News Releases

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• 7/28/2022 DEEP Seeks Community Participation in Annual Wild Turkey Brood Survey

• 1/5/2022 DEEP and City of Meriden Announce Food Scrap Co-Collection Pilot Program For 1,000 Households

  (HARTFORD)— The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the City of Meriden announced today the launch of “Making Meriden Green,” a first-of-its-kind municipal food scrap co-collection pilot program that will demonstrate how waste diversion and reduction solutions can help to address the statewide waste disposal crisis.

• 5/16/2022 CAES and DEEP Anticipate Heavy Spongy Moth* Defoliation in Litchfield County this Spring

  New Haven, CT - Connecticut’s Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) are cautioning residences in northern portions of Litchfield County to anticipate a heavy presence of spongy moth (formerly named gypsy moth) caterpillars this spring along with significant defoliation of hardwood trees. Spongy moth populations rose substantially in 2021 particularly in the Sharon-Cornwall area last year, and spongy moth caterpillars have begun to emerge.

• 2/16/2022 DEEP Announces $3 Million in Trail Grants For 20 Projects Across the State

  (HARTFORD)—Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today that it has awarded $3 million in grant funding through its Recreational Trails Grant Program for twenty projects to plan and design, build, expand, or enhance and improve multi-use trails across the state.

• 12/30/2022 Spend the First Day of 2023 Hiking in Connecticut’s State Parks and Forests

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) State Parks and its partners are encouraging people to get outside walking and hiking to enjoy nature on January 1st as Connecticut takes part in celebrating America’s State Parks First Day Hikes.

• 12/22/2022 Four Years On DEEP Continues to Build on 20BY20 Initiative

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today a suite of new online services and tools that continue the progress of DEEP’s “20BY20 Initiative,” a list of 20 measurable process improvements aimed at increasing predictability, efficiency, and transparency of DEEP’s regulatory processes. Though the initiative formally concluded at the end of 2020, it laid the foundation for process improvements the agency continues to make, including the new web-based tools announced today.

• 12/29/2022 2023 Connecticut Duck Stamp Reproductions Now Available

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce that the 2023 Connecticut Migratory Bird Conservation (Duck) Stamp, which features Connecticut artist Sophie Archer’s depiction of an Atlantic brant, is now available in limited quantity as a Conservation Edition Print. Sophie, of Old Lyme, is the two-time winner of the Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp contest.

• 12/16/2022 Connecticut’s Clean Energy Investments Helping to Reduce High Energy Costs

  (HARTFORD)—Amid historically high electricity prices this winter, Connecticut’s investments in clean energy are helping to reduce the burden of high energy costs on state residents.

• 6/28/2022 Fourth-of-July Weekend Beach Visitors Asked to “Fish, Swim, and Play from 50 Yards Away” of Bird Nesting Areas

  (HARTFORD)- Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is asking the public to help protect birds that nest in coastal areas by staying at least 50 yards away from places where large concentrations of birds are gathered and avoiding areas that are roped off or marked with signs designating nesting locations.

• 11/10/2022 Bishop Swamp Wildlife Management Area Adds Acreage

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pleased to announce that 284 acres in Hebron, formerly the Fracchia property, have been added to the 752-acre Bishop Swamp Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Andover and will be open for specific regulated hunting seasons starting this fall. Bishop Swamp WMA now consists of two sections: the original section in Andover and the new property acquisition nearby in Hebron. Abutting state lands include Gay City State Park (closed to hunting) and a section of Meshomasic State Forest that is open to hunting.

• 10/21/2022 DEEP Announces More than 1M in Fed Grant Funds Available for Clean Vehicle and Equipment Projects

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced the availability of up to $1,188,612 in federal funds for grants to local and state governments, as well as businesses and organizations, who want to replace large, older diesel engines and equipment with electric vehicle equivalents or newer, cleaner-burning engines.

• 9/21/2022 Visitor Center at Dinosaur State Park Reopens After Infrastructure Update

  (HARTFORD) – Bring a sense of wonder on your next visit to Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill! The Visitor Center recently reopened for indoor public visits and viewing of the dinosaur footprints trackway. The Visitor Center was closed for several months for an infrastructure modernization which included a complete replacement of its heating and air conditioning system.

• 9/16/2022 Regional Emergency Preparedness Exercise To Be Held in Capitol Region Sept. 17

  (HARTFORD)—Several emergency preparedness and response agencies are gathering on Saturday, September 17th in Windsor Locks to conduct a full-scale training exercise. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), State Emergency Response Commission, the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services (Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) and Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and Control), the Connecticut Military Department’s New England Disaster Training Center, the Town of Enfield, fire departments from Enfield and Windsor Locks, Hartford County Fire Coordinators, DEMHS Regional representatives and the Connecticut Capitol Regional Hazardous Materials Team. Other participating agencies include the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Coast Guard. Vinal Technical High School emergency management program students assisted with exercise logistics as part of their training.

• 12/29/2022 Dinosaur State Park Offers New Interactive Exhibits

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill is open during upcoming school vacations and encourages families to come visit new indoor and outdoor exhibits. The new outdoor StoryWalk® along with two new indoor exhibits that offer high-tech augmented graphics complement the visitor center’s 200-million-year-old fossil trackway containing over 750 dinosaur tracks, hands-on exhibits, local geological history, displays, animal encounters and more.

• 9/21/2022 DEEP Announces Opening Days of Fall Firearms Hunting Seasons

  (HARTFORD)- Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced the Opening Days of turkey and small game hunting seasons. A variety of hunting seasons are available each fall.