Recent Recipients

THE ROCKFALL FOUNDATION 2011-2012 GRANTS

City of Middletown, Middletown, “Healthy Lawns,” a workshop designed for municipalities, lawn care providers, business and management companies throughout Middlesex County on the benefits of organic lawn care. A nationally recognized natural turf care expert will discuss the environmental benefits of organic lawn care and provide professional training to attendees. $350

 

Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, Inc., Middlesex County, “Buffer in a Bag,” a replicable demonstration project, which includes the installation of a vegetative buffer at Lake Hayward in East Haddam to demonstrate how buffers along lakes and other bodies of water can help protect water quality, stabilize banks, improve wildlife habitat and deter geese. The project will include instructions on the proper selection of native trees and shrubs, plant maintenance and fact sheets on planting techniques. $1,000

 

Essex Town Parks & Recreation Department, Essex, "2012 Essex Great Outdoors Pursuit," a collaborative effort between Essex Parks & Recreation and the Essex Land Trust to offer a series of outdoor and conservation programs. These programs would encourage local families to participate in positive and healthy outdoor endeavors, and increase awareness of the variety of parks and open space preserves in Essex. $500

 

Essex Land Trust, Essex, "Exploring Nature in Essex," a series of  14 nature walks, kayak trips, lectures and educational programs to encourage Lower Connecticut River Valley residents to learn about nature and wildlife, the importance of protecting our environment,  and the need to support open space preservation and healthy habitats.$1,000

 

Franklin Academy, East Haddam,” The World Next Door:  Stewardship in the Chapman Pond Nature Preserve,” a program to provide student projects that will improve accessibility to the Chapman Pond Nature Preserve, encourage stewardship of the natural world and educate the public and school community about the history and nature of the Preserve. $1,025

 

Higganum Vision Group, Higganum, “Higganum Trails Project,” a project that will educate and connect the community to nature through improving trail signage and creating an interactive website of the village trail systems. $1,500

 

Mattabeseck Audubon Society, Middletown, "Everyone Outside: Curriculum & Docent Program for the Wadsworth Legacy Properties," to continue developing standard-based curriculum for the Wadsworth Legacy Properties, featuring hands-on exploration of the natural world, and to support a docent training program, which will enable economically disadvantaged students from four area schools to participate in interactive field trips. $$4,150

 

Middlesex Community College, Middletown, “Invasive Plant Education/Removal Techniques and Replacement with Native Shrubs,” a project which offers educational opportunities for students and staff of Middlesex Community College, as well members of the local community, to understand the problems created by invasive plants, learn how to identify and remove invasive species, and determine how to properly maintain a renovated area. The project will provide a viable forest edge, access to the college nature trail and promote a sustainable and ecologically sound campus. $1,600

 

New Britain Youth Museum at Hungerford Park & Van Buren Moody School, Middletown, "Living Things on the Earth," to provide hands-on, live animal programs to augment the K-2 Science curriculum at school and during visits to the Hungerford site. $2,000

 

North End Action Team, Middletown, “North End Kids Market,”  an intern program designed to  assist in the organization of the ongoing North End Kids Market program (farmers  market). This program is helping to increase food security by providing locally grown food to children and by supporting environmental and agricultural education. The program teaches local youth about nutrition, budgeting and the relationship between natural resource conservation, agricultural practices and food security. $3,000

 

Regional School District 13 Outdoor Education Center, Durham, "Everyone Outside Program," to promote environmental stewardship through walks and activities that will connect people with the natural world including the creation of educational letterboxes. The program will also enhance information about the Wadsworth Legacy Properties on the Everyone Outside website, and will create audio recordings of social and natural history. $4,525

 

THE ROCKFALL FOUNDATION 2010-2011 GRANTS AWARDS

ARTFARM, Middletown, Circus for a Fragile Planet SUBMERGED! to support a new touring educational circus in Middlesex County and the northeast for the next two years, providing direct environmental education about local and global issues involving water. $2,500

Camp Hazen YMCA, Chester, Geocaching: Discovering nature - one treasure at a time, to expand and formalize Camp Hazen's Geocaching program. $1,200

Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, Inc., Middletown, Rain Gardens: A How-to Demonstration Project, to demonstrate for landscape management professionals and homeowners how to design and construct rain gardens, in Old Saybrook and in collaboration with the Old Saybrook Conservation Commission and UConn NEMO program. $750 

 

Durham/Middlefield Youth and Family Services, Middlefield, PEAK: Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids, for a week- long summer program for children grades 3-5 to learn the importance of protecting land for recreational uses. Children will learn how to be safe and prepared for adventures outdoors as well as learn the impact of making responsible decisions when participating in outdoor activities. $600

 

Environmental Coginchaug Organization -ECO, Durham, Athletic Complex Recycling Project, to support the recycling program at the Coginchaug Regional High School’s newly renovated athletic complex. $500

 

Essex Land Trust, Essex, Conserving Essex's Natural Beauty, to plan 21 nature walks, kayak trips, lectures and educational programs to encourage Essex residents, young and old, to get outside, enjoy nature, and protect the lower Connecticut River Valley. $1,000

 

Essex Town Park & Recreation Department, Essex, Essex Great Outdoors Pursuit, for a collaborative effort between Essex Parks & Recreation and the Essex Land Trust to offer an eight-part series of outdoor and conservation programs based at a variety of parks and open space preserves in Essex. $250

 

Green Street Arts Center, Middletown, After School Arts & Science Program, to fund Wesleyan University interns, who will serve in the Center’s science and environmental after-school programs for Middletown youth. $2,500

 

Mattabeseck Audubon Society, Middletown, Everyone Outside: Curriculum & Docent Program for the Wadsworth Legacy Properties, to develop and revise standard-based curriculum for the Wadsworth Legacy Properties featuring hands-on exploration of the natural world, and to support a docent training program, which will enable economically disadvantaged students from four area schools to participate in interactive field trips. $5,750

 

New Britain Youth Museum at Hungerford Park & Van Buren Moody School, Middletown, Living Things on the Earth, to provide hands-on, live animal programs to augment the K-2 Science curriculum at school and during visits to the Hungerford site. $2,000

 

Old Saybrook Middle School, Old Saybrook, Greenhouse, for students to use the existing greenhouse and grounds at OSMS to grow fruits and vegetables and have them served in the town’s school cafeterias. $675

 

Regional School District 13 Outdoor Education Center, Durham, Everyone Outside Program, to enhance information about the Wadsworth Legacy Properties on the Everyone Outside website, create audio recordings of social and natural history and lead four public walks. $2,750

 

Russell Library's Green Children, Middletown, Growing Together Across Generations, to partner Green Children with Middletown seniors to grow flowering plants from seed, share their experiences of gardening and explore personal stories about Middletown's past. $550

 

THE ROCKFALL FOUNDATION GRANTS 2009-10

 

Connecticut Forest & Park Association, WalkCT Program - Middlesex County Representation on WalkCT Website to collect and publish trail information for towns in Middlesex County on this statewide walking locations and healthy lifestyles website.

 

Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, Promoting Water & Watershed Conservation: A Rain Barrel Demonstration Project to raise awareness about an inexpensive and easy to use green practice. 

 

Connecticut River Museum, Interpretive Signage Program, Phase I to educate the public about the natural heritage of the Connecticut River and the Essex waterfront.

 

Deep River Public Library, Greening Library Sprouts in Deep River to create an organic garden on the grounds of the Deep River Public Library to engage children and their parents as learners, explorers, leaders, and nurturers.

 

Town of East Haddam, Green Committee Organic Victory Garden to convert underutilized land into an educational organic garden in keeping with East Haddam's historical agrarian rural character while supplementing the local Food Bank with fresh produce.

 

East Hampton Library, Fribrary Time Goes Green! to educate 4th and 5th graders on ways to preserve and protect the environment and effect positive change in attitudes and behavior through a year-long series of hands-on, age-appropriate activities.

 

Essex Garden Club, Inc., John Winthrop Middle School Greenhouse and Raised Bed Gardening Project to educate students about healthy and sustainable gardening practices and share harvests with the community.

 

Haddam Land Trust, Bamforth Wildlife Preserve: Wildlife Habitats Trail to create National Park Service style signage in cooperation with Haddam-Killingworth High School students to educate the public about local wildlife habitats and sustainable management techniques.

 

Incarnation Center’s Bushy Hill Program, Living Off the Land: The Magic of Fire to introduce students to the basic skills of cooking and production of household products through the Native American and Wetlands Program.

 

Independent Day School, School Garden and Empty Bowls Projects to cultivate an organic school garden and support food pantries in Middlesex County as part of an interdisciplinary standards-based curriculum project for students in kindergarten- 8th grade to learn about organic, sustainable food.

 

Middlefield Memorial School, Stewardship of the Natural World Through Education and Experience at Wadsworth Legacy Properties to create a standards-based curriculum to get students and families outside for hands-on education about the natural world so that they can become stewards of the environment; initiate a docent program to encourage area schools and families to come to the properties. 

 

New Britain Youth Museum At Hungerford Park, Environmental Education Program: Live Animal Programs for Kindergarteners at Moody School to provide classroom and hands-on, live animal programs to augment the Kindergarten Science curriculum to increase vocabulary, science literacy, and awareness of the natural world.

 

Regional School District 13 Outdoor Education Center, Interactive Website for Wadsworth Legacy Properties to create an interactive website where it will be possible to click on different map locations to learn about local plants, trees, animals, ecology, and history; and where teachers, docents and the public can print out information, curriculum and suggested activities.

 

Higganum Vision Group, Higganum Vision Group - Community Building Projects to encourage development to preserve natural and cultural resources, and improve pedestrian/bike safety to create a lively community where people live, work and play.