowering plants. “I will feature an exhibit on ferns that children have found fascinating,” he said. Using a dissecting microscope, visitors will be able to see examples of the microscopic spores and spore producing structures and learn about the fern lifecycle.

Photo is by David Heiser.

Editor's note: The information in this post was provided by the Peabody. It is lightly edited here.

Easter dinner for all

BRANFORD — The Community Dining Room will serve a full, traditional Easter dinner noon to 1 p.m. April 4.
All members of the community, no matter their religious affiliation, are invited.
Patricia Kral, director of the Community Dining Room, said donations of food or money are sought.
People interested in volunteering, making a donation or contributing a favorite dish or gallon of milk, may leave a message for Pat Reilly at 203-488-2791. To help with flowers or decorations, call Melissa Branch at 203-488-0447.

Free Classical Music

NEW HAVEN — Enjoy a night of free classical music with guests of the Yale Concert Band beginning at 7:30 p.m. April 9 at Woolsey Hall.
The James Hillhouse High School Band, New Haven Symphony Orchestra maestro William Boughton, and Yale Institute of Sacred Music student Dashon Burton, baritone, will perform, playing Holst, Grainger, and Wagner among others.
Hillhouse Music Director Melinda Hartfiel will join the Yale Concert Band for Billy Madison’s Chasing the Storm and Percy Aldridge Grainger’s classic Irish Tune from County Derry.
For more information call 203-432-4113 or visit www.yale.edu/yaleband

Storm coming to Milford and West Haven

Milford author Elliott Storm will have book signings at ShopRite grocery stores in Milford and West Haven this weekend.
Storm, author of the novel "These Scars Are Sacred," will be at the Milford store located at 155 Cherry St. on Saturday March 27, and the West Haven ShopRite at 1131 Campbell Ave. on Sunday March 28.

Both events run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Storm wrote his novel to help the public and service family members to understand the causes and effects of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and to help in the healing process for returning veterans.

The novel is currently a top seller and has been given five-stars on Amazon. It has become a "must read" for health care professionals and others who are charged with helping a new generations of soldiers and civilians, organizers said in a statement.

Storm and his group "The Vet Pack" has lectured across the country, speaking to many organizations, from veteran groups in California to the University of Michigan, West Point Academy and The Naval War College.

Milford Maryor James L. Richetelli Jr., shown in photo with Storm, has said "This book serves to remind people that regardless of how they feel about the war, they need to support the men and women who are there to defend our freedom."

"Elliott Storm is a credit to the Milford community," Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has said, according to the statement. "This is a book everyone should read."

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has become an epidemic," Storm said, "not only for our returning soldiers but civilians as well. The goal of our lectures and this novel is to provide an understanding of PTSD and through that aid in the healing process,"

For more information visit www.thesescarsaresacred.com

Yale Divinity School Women's Center benefit to help fight domestic violence

NEW HAVEN - A program by the Yale Divinity School Women's Center will benefit Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven and The Umbrella, programs of Birmingham Group Health Services.

Eve's Ensler's A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 26 and 27 in Marquand Chapel, 409 Prospect St.

Tickets are on sale in the common room, beginning March 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and also at the door. Tickets are $10 general, $5 students.

You Need Hope

Hope has come a very long way.

But the once stray dog, rescued just before she was to be euthanasized in North Carolina, has further to go.

And she needs help.

Rescued by Lisa Dickal and Will Teplen just before Christmas, Hope was brought to Connecticut and it turned out the then-emaciated stray was expecting, Dickal said
.
Hope had 14 pups but only seven survived, Dickal said.
The rescue team has since found homes for six pups, but one, dubbed Asia, shown in photo, still needs a loving family and so does Hope, Dickal said. Asia is now about 9 weeks old.

To help the process of finding a forever home, Hope and Asia will both be at New Haven Animal Shelter's Easter Bunny Portrait Fundraiser Event from 10:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 20 at TwoSmilingDogs located in The Playground Doggie Daycare 2 Toelles Road, Wallingford, Conn.

Dickal said among the disappointments in Hope's story was that what wwas to be a home was found for her, but the family then decided she was not the right match for them.
Dickal said that some "manners" Hope learned while she was a stray are still being worked out, including that she does have a sweet tooth for doughnuts she likes to snatch. But Hope is doing well with housebreaking, Dickal said. Hope is "extremely loving to people," and gets along with dogs and cats, she said.

"We are really desperately looking for a family that will give Hope patience, love and understanding," Dickal said. "We believe if someone could look past her flaws, and work with her to be a better dog, that they would have a wonderful lifelong companion."
The best circumstance for Hope would be a home that has a big fenced backyard and people to play with who would help her to become "the best dog we know she can be," Dickal said.
Hope is about 2 and is brindled Plott Hound mix; she is fully vaccinated and healthy, Dickal said. Plott Hounds are typically a rare breed to have; as they are the North Carolina state dog, she said.


For more information Dickal and Teplen, shown in photos with Hope, can be reached at dontshop.adoptapet@gmail.com


Editor's note: The information in this post was provided by Lisa Dickal

SCSU on president’s list for community service

NEW HAVEN — Southern Connecticut State University students have earqualified for a spot on a prestigious list that is promoted by the president of the United States.
SCSU has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll – a federal recognition awarded to those colleges and universities that demonstrate a strong commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. The university joins 741 other schools nationwide that were selected to the honor roll on the basis of a variety of criteria, such as the percentage of student enrollment engaged in community service, scope and innovation of projects, incentives offered and the extent to which a school offers academic service-learning courses.
The program is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than 5 million Americans in service through programs such as Senior Corps and AmeriCorps. The organization works collaboratively with the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.
An estimated 2,800 SCSU students – nearly a quarter of the entire student body – were engaged in some form of community service during the 2008-09 academic year. About 95 percent of those students participated in at least 20 hours of community service per semester. All totaled, SCSU students logged an estimated 38,000 service hours.
“We are very proud of our students to have been selected for this recognition,” said Ronald Herron, SCSU vice president for student and university affairs. “Their efforts underscore the university’s commitment to community engagement, an important component of Southern’s Strategic Plan.”
Herron praised Denise Bentley-Drobish, director of student life; Sal Rizza, assistant director of student life, and the entire staff at SCSU’s Office of Student Life for their work to coordinate a series of university-wide and club-based community service projects. He also expressed admiration for the outstanding work performed by the Athletic Department for its major spring service project that focused on breast cancer awareness and prevention.
“Our students have become increasingly interested and involved in community service and civic engagement,” Rizza said. “They’re building great relationships with the local community and providing valuable services to a variety of agencies. We are excited and proud that Southern students have received such a prestigious honor.”
Among the major projects for which SCSU was credited was the second annual Day of Service, when 250 students, as well as 20 faculty and staff members, traveled onto the streets of New Haven and helped clean up the streets through trash cleanup, sweeping and gardening. In six hours, SCSU collected more than eight tons of trash.
Last spring, SCSU held its second annual “Big Event,” which attracted 300 students and 30 faculty and staff members to conduct physical or landscaping improvements and other volunteer activities at 22 agencies. These included schools, parks, a local Ronald McDonald House, a convalescent home and the homes of elderly alumni.
And 500 students, along with 100 faculty and staff members, volunteered with the fifth annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life event, also held last spring.

Editor's note: the information in this post was provided in a press release.

Irish famine collection housed by Quinnipiac University

HAMDEN — Quinnipiac University offers one of the most comprehensive collections of materials on Ireland’s Great Hunger, or An Gorta Mor, in the world.
Between 1845 and 1850, about 1.5 million Irish men, women and children died of starvation or related diseases as a result of one of the century’s worst famine disasters. By 1855, more than 2 million people had emigrated from Ireland, fleeing the famine.
The university encourages the community to visit its collection, which includes traditional and digital books, original hand-written records, images and artwork housed in the Lender Special Collection Room in the Arnold Bernhard Library.
The public can tour the collection Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday from 12-8 p.m.
Anyone interested in the collection for scholarly or research purposes is asked to schedule an appointment with Charles Getchell, director of the Arnold Bernhard Library, at 203-582-8631 or via e-mail at charles.getchell@quinnipiac.edu.
Additional resources are available online at www.thegreathunger.org.

New Haven Land Trust Annual Meeting is Sunday

NEW HAVEN — The New Haven Land Trust will hold its Annual Meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday 1:00 p.m. in the auditorium at Kroon Hall, now the home of Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, at 195 Prospect St.
At 1:15 p.m., there will be a panel led discussion on volunteerism in the community and how it enriches the city and the lives of volunteers. It will include an open dialogue with the audience to hear about experiences, get new ideas, answer questions and build more community, organizers said.
The three panelists are Alderman Justin Elicker, D-10; Joel Tolman, director of development and community engagement at Common Ground High School; and Johnny Scafidi, program director at Dwight Hall of Yale University, organizers said.

Awards announced for St. Patrick's Day Parade

NEW HAVEN — The Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee on Monday released the list of groups and people who won the 2010 awards.
The are: Grand Marshal’s Award, Knights of St. Patrick; Parade Queen, Lindsey Stamp; Honor Attendant, Kristina Conroy; Best Exemplified Spirit of Parade, Connecticut Blues Senior Ancient Fife & Drum Corps; Best Irish Organization, 1st, Knights of St. Patrick and 2nd, New Haven Gaelic Football & Hurling Club; Most Original Entry, 501st Connecticut Garrison; Outstanding Youth Group, James Hillhouse High School JROTC & Color Guard; Best Walking Unit, 1st, Pioneers of the Sacred Heart and 2nd, Celtic Learning Project; Best Community Unit, New Haven “Old Black” Rugby; Best Float, Urban Resources Initiative - Community Greenspace/Grennskills; Best Fire, 1st, New Haven Firefighters Local 825, 2nd, Charters Hose Co. #4 Vol. Fire Department of Ansonia and 3rd, East Haven Firefighters Local 1205; Best Police, 1st, New Haven Police Department Emerald Society Honor Guard, 2nd, West Haven Police Honor Guard and 3rd, Southern Connecticut State University Police Department Honor Color Guard
Also, Best Appearance Military, 1st: U.S. Naval Sea Cadets Edson Division of New Haven, 2nd, U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard - Sector LI Sound; Best Middle School, 1st, King/Robinson Inter-District Magnet School Marching Jaguar Band and 2nd, Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School Band; Best Color Guard, 1st, Kentish Guards, Rhode Island Militia and 2nd, St. Peter’s Drum Corps; Best High School, 1st, Bristol Eastern High School Band and 2nd, West Haven High School Band; Best Catholic School, 1st, St. Francis/St. Rose of Lima School and 2nd, St. Aedan St. Brendan Parochial School; Best Fife & Drum, 1st, Stony Creek Fife & Drum Corps, 2nd, Deep River Sr. Fife & Drum Corps, and 3rd, Moodus Drum and Fife.
Also, Best Pipe Band, 1st, Manchester Regional Police & Fire Pipe Band and 2nd, Police Pipes & Drums of Waterbury; Best Drum & Bugle, 1st, Connecticut Hurricanes Sr. Drum & Bugle Corps and 2nd, Connecticut Alumni Sr. Drum & Bugle Corps; Best Reenactment, 1st, 27th Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and 2nd
, 8th Regiment Company A Connecticut Volunteers.

New troupe holding auditions

The Performing Arts Collaborative, LLC will hold auditions for the Soundlings, a new performance troupe of 20 versatile singers to launch the 2010 season.
Shows include "Forbidden Broadway," "Smokey Joe's Cafe," "Jacques Brel" and Richard O'Brien's "Rocky Horror Show."
Auditions will be held from March 18 through March 23 by appointment only.
Email auditions@pacshows.com for an appointment.
Auditions are held in New Haven at The Golden Center at Yale at 268 Park St.
Visit www.pacshows.com for more information. Non-equity. Paid and unpaid positions.

This much is true: Wally Lamb to speak at GCC

Lamb to speak at GCC March 30

NEW HAVEN — New York Times best-selling author Wally Lamb will speak from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 30 at Gateway Community College, Room 160, 60 Sargent Drive.
The event is presented by The Esther Haseltine Schiavone Endowment Fund, which supports GCC events that focus on the arts, the college said in a statement.
Lamb is the author of three New York Times best-selling novels — “The Hour I First Believed,” “I Know This Much is True,” and “She’s Come Undone” — of which two were Oprah’s Book Club selections, the statement said.
Lamb edited “Couldn’t Keep It to Myself” and “I’ll Fly Away,” two volumes of essays from students in his writing workshop at York Correctional Institution, a women’s prison in Niantic, where he has been a volunteer facilitator for 10 years, the statement said.
Lamb was in the ninth year of his 25-year career as a high school English teacher at his alma mater, the Norwich Free Academy, when he began to write fiction in 1981. He has also taught writing at the University of Connecticut, where he directed the English Department’s creative writing program. Lamb lives in Connecticut with his wife, Christine. The Lambs have of three sons.
The Esther Haseltine Schiavone Endowment Fund was established in 2006 through the Gateway Community College Foundation by Schiavone’s daughter Jennifer Schiavone Spinach. Spinach set up the endowment in her mother’s memory to help the programs put on at GCC by her longtime friend and author GCC Professor Franz Douskey.
In addition to bringing Lamb to speak on March 30, Douskey has brought a host of musicians and writers to the college over the past 20 years, including Arthur Miller, Malcom Cowley, Amiria Barak, The Mitchell Ruff Duo, Honi Coles, Connecticut Poet Laureates Leo Connellan and Marilyn Nelson, Dick Allen, William Packard and vocalist Giacomo Gates, the statement said.

Editor's note: the information in this post was provided by Gateway Community College. It is lightly edited here.

Knights of St. Patrick dinner

NEW HAVEN – The Knights of St. Patrick, one of the country’s oldest Irish-American organizations, will hold its 132nd Annual Dinner on March 17, at the Union League Café, 1032 Chapel St.
The black-tie event features guest speaker Rusty Sullivan, executive director of the Sports Museum of New England and an acclaimed author of several books, including the definitive biography of undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano.
The event is open to club members and their guests. For more information, call the club at 789-9535.

What a Day it will be

Doris Day Tribute at the New Haven Public Library April 10

NEW HAVEN - Pierre Patrick of New Haven, a Grammy nominee and a longtime fan and friend of Doris Day, will act as host for a Doris Day Tribute at 10 a.m. April 10 at New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm St.

In addition to co-authoring two books about Day, Patrick has helped make several documentaries about the iconic American star, organizers said in a statement.
Patrick will be the host for all-day festivities, with special short documentaries and commentary by him.
The first feature film screening is at 11 a.m., with "Love me or Leave Me" (1955), starring Day as singing great Ruth Etting and costarring James Cagney and Cameron Mitchell. The second feature screens at 2 p.m.: "Pillow Talk" (1959), which was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2010, and stars Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall and Thelma Ritter.

Copies of Patrick’s book, "The Doris Day Companion: A Beautiful Day," will be available for sale and signing. There is no charge for the special event.
For more information visit www.dorisdaytribute.eventbrite.com or call the library at 203-946-8835.

Editor's note: the information in this post was provided in full by the New Haven Public Library. It is lightly edited here.

Junior League seeking high school award nominees

NEW HAVEN — The Junior League of Greater New Haven is seeking applicants for its annual High School Voluntarism Award.
The award recognizes up to two female high school seniors in Greater New Haven who "exemplify a demonstrated commitment to the community and who plan to attend an accredited college, university or vocational school," organizers said in a statement.
Two awards for $1,500 each are distributed each year through a contribution from Yale University and the Junior League of Greater New Haven, the statement said.
Applicants must be nominated by either a community organization, school official or a member of the JLGNH.
A minimum of a C (2.0) grade point average is required, and the award is not based on financial need.
In addition to a completed application, applicants must submit a written essay and two letters of recommendation, one from their nominator and one from another adult supervisor.
Applications must be received by April 27.
Chosen recipients will be notified in writing by May 7. Applications are available by contacting the JLGNH at 203-562-5076, via e-mail: jlgnhscholarship@yahoo.com, ord at www.jlgnh.org.

Talking books in New Haven

NEW HAVEN - The Elm Street Book Group's selection for its March 17 session is "The Art of Racing in the Rain," by Garth Stein.
The group meets at 6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm St.
Stein's award-winning book is "a moving story told by a dog with great human potential," organizers said in a statement. It is a bestseller. Millie Grenough, author of "Oasis in the Overwhelm," will facilitate the discussion.
The public is always welcome and copies of the book are available at the library. Those who register for the discussion will receive a complimentary coffee or tea from Blue State Coffee, Wall St., New Haven.
There is no charge to participate, and free parking is available. Register at www.artofracing.eventbrite.com or call 203-946-8835.

Breast Cancer Wellness Retreat

NEW HAVEN - The Hospital of Saint Raphael's Women's Center for Breast Health will hold a Breast Cancer Wellness Retreat from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 13, at the hospital's Cronin Auditorium.
The event, presented in partnership with the Susan G. Komen Foundation - CT
Affiliate and the Looking Forward Program, is dedicated to helping women
living with breast cancer, the hospital said in a statement.
Speakers will discuss mind-body wellness, sexuality, and holistic nutrition for women living with breast cancer. The event is free and breakfast and lunch will be provided. Registration is required: Sign up online at www.srhs.org/breastcancerretreat or call 203 -789-3916.

Wellness for the 55+ crowd

NEW HAVEN – CareCard, the Hospital of Saint Raphael’s health and wellness program for those 55 and older, is launching two new fitness programs in Hamden: indoor walking and water aerobics.
Both programs will be offered at Hamden Hall’s Beckerman Sports Center starting in April, the hospital said in a statement.
The indoor walking program will be facilitated by a certified instructor who will provide instruction and guidance for walkers of varying degrees of mobility, including those rehabilitating from surgical procedures or injuries, the statement said.
CareCard is a free program that provides a variety of services and programs for the New Haven area’s 55-plus population. To learn more about CareCard and its fitness programs, call the Hospital of Saint Raphael Healthy Aging Line at (203) 789-3275.

Song of the sea

Hear it at the Peabody

NEW HAVEN - Science writer Todd McLeish will visit the Yale Peabody of Natural History to share insights on rare marine creatures plying waters of the New England coastline and relate stories of his adventures working with biologists to monitor and protect the species at 5:30 p.m. March 25.
The talk is free and open to the public, organizers said in a statement.
While researching his latest book "Basking with Humpbacks," McLeish "tagged basking sharks to learn where they give birth, helped harbor porpoises escape from fishing nets, snorkeled in search of wild bay scallops, and learned how the blood of horseshoe crabs is used in medical research," the statement said.

"Along the way he visited the islands where rare seabirds nest, tracked humpback whales on their long migration to the Gulf of Maine, and watched as stranded sea turtles were released back to the ocean."
McLeish, shown in photo, will sign copies of "Basking with Humpbacks," his second natural history book, which profiles 11 of the rarest and threatened species of wildlife living in the marine environment around New England. This program is part of the series "Nature’s Narrators: The 2009–2010 John H. Ostrom Program Series.”
McLeish has been writing about wildlife and environmental issues for more than 20 years, the statement said.

While earning degrees in communications at Ithaca College and Emerson College, he developed a passion for wildlife, natural history and environmental protection, it said. Rather than pursue a biology degree, he immersed himself in the natural world by volunteering to help biologists with their wildlife research and write about these experiences.

In more than 100 magazine and newspaper articles, he has written about sensitive timely issues, highlighted threatened species, and profiled biologists and wildlife artists, the statement said.

Editor's Note: this information was provided by the Peabody Museum.

Something bugging you?

This might be the way to find help

NEW HAVEN — The third Connecticut Bed Bug Forum by the Connecticut Coalition Against Bed Bugs and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 22 in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center, Southern Connecticut State University on Fitch Street.
The program will include current bed bug management practices, legal aspects of bed bug enforcement, research and development, history, biology, state and federal issues, and bed bug detection dogs, organizers said in a statement.
For more details visit www.ct.gov/caes.

Also, the Experiment Station Associates will hold their annual meeting at 7 p.m. March 18 in Jones Auditorium on the station's New Haven campus, 123 Huntington St.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting, where there will be two presentations: “The Return of the Bed Bugs” by Dr. Gale Ridge and “Use of Plants to Remove Toxic Chemicals from the Soil” by Dr. Jason White.

You and the sea

Communities are the intended beneficiaries of a grants that will help programs train 'climate ambassadors'

Sea Grant programs in the North Atlantic awarded ‘Climate Engagement’
mini-Grant to help communities adapt to climate change

GROTON - A total of $25,000 has been awarded to sea Grant programs from Maine to Virginia to work with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offices to establish a regional network of “climate ambassadors” who will help local communities, according to a statement released by the University of Connecticut's Connecticut Sea Grant program.
The awards are part of eight “Climate Engagement” mini-grants from NOAA to various regions of the U.S., the statement said.
The grant will "provide training in climate outreach to staff of NOAA’s North Atlantic Regional Team and Sea Grant extension agents," it said.
Training provided by the grant will help coastal residents, businesses and decision-makers learn how their communities can best adapt to climate change, the statement said.
Sessions will cover the latest science and climate information and tools available from NOAA. Initial trainees will hold local training sessions for others in their home states, which can bring the latest information and technology back to community leaders, the statement said.
Peyton Robertson, NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team leader and Sylvain De Guise, director of the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program at UConn, will lead the effort in the Northeast region. De Guise is Sea Grant’s representative to the NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team.
The "Climate Engagement Mini-Grant Program is modeled after the NOAA Stakeholder Engagement Mini-Grant program, which distributed grants in 2009 to fund regional pilot projects engaging communities in issues of interest to both NOAA and local residents," the statement said.
The goal of the new program is to leverage NOAA and Sea Grant resources to help coastal communities adapt to climate change, it said.
“Since our Sea Grant researchers and extension agents serve the local coastal communities in which they live, Sea Grant is well-suited to connect NOAA science to the needs of local coastal communities,” Leon Cammen, director of the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program said in the statement. “Issues related to climate change are a Sea Grant priority.”
Juliana Barrett, an assistant educator for the UConn Department of Extension and Connecticut Sea Grant focusing on coastal habitats, and part of UConn’s Center for Land Use Education and Research team, works with CTSG, includes coordinating climate change efforts, the statement said. "Through new and existing program initiatives, CTSG is emphasizing climate change as a cross-cutting theme which informs its outreach, extension, education and communication activities as well as its targeted research funding program," it said.

Developing strategies for communicating the uncertainties of science to stakeholders is a long-term interest of MacNeill, NYSG’s representative to NOAA’s climate-related Sectoral Applications Research Program (SARP), brings recent expertise in communicating the complex factors that affect fisheries in Great Lakes ecosystems to this climate change project. He will work with educators in the Great Lakes and national Sea Grant networks to develop ways to help coastal communities better understand potential impacts of climate change, and help communities make informed choices on potential adaptation strategies to climate change.
Barrett and David B. MacNeill, a fisheries specialist with New York Sea Grant in Oswego, N.Y., will be among those undergoing initial training at the first workshop, April 12-14, at the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Institute in Narragansett, the statement said.
Subsequently, they and others will participate in organizing a second round of training workshops, for citizens, business, and community leaders, to be held in 2010from Maine to Virginia, the statement said.

Sea Grant is a nationwide network of 32 university-based programs that work with coastal communities, the statement said. The National Sea Grant College Program engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training, and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources, the statement said.

For more:
Connecticut Sea Grant: http://www.seagrant.uconn.edu
New York Sea Grant: http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu
Sea Grant Sustainable Community Development web site: http://sgsccdn.ning.com/
NOAA Research: http://www.oar.noaa.gov
NOAA National Sea Grant College Program: http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov

Editor's note: The information in this post was provided by Margaret Van Patten, communications director, Connecticut Sea Grant, at UConn in Groton. It is only lightly edited here and is the work of that program.

Contributions to LGBT life honored

NORTH HAVEN - State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and state Comptroller Nancy Wyman joined the New Haven Pride Center at its recent 7th annual Dorothy Awards, center officials said in a statement.
The center was formerly called the New Haven Gay & Lesbian Community Center.
Sponsored
The event was sponsored by Day Pitney LLP, Yale University, Metroline Magazine, the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, Yale-New Haven Hospital, United Illuminating Co., and Miya’s Sushi, the statement said. The event, which 220 attended, featured a "special presentation of official citations from the state of Connecticut by Wyman to the evening’s honorees in recognition of their service to the state of Connecticut," the statement said
The center’s Dorothy Awards honor members of the LGBT community who have made a significant contribution to local LGBT life. This year, honorees included: Dena Castricone, founder and president of CABO, the state’s LGBT chamber of commerce; Leif Mitchell, co-chair of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) Connecticut and a member of GLSEN’s National Advisory Council and National Training Team; Michael Morand, associate vice president of Yale University for New Haven and State Affairs; and the Imperial Sovereign Court of All Connecticut, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that raises tens of thousands of dollars annually for other state organizations, the statement said.
Frank DeMayo, who "performed crowd-pleasing versions of popular songs that he ”made his own” for the evening," acted as host for the event, the statement said.

In and photo, l to r, are Honoree Dena Castricone [CABO], Wyman, Blumenthal, Honoree Mark Campbell [Imperial Sovereign Court], Honoree Michael Morand [Yale], Honoree Leif Mitchell [GLSEN])

Not so common fun

NEW HAVEN - Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to explore farm life and the connection people have to the natural world in a seasonal after-school program that begins April 6 at Common Ground 358 Springside Ave.
Weekly activities in Kid’s Unplugged! include learning about eggs and chicks, playing games in the woods, exploring Wintergreen Brook, hiking to the summit of West Rock Park, learning to draw plants and animals on the farm, making recycled art, and a hands-on tour of the farm at Common Ground, organizers said.
Children may be registered for one, two, or three days per week. Enrollment is limited to 36 participants per day. Program fee: One day a week for 9 weeks - $150 (2days is $300, 3 days is $450. The program runs 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays through June 10. Financial aid available, please inquire.
Registrations accepted until each session is full.
Contact: 203-389-4333 ext 1213 or e-mail rholcombe@nhep.com

Hospice offers spring training

BRANFORD — Connecticut Hospice starts its spring volunteer training in March. The course will prepare volunteers in all aspects of hospice care.
To register, contact Patricia A. Corradino at 203-315-7510 or pnowak@hospice.com.

Events to focus on helping people with celiac disease

HAMDEN — The Greater New Haven Celiac Group will hold two events in March for people with celiac disease.
March 6: A pancake breakfast will be held 9:30-11:15 a.m. at Grace and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 2927 Dixwell Ave. Gluten-free pancakes with gluten-free accompaniments will be served. Cost is $3 for adult members of the GNHCG, $2 for nonmembers and $1 for all children.
March 13: A “Glo Bowling” party will be held 3-5 p.m. at Johnson’s Duckpin Lanes, 2100 Dixwell Ave. The cost is free for children with celiac disease who are members of GNHCG and $12 for everyone else.
Reservations should be made by Monday.
To make a reservation, call GNHCG President Bill Jacobs at 203-272-9646 or e-mail wajacobs@cox.net.

Help for Columbus House

NEW HAVEN - Partners and employees of BlumShapiro have donated $2,500 to Columbus House.
The donation was possible becayse, for the second consecutive year, the firm decided to forego the company’s annual holiday party and donate to charities across the state, including Columbus House, according to a statement.
Columbus House Director of Development and Public Relations John B. Brooks, second from left, received a check for $2,500 from Dennis J. Regan, far left, partner of BlumShapiro, Michael Niedermeier, second from right, partner-in-charge of BlumShapiro’s Southern Connecticut office, and Tom DeVitto, far right, chief marketing officer of BlumShapiro.
Columbus House serves people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
“BlumShapiro’s donation reflects our personal commitment to the success of activities and organizations like Columbus House that make our state a better place to live,” said Niedermeier in the statement.

Photo courtesy of BlumShapiro

Yale doctor to talk colon cancer

NEW HAVEN - A free health talk on colon cancer will be prsented by the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven and Yale Cancer Center at 6 p.m. March 10.
The talk, "Treatment options for Colon Cancer" will be held in the Yale-New Haven Hospital East Pavilion cafeteria.
Dr. Edward Chu, chief of medical oncology and deputy director, Yale Cancer Center, will be the speaker. To make a reservation, call (203) 688-2000. Ask for directions to park in the Air Rights Garage.