updates

My Environmental Story: An End of a Chapter

Author: Khadija Shaikh

This summer, I got an internship with a newly grant-funded project, the Connecticut Trail Finder. It was the first environmental-related job I ever held and to say I am sad that it is ending today would be an understatement. You see, this summer was not only a positive experience but a healthy one. I was grateful enough to learn about resilience, perseverance, and assertiveness. The rapport that was established between me and my supervisors was one I had dreamed about when first entering the workforce. 

 

Being a Muslim Indian woman who chooses to wear Hijab, it can quite difficult for me to believe in myself and be proud of the career path I have chosen. It is not just due to the stereotypical Indian parental and societal pressures but also because of the lack of representation in the environmental field. Just recently did I declare myself an environmentalist because for so long I never really understood how a Muslim Indian woman who chooses to wear Hijab fit into this dominating white discipline. Instead, of positive experiences, I hear of marginalized members being mistreated and tokenized in the workplace due to their lack of matching the stereotypical white, male, “tree-hugger vegan” of an environmentalist. Due to these encounters and insecurities, I was fearful to apply for an internship, afraid that I would quickly join the group of discriminated marginalized environmentalists. However, this fear lessened as I began my summer internship. 

 

My supervisors have continuously and constantly supported and encouraged me to be a “go-getter”. From even before I started my internship, during my interview, I remember feeling at ease speaking with them about my passions, experiences, and career goals. They responded with such excitement and with such cheer that it felt like they wanted what was best for me. I really appreciated that. At the beginning of each week, my supervisors would check in with me to establish the goals and priorities for the week, but also see how I was doing mentally and emotionally. This summer was intense for personal reasons, however, the relationship I had with my supervisors allowed me to be honest during my weekly check-ins and know that my supervisors were my advocates

 

The summer internship was not all easy though, it challenged me. As I mentioned previously, I learned what it meant to be assertive and how important it is to be. Prior to this internship, I was passive when relaying my ideas and opinions, I would never come forth with my own until I felt comfortable enough to and even then, that was rare. I wasn’t brought up in a household where I could freely speak my mind, and with the lack of diverse representation in the environmental field, it felt even harder to be able to feel valued enough to voice my concerns. However, the team I worked with during my internship made it a point to ask me for my thoughts and for what my goals were for the internship. It was a relationship in where my team members wanted me to grow and thrive. I felt appreciated and as if I ever needed help, there would be plenty of people more than willing to offer. 

 

This summer I got an internship. One that provided me with an expectation of a healthy work environment, role models who exhibit perseverance, and values of assertiveness and honesty. I am thankful for this experience, however, I am a bit upset that it was such a great one because now it will be ending. I know it is for the best, I have opportunities lined up for the future, but now I have this expectation and knowledge of what it’s like to work in a place where you are encouraged constantly to speak your mind and push for the projects that you want to make happen. I just hope that I continue to have experiences such as this one. 

 

Thank you Kimberly Bradley and Laura Brown for your endless support and love, I appreciate both of you. Thank you to the rest of the CT Trails Team and partners, I have had such a wonderful time working with all of you, I hope our paths cross sometime soon. 

 

As we say farewell to Khadija Shaikh for all of her time and hard work, we also would like to say if you ever want to contact us, please feel free to at trails@uconn.edu

Making Connections in Keney Park

Author: Stephanie Stroud

Keney Park is a place with a fascinating history. It is one of the biggest designed landscapes in the United States, and it was designed by the famous “Founder of Landscape Architecture,” Frederick Law Olmsted, in his very own birthplace of Hartford, CT! 

Today, this gem of a park offers woodland trails, sweeping grassy views, playgrounds, golf, and much more. It is the home of the Keney Park Sustainability Project, where founder Herb Virgo is working to create the next generation of healthy, productive, and environmentally conscious citizens. Keney Park may also be the missing link to safely connect North Hartford residents and visitors with their local riverfront for recreation—whether by foot, bike, scooter, wheelchair, or other modes of travel!    

The City of Hartford has been awarded a grant of planning assistance from the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) to help explore options to safely connect North Hartford neighborhoods and Keney Park visitors to the Connecticut River. Sometimes people may not know that they have an incredible park in their own neighborhood, and even if they do visit the park, they may not know all of the great amenities it has to offer! We hope to share all of the close-to-home opportunities that are available at Keney Park with Hartford residents, while also exploring community ideas for how to improve connectivity and discover what else their local park may be able to offer. 

This past June, members of the PATHS (People Active on Trails for Health and Sustainability) team joined the Keney Park Sustainability Project and the City of Hartford on a bike ride to explore Keney Park. CT Trail Finder and Trail Census coordinator, Kimberly Bradley, and Stephanie Stroud took some awesome photos shown below!

We are looking very forward to the journey to Keney Park!  As always if you have any feedback, please let us know at trails@uconn.edu

CT Trail Finder: How to Turn it into an App!

Author: Kimberly Bradley

Hello everyone! On behalf of the Connecticut Trail Finder team, I have an announcement to make: there is a way to make the Connecticut Trail Finder Website an app on your phone! Though it is not an application you can download through the app store on your device, it is instead a way to bookmark the website to visually resemble an app on your home screen. Below I have listed the instructions based on your browser:

Instructions if your browser is Safari (iPhone’s browser)

  1. Go to www.cttrailfinder.com on Safari
  2. Click the upload button at the bottom of the screen
  3. Scroll down the pop-up menu until you see the option “Add to Home Screen”
  4. Click on the option “add to your home screen” and adjust the title/name to what you prefer
  5. Click the “Add” button in the top right corner
  6. This should redirect you to your home screen where you can now see the website as an application and can move it as one

Instructions if your browser is Google Chrome

  1. Go to www.cttrailfinder.com on Google Chrome
  2. Click the three dots in the top right corner
  3. Find and click on the option “Add to Home Screen” on the pop-up menu
  4. Adjust the title/name to what you prefer
  5. Click the “Add” button
  6. Click “Add automatically” on the new pop-up menu
  7. This should redirect you to your home screen where you can now see the website as an application and can move it as one

Instructions if your browser is Firefox

  1. Go to www.cttrailfinder.com on Firefox
  2. Click the three dots in the lower right corner
  3. Find and click on the option “Install” on the pop-up menu
  4. Click “Add automatically” on the pop-up menu
  5. This should redirect you to your home screen where you can now see the website as an application and can move it as one

Instructions if your browser is Samsung Internet Browser

  1. Go to www.cttrailfinder.com on Samsung Internet Browser
  2. Click the three-bar button in the lower right corner
  3. Find and click on the option “Add Page to” on the pop-up menu
  4. Click on the option “Home Screen” on the new pop-up menu
  5. Click “Add automatically” on the new pop-up menu
  6. This should redirect you to your home screen where you can now see the website as an application and can move it as one

 

We are very excited to be able to let you know about this update! If you run into any issues, please let us know at trails@uconn.edu