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Acknowledgments

The acknowledgements this year must note with prominence the retirement of Karl Wagener in July of 2018. For over 30 years Karl shepherded the Council with exceptional dedication and insight.

He is widely recognized for his expertise regarding the state’s environment and the laws and regulations created to protect it, many of which resulted from initiatives, launched by the Council when he was Executive Director. A partial list includes a law to provide safeguards for core forest or prime farm soils when solar energy facilities are built, increased penalties for unauthorized tree cutting on protected lands, and mapping to protect previously un-mapped lands along state highways that had been acquired as "scenic buffers". A list of many of the reports and initiatives launched when Karl was Executive Director can be found on the Council's website.

All who collaborated with Karl quickly appreciated his keen insights and problem solving skills. His sense of humor and kindness made those collaborations a pleasure.

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The Council appreciates the assistance of the many people in the Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), Transportation, and Public Health and the Connecticut Siting Council who provided data and to DEEP technical staff who assisted in creating this online version of the Report.

The Council especially thanks the many citizens, businesses, and organizations who offered information and viewpoints to the Council throughout the year.

The Council also appreciates the work of its Executive Director, Peter Hearn, and its Environmental Analyst, Paul Aresta, in drafting this report for review by the Council and preparing the final version for publication.

The Council notes the valuable contributions of these four Trinity College interns in 2018 and early 2019: Blair Frantz (a 2017 graduate), Rafal Szacilowski, Colbie Cook, Jackson Ruprecht and Paul MacGillis-Falcon (University of Connecticut).

Image Credits: The "overheating earth" symbol used to denote indicators affected by climate change was created by Tracey Saxby, Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

The photograph of the Chimney Swift on the Good Air Days page was taken by Julian Hough; the Scarlet Tanager on the Forest and Forest Birds page was taken by A. J. Hand; the Osprey on the Bald Eagle page is part of a photograph taken by Anastasia Zinkerman; the Ruffed Grouse on the Turtles and Grouse page is part of a photograph taken by Paul Fusco; and the image of the Asian tiger mosquito on the Invasions page was provided by James Gathany and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Council greatly appreciates their generosity in allowing the use of these excellent photographs in this report.