The Jonah Center for Earth and Art is working to restore and preserve ecologically significant areas in Middletown. Our primary focus areas are the 400-acre “Floating Meadows” tidal wetland at the confluence of the Mattabesset and Coginchaug Rivers; the North End Peninsula, site of the closed landfill and the city’s recycling center; and the “green corridor” along the lower Coginchaug River between Veterans Park and the North End Peninsula. Preserving these areas will provide opportunities for outdoor recreation; protect wildlife habitats; and serve as an outdoor classroom for environmental and energy-related studies. We intend to beautify and attract visitors to the North End Peninsula and Veterans Park through eco-friendly landscape design and environmental art.

In our brief history, we have become a key environmental “watchdog” and advocacy organization in our community. We have facilitated the city’s acquisition of a 21 acre parcel of riverfront open space; partnered with Wesleyan University’s Environmental Studies program in constructing an online biodiversity database for Middletown; and brought together business partners to finance and develop a landfill methane recovery and electricity generation project on the North End Peninsula. Through these projects and others (see the “News” page) we inform and mobilize our community to protect the beauty and health of Middletown for all its human and nonhuman inhabitants.

NEW! Learn about the Middletown Biodiversity Database!