OLD LYME — In its first year, Estuary, a quarterly magazine headquartered in Old Lyme, Conn., available in both print and online versions, has published over 50 in-depth stories about science (in lay-reader terms), history, personalities, wildlife and opportunities for recreation in the Connecticut River watershed.
The magazine also reports on major environmental trends and current events in the watershed.
This environmental start-up recently partnered with the Connecticut River Conservancy in Greenfield, Mass. to raise $50,000 in a seed grant from The Endeavor Foundation of New York City, N.Y.
The grant was awarded to the Center for International Management Education (CIME), a 501(c)3 based in Old Lyme, which was founded in 1990 by Barbara and Dick Shriver to, “Promote democracy and free enterprise inside the Soviet Union.”
The CIME non-profit is the parent of Old Lyme’s Mentoring Corps for Community Development (MCCD). Dick Shriver is the president of CIME.
Dick Shriver, Publisher of ‘Estuary’ magazine and president of Center for International Management Education (CIME).
The intent of the $50,000 grant is to develop the rationale, and lay the groundwork for, a ‘Connecticut River Watershed Ecological Restoration and Stewardship Collaborative,’ says Dick Shriver, the publisher of Estuary.
In addition to CIME and the Connecticut River Conservancy, the concept-development team also includes Audubon Vermont in Huntington, Vt.
Asked whether the grant would deal with any specific restoration efforts, Dick Shriver explained that was not the case, but rather, “The grant intends to demonstrate that greater collaboration between all of the governmental and non-profit efforts in the watershed — plus greater promulgation of what’s working — will improve the collective result [of their efforts.]
That result in turn, Shriver added, will hopefully, “… warrant a large multi-year Master Grant to institutionalize such collaboration and promulgation.”
The concept team is developing the case to attract a group of foundation and government funders to invest $25-$50 million in the watershed over a period of 10 years.
The collaborative is expected to operate as a pass-through grant with a bare-bones organization that evaluates proposals and distributes funds to restoration and stewardship projects, which maximize the future well-being of the Connecticut River watershed.
The watershed in this instance, Shriver noted, refers to, “The entire river, all tributaries, and the land that extends to the divide between neighboring watersheds such as the Housatonic, Hudson or Thames.”
Shriver commented, “We are extremely gratified by this contribution by The Endeavor Foundation to a brighter future for the 2 million people and incredible natural resources and wildlife of the watershed.”
Estuary’s delivery months for its print version are March, June, September and December; back issues and a blog are accessible online on its website at estuarymagazine.com.
For additional information about the seed grant, contact the project coordinator, Dr. Andrew Fisk, Executive Director, Connecticut River Conservancy, at afisk@ctriver.org.
For subscription information for Estuary magazine, visit estuarymagazine.com or contact Kyle Hudson, Director of Subscriptions at kyle@estuarymagazine.com.
