Acknowledgments

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Acknowledgments

The Council acknowledges the contributions of environmentalists that have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for all species on Earth. The Council especially wants to acknowledge Susan Merrow (Former Chair) who has provided wise guidance and inspirational leadership. Susan’s life work has revolved around public service and environmental public policy as a lobbyist, an elected official, a participant and leader of environmental non-profit organizations, and as former Chair of the Council. Susan was a former resident and First Selectman of East Haddam during a time the town tackled major water pollution problems and began its program of acquiring large tracts of open space. She was also a member of the East Haddam Conservation Commission and Eightmile River Wild and Scenic Coordinating Committee. Susan was the former President of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, and was on the Board for the Sierra Club and the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters.

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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, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the Connecticut Green Bank, and the Connecticut Siting Council who, annually, provide data for this report. 

It is appropriate to acknowledge the many individuals and organizations that have contributed greatly to the stewardship of Connecticut’s environment. This includes the many State employees who administered the environmental programs, put in place by the Legislature over the last five decades, who are now about to retire, or have retired, from a career of public service. The Council especially thanks the many citizens, businesses, and organizations who offered information and viewpoints about public policies, many of which led to the Council’s special reports over the years. The Council also appreciates the work of its Executive Director, Peter Hearn, and Paul Aresta, Environmental Analyst II, in drafting this report for review by the Council and preparing the final version for publication. The Council is appreciative of the work of Brigitte Vossler, Mari Cullerton, and Jamie Viens, the Council’s interns in 2020, who collected data that is referenced in the Report’s text. 
 
Image Credits: The "warming earth" symbol used to denote indicators affected by climate change was created by the Council. The images of the box turtle and bats were provided by Paul Fusco. The image of the Asian tiger mosquito was provided by Susan Ellis. The image of the map of Connecticut with the status of Ospreys’ nests was obtained from Connecticut Audubon, Osprey Nation Map. The image of the emerald ash borer map was produced by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The image on the cover of the Salmon River in East Hampton/Colchester was provided by Paul Aresta. The image of people hiking with masks was also provided by Paul Aresta. The Council greatly appreciates their generosity in allowing the use of these excellent images in this report.