Quinnipiac River Watershed Association
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Announcement for 2024/2025

The Cuno Foundation has awarded a grant in the amount of $20,000 to the QRWA for the Control and Management of the invasive water chestnut on Hanover Pond. Additionally, the Meriden Parks and Recreation Department has allocated $10,000 toward the project as well. The project will begin in early summer of 2025. 


River Gage

  • Click here for a real time USGS water level gage of the river in Wallingford, Connecticut.
  • Click here for a water level gage of the river in Southington, Connecticut.
The QRWA Headquarters is located in South Meriden, CT at 540 Oregon Road, 06451.  If you are familiar with the area,our headquarters was once the Meriden Human Society, and formerly the Dossin Beach Bathhouse in 1933. We have restored the building to serve as our headquarters and a regional environmental education center. You may reach us by email at qrwainfo@att.net or by phone at  203-237-2237.





Who Are We and What Do We Do?

The Quinnipiac River Watershed Association provides “hands on” environmental and recreational programs to students in grades K-12 and TWO,  2  day water safety and canoe rescue courses to Quinnipiac University students every September.  We also host semi -Annual River clean up events, and provide paddling lessons, guided tours and recreational activities to families within the watershed. We are regulars at the Quinnipiac and West River festivals, and are well known in CT for our 5 mile downriver canoe and kayak race. We are always seeking volunteers to assist with launching boats, experienced paddlers for public events and to expand our river clean up efforts to other towns in the watershed. QRWA Receives 3M Environmental Grant - Grant will be used for 3M/QRWA High School Environmental Education Programs. (photos from May 13, field trip to Hanover Pond)

The Quinnipiac River Watershed Association received a $20,000 grant from 3M to enhance its Biodiversity and Ecology Education Programs for the Quinnipiac River. QRWA and 3M continue their relationship by adding a partnership with Meriden High Schools in providing environmental education programs where students in the watershed and beyond will be able to participate in field trips, classroom activities, hands on projects, and independent studies, that will connect them to the environment, the community and the river.

With the financial support of 3M, QRWA and Maloney High School Environmental Science teacher Mark Britton will lead the project and invite the other area high schools to participate in these programs and throughout the school year. The programs will be offered during regular school hours utilizing the schools buses to transport students to site locations. With these educational programs students will be able to participate in experiments to support theories and concepts explained in the classroom. The QRWA Headquarters, located on the shore of Hanover Pond, the Quinnipiac River and the Meriden Linear Trail provides the perfect staging area for field trips, hands-on projects and water quality studies. 

The following includes the 3M/QRWA High School Environmental Education Programs but not limited to:

  • Expanded Rapid Bioassessment by Volunteers (RBV) 
  • Independent Study/Personalized Learning Experience
  • Create a self- guided nature trail at Hanover Pond
  • Create a 100’ x 30’ educational riparian buffer
  • Design & Design & Construct a catamaran research vessel 
  • Trout in the Classroom Program

    • 3M Purification Inc. is located in Meriden, CT at 400 Research Parkway.  For more information about 3Mgives visit www.3Mgives.com   

    On behalf of the QRWA board of directors we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Joe Struble at 3M Purification Inc. in Meriden for his continued encouragement and support of the QRWA and its mission.

    The Quinnipiac River Watershed Association was awarded a $48,000 Aquatic Science Education Grant by 3M Corporation on Monday, March 21, 2016. 
    We are equally proud to include 2 classes of Wallingford's Lyman Hall students to this year's field trip program along with Maloney High School and elementary level students. Students will learn how to collect and ID macro invertebrates, conduct water quality experiments, and release trout they raised in the classroom. At the end of the day QRWA volunteers will give the students an introduction to kayaking where they will test their skills on Hanover Pond. The 3M/QRWA/Environmental Education programs have also made the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) and Personalize Learning Experience (PLE) programs available to students at Meriden's Maloney and Platt High Schools.  Summer program to include Solar Youth of New Haven's after school and summer camp students.  




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    Sunday, February 23rd, 2025 - Educational Wildlife Walk at Quinnipiac River State Park at 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.   

    Meet at end of Banton Street North Haven CT
    Peter Picone, a wildlife biologist for the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and a volunteer who serves on the board of directors for the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association, will lead an exploratory walk at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 23rd,2025 starting at the entrance to Quinnipiac River State Park on Banton Street.

    "The walk is to help educate the public on the value of those areas and the wildlife along the Quinnipiac River," Picone explained. According to Picone, there are various types of wildlife and plants unique to this area and this season. He added that he's hoping there will be a couple of inches of snow on the ground." 

    If there's snow, we look for tracks," Picone said. "We look for the presence of activity. We also look at the plants found there. Some plants provide winter cover, some provide winter food." 

    The area Picone plans to trek is known to be a wintering area for the northern saw-whet owl, the smallest owl found in Connecticut. The walk is mostly on level ground. No dogs allowed on the walk.

    Contact RSVP Peter Picone 860-919-7236



    The Cuno Foundation has awarded a grant in the amount of $20,000 to the QRWA for the Control and Management of the invasive water chestnut on Hanover Pond. Additionally, the Meriden Parks and Recreation Department has allocated $10,000 toward the project as well. The project will begin in early summer of 2025. 


    Thanks to the efforts and hard work by Denis Lewis in pointing out the problematic areas with fishing line tangled in trees and the dangers to wildlife the Meriden Linear Trail Advisory Committe will be helping QRWA with this project by installing two fishing line receptables. One will be in the area just above Red Bridge and the second one in front of the parking lot at Dossin Beach entering the trail going towards Wilcox.   QRWA partnered with Trout Unlimited and have installed one behind the QRWA building by shore at our canoe launch and one down in the area where paddlers disembark when we have the canoe and kayak race.

    With the help from Trout Unlimited we plan to put a third one over by the short path that leads down to the water from the trail.


    QRWA is once again a supporting partner for the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) 12th biennial symposium, which will be held in person at UConn Student Union in Storrs, CT on October 29, 2024. Sessions include a variety of techniques for management of terrestrial and aquatic invasives, as well as restoration with native alternatives. CEU's for organizations and Pesticide Recertification Credits are available. Early Registration $75 (by Sept. 20); Regular Registration $85; Students - $35. 


    For more information and registration go to https://cipwg.uconn.edu/2024-symposium/  for any further questions, please contact alyssa.siegel-miles@uconn.edu.


    Past symposia have always been well attended, both in person and virtually. The symposium is beneficial to people from a diverse array of backgrounds, including land care and natural resource professionals, landscape architects, members of conservation organizations, community volunteers, master gardeners, home gardeners, and town committee members. The program will be similar to preceding years, with some sessions directed to all attendees and other sessions in concurrent breakouts. Attendees will choose two breakout sessions to attend during the event. Pesticide Recertification Credits and Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) for multiple organizations will be available.


    Our apologies - the race results will not post correctly. If you are a FB user please go to the QRWA Group FB page to get the resluts.

    Sunday, May 19th, 2024, is our 44th Downriver Kayak and Canoe Race. Longest Running Canoe & Kayak Race in Connecticut! Race Day Registration – 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Registration Fee $20.00 per Paddler START Time - 11:00 a.m. Starting Line and Registration Station located by taking I- 691 West Exit 4 onto Rt. 322 West and travel 2 miles to Cheshire/Southington line to DOT Parking Lot. Finish Line is Red Bridge, South Meriden. Parking on the Lawn at QRWA Building, 540 Oregon Rd. Meriden.

    Check out the QRiver Canoeable Trail

    Connecticut Native Perennial, Tree & Shrub Availability List

    A friendly note about drones over Hanover Pond. While the videos can capture beautiful scenery around the pond, we must mindful and concerned that a drone can be harmful or discouraging to wildlife particularly during nesting season.  

    Wildlife Speaker Series to resume in September with guest speaker Master Wildlife Conservationist Ginny Apple Program starts at 6:30 p.m. at the QRWA Headquarters located at 540 Oregon Road, Meriden, CT 

    The Invasive Water Chestnut: Research and grant funding is being pursued by QRWA for the control and management of the invasive water chestnut appearing on Hanover Pond. For the past four years Lyman Hall students have been manually removing the pods, but this has become a larger challenge that will require professional control and management of the invasive species Some grant deadlines have already passed but we will continue to seek funding to begin treatment in time for the first blooms this spring. Updates will be forthcoming.  Any question may be directed to Ginny Chirsky via our contact form on this website.  

    We are no longer offering Pay Pal as a feature to pay your membership renewal or to join QRWA. And we are no longer have supplies to fulfill the pictured items with a new membership, however, all membership renewals and new membership will receive a QRWA membership card. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we thank you for your understanding in these necessary changes.  Please make your check payable to QRWA and mail to PO Box 2825, Meriden, CT 06450 

    A New Home for Bats Welcome to the Watershed - In its ongoing efforts to restore the watershed to ecological balance, the QRWA found an ally in Platt High School’s CT Climate Action Club to provide much needed habitat for Connecticut’s stressed bat population.  In recent years the numbers of these ecologically important and beneficial creatures have diminished due to habitat destruction and the ravages of white nose syndrome.

    A collaborative effort “To the Bat Cave, Students” was speared-headed and managed by students who enlisted the collaboration of experts from the ecological community, the CT DEEP, the Meriden Parks and Recreation Department as well as QRWA and several of its members.  Students also raised all the funds for the project through Donor’s Choose – within a week!The result, after a year much effort and many challenges, is a bat house standing tall along the Quinnipiac River Dossin Beach that can potentially house nearly a thousand bats.  






     Watch Videoof Ms. Robles 5th Grade Class Hanover School Field Trip May 5th, 2017

    Turtle Rescue and Vet Information
    If you find an injured or healthy turtle in need of assistance, please contact Deb Mason at 203-494-7610. If more immediate attention is needed Kensington Vet will take injured box turtles. They are located at 977 Farmington Avenue, Berlin, CT they are open from 8 to 5. Phone number is 860-828-7736.


     

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