ELICKER ON BOARD The Land Trust owns 80 acres of land comprised of wetlands, forests, grasslands. The Land Trust doesn’t simply preserve these lands by leaving them alone; the group’s restorative efforts seek to undo the harm of human activity through remediation and increasing biodiversity.
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BARNARD ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MAGNET SCHOOL
ABRAHAM RIBICOFF
LIBERTY SAVE HAVEN
MCCONAUGHY TERRACE
EDGEWOOD MAGNET SCHOOL
MOUNTAIN VALLEY
WILLIAM ST. GARDEN
WOOSTER SQUARE GARDEN
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JUSTIN ELICKER, SOM ’10 FES ’10, IS KEEPING busy as the new executive director of the New Haven Land Trust, an environmental organization dedicated to the three-pronged mission of managing community gardens, overseeing forest preserves, and educating the community.
ANN STREET GARDEN
MANSFIELD GARDEN
GARDEN IN THE PARK
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CARMEL STREET GARDEN
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STALLWORTH GARDEN
WINCHESTER GARDEN
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LA
E W
LA ND
HA VE N
IN
NE W
ENGLISH STREET GARDEN
BIOREGIONAL GARDEN
GRAND ACRES
NEW TEEN WARRIORS
RUOPPOLO MANOR
CRAWFORD MANOR
ST. ROSE PARISH
CHAPELSEED
GOATVILLE GARDEN
STARR STREET GARDEN GROUP
IVY ST.-BLOCKWATCH #627
GREEN GARDEN OF HAZEL STREET
DIXWELL AVE. COMMUNITY HOUSE
REDFIELD ST.-BW# 463
PEACE GARDEN
MARTIN LUTHER KING
DAVENPORT CHILDREN'S GARDEN
ABC CHILDREN'S GARDEN
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In total, 50 community gardens, under the leadership of the Land Trust, are peppered throughout New Haven. Members of the community—youth groups, the elderly, and denizens of each neighborhood—work the land to mainly grow vegetables. This “greening” of the city turns vacant city lots into vibrant growing spaces that provide food, fresh air, and a space for the community to gather in the process. Elicker’s backyard chickens don’t even begin to cover the urban ag taking root in New Haven.
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Environmental education is at the heart of the Land Trust’s organization philosophy, manifested most explicitly in nature walks and a school-aged based curriculum about the group’s work. Elicker’s time as a teacher and his involvement with environmental education groups like Friends of East Rock Park make educational opportunities ripe for expansion under his leadership.