NORWALK – Manresa Island Corp., the nonprofit organization that is redeveloping the former Connecticut Light & Power and NRG power plant into the Manresa Wilds park, on May 29 formally announced its Research & Education Station that will be at the site.
Anchored by a consortium between the nonprofit and five leading scientific and educational institutions — Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Wesleyan University, Sacred Heart University, and the Norwalk Board of Education — R.E.S.A. will support the next generation of scientists and environmental stewards while helping expand Connecticut’s capacity for long-term coastal research and climate resilience work. The nonprofit is investing $500,000 in initial grants.
“Today I joined @manresa_wilds, the @ct_decd, @senatorduff , The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, @norwalkschoolsct, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Wesleyan University, and @sacredheartuniversity to launch the Research & Education Station at Manresa Wilds, or R.E.S.A.” Norwalk Mayor Barbara Smyth wrote in a Facebook post.
“Together these organizations bring together expertise in oceanography, marine education, environmental science, the humanities, and K-12 learning, creating a truly unique research and education ecosystem rooted at Manresa Wilds,” she continued. “They are expanding environmental learning and scientific research while helping cultivate the next generation of researchers, educators, and environmental stewards.”
She joined Jessica Vonashek, executive director of Manresa Island Corp., state Sen. Bob Duff and researchers and members of the Manresa Island Corp. team aboard the WHOI’s research vessel R/V Tioga — a 60-foot coastal research ship that docked at Veteran’s Memorial Park and Marina and has supported scientific work across the Northeast for two decades.
The station will focus on education and programming to allow students and scientists to work together to preform outdoor field studies.
A major new investment in coastal research, environmental education, and workforce development for the state, R.E.S.A. is training the next generation of scientists and environmental stewards through fieldwork, coursework, and direct engagement.
The final vision of the 125-acre Manresa Wilds waterfront park was officially introduced to the public in February by city philanthropists Austin and Allison McChord along with its price tag of $410 million to remediate and transform the site. Manresa Wilds is expected to welcome people of all ages to reconnect with the waterfront by 2035.
