Monica Nunez Salas
URI Internship Year:
2018
Graduation Year:
2018
Degree:
MEM
Monica graduated F&ES with Masters of Environmental Management in 2018. Before coming to FES as a Fulbright Scholar, she worked for the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, supervising and training officials from local and regional governments, improving the implementation of their environmental control functions in matters of forestry and agricultural issues, among others.
A lawyer by training, Monica hopes to work across disciplines and help bridge communication gaps between private and public sector, project developers and communities, and among policy makers and science professionals.
Her focus at URI will be to support community leaders and help the residents of New Haven tailor adaptive solutions to achieve their common goals, while learning from the expertise of group leaders and encouraging participation of youth and women especially.
Group
Fair Haven Neighbors In Action
Westville Roundabout - The Roundabout Gardeners
Greenspace Log
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08/03/2018 |
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The group got together for their last workday of the season! They planted a Japanese Scholar tree in Poplar St, which will bring beautiful blooms next year |
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08/03/2018 |
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08/03/2018 |
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08/02/2018 |
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... and its a wrap! The season with Greenspace may have ended, but the work and commitment sure have not. Nikki, her family and community will continue to beautify this space and congregate friends around maintenance and exciting plans for 2019! |
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08/02/2018 |
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For the last meeting of the summer, the volunteers met back at the Urban Oasis to work on maintenance and plant a brand new Black Gum tree and two Ninebark shrubs. Black Gums are native and provide both shelter and food for birds, who will for sure be happy with the new addition! |
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08/01/2018 |
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The group got together to plant a flowering underwire tree next to Triangle Park. Can't wait to see it in bloom! |
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08/01/2018 |
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07/31/2018 |
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Its been a fantastic summer for Sherman Parkway! Not only have the neighbors invested a number of hours and commitment into this space, but they've also gain recognition from community members and organizers around all of New Haven. Kim received the visit of her former classmate Phillip during the workday today, who came all the way from East Haven to congratulate the group! |
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07/28/2018 |
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The group got together very early to work in the roundabout, and a curbside on Pendleton St |
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07/27/2018 |
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The group got together to beautify a curbside on Lloyd St |
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07/26/2018 |
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Rain or shine, the group had planned to plant three new trees on the Mid Bridge area during this workday. Fellow greenspace group Friends of East Rock park volunteers attended and helped not only with planting but with general maintenance. The group was sueprised with heavy rain while planting the trees, but could not be stopped! |
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07/26/2018 |
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Welcome home, Saucer Magnolia tree! As with any exciting birth, the tree had only been planted for a couple of minutes before it acquired a healthy social media presence. |
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07/25/2018 |
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The group planted a Horse Chestnut tree to match the plantings in the back of Bayview Park |
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07/24/2018 |
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The group worked on the Boulevard beds, Pendleton beds and planted a shrub in the Ellsworth bed |
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07/21/2018 |
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The group got together to weed around the boulevard beds and assess further work. Not surprisingly, they could not resist picking up some of the trash. Cheers to beautiful and clean neighborhoods! |
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07/21/2018 |
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The group had an amazing big planting day! Planting and mulching an entire garden bed in one day isn't easy, but this committed bunch of volunteers did an impressive job in shortly under 2 hours. A mix of purple and bright green shrubs mark the structure of the bed, filled with beautiful flowering perennials in the same colors. The result is outstanding an marks a great start for Sherman Parkway's new look. |
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07/20/2018 |
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07/19/2018 |
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Volunteers focused their efforts on the Urban Oasis this week. The area of this garden, now supported by various organizations with the purpose of providing a safe haven for birds and pollinators, was once paved and therefore makes it a real challenge to work on. The group, however, managed to plant 9 different evergreen shrubs: including hollies, red cedars and mountain laurel - which will provide shelter even during the coldest months! |
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07/19/2018 |
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Continuing their work outside the garden beds, and following Ivan's suggestion of planting a tree in the middle of the lot, the group has finally chosen an 8 ft Saucer Magnolia tree that will be planted next week - this is not a simple task! The soil in the lot still holds challenges from its former life: asphalt and foundation make it hard to dig and plant. Therefore, this week the group focused its efforts on digging the hole for the Magnolia, knowing that it would take many hours of work! Cheers to Aaron, the shoveled hero of the day. |
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07/18/2018 |
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First tree of the season! A 6ft tall Eastern Red Cedar to match the evergreens on the back of Bayview Park |
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07/18/2018 |
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The group got together to work on a shady curbside on Elm St ! |
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07/14/2018 |
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07/14/2018 |
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In what was probably the most exciting day of the season, the group planted a Cherry tree in West Park Ave. Can't wait to see it in bloom! |
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07/14/2018 |
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07/14/2018 |
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07/14/2018 |
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07/14/2018 |
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07/14/2018 |
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07/12/2018 |
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The group had such a large number of volunteers this week, that they were able to work on two different areas of the park: the Urban Oasis and the Mid Bridge. Group leader Stephanie Fitzgerald led the efforts on the Urban Oasis, where the brave group of volunteers did some weeding despite the presence of poison ivy. In the Mid Bridge, Frank Fitzgerald and Pat Syverstsen led maintenance and watering efforts for all new trees! |
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07/12/2018 |
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The group continued to spread mulch around previously planted trees, and secure them with tree stakes to protect from lawn mowers. Oyster Point takes tree stakes very seriously.. |
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07/12/2018 |
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Things got serious when the group received a delivery of 4 yards of mulch. At a first glance, the area of the garden seems small - but it demands a great deal of maintenance! Armed with buckets and shovels, the volunteers spread most of the mulch around their plantings, and decided to leave some in preparation for the big planting of the year: a large multi-stem tree in the middle of the plot! |
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07/10/2018 |
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This week, the group worked at the Brownell beds |
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07/10/2018 |
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07/10/2018 |
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07/10/2018 |
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07/10/2018 |
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Preparing for July and August work on the Urban Oasis, members of the groups met with Chris Ozyck in a design and planning walk around the park. |
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07/10/2018 |
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Work continues on Sherman Parkway and the beds are ready for planting! |
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07/05/2018 |
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Defeating the heat wave, volunteers continued to meet at the garden despite Greenspace's summer break. They kept up with maintenance and much-needed watering, attracting a big group of young friends! |
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07/05/2018 |
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Despite the heat wave, volunteers for Friends of Edgewood Park worked with Youth at Work for the first time this season! Efforts were focused on the Mid Bridge, where they planted new Clethra (Summersweet) bushes |
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06/29/2018 |
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Fair Haven Neighbors in Action did it again! The group got together to plant a tree in Poplar St The neighbors kept showing up to support the project and digging a hole for the Serviceberry tree was not a problem. Younger participants also helped with maintenance and cleaning the street, made new friends, enjoyed some fruit popsicles and helped with watering |
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06/28/2018 |
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The group was expecting rain, and therefore agreed to cancel this meeting. However, they met for a “short“ planning session and ended up having a full 2-hour workday! Encouraged by Ivan's commitment to the project, and brand new volunteer Betty, the group worked under less than ideal weather and continued to weed and water the garden, in preparation for future plantings. |
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06/27/2018 |
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The rain didn't scare off Murray from Triangle Park today, who started early to avoid the storm |
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06/27/2018 |
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Two of the members of the group got organized to do some plantings and weed around the Norton bed this week |
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06/27/2018 |
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06/26/2018 |
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work on Sherman Parkway starts today! After assessing the area, the neighbors have decided to work on garden beds around the already existing (and recently prunned) trees. The volunteers received cheers from people driving by as they worked, and the visit of community organizer Doreen - who also looks forward to join forces with her projects. Keep up the good work! |
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06/23/2018 |
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The project for Sherman Parkway is coming together thanks to a generous group of neighbors who are volunteering their time! Kim, Paba and Kawusu were joined by Beaver Ponds' Nan Bartow, New Haven's ward Steven Wilcox and his dog Tally - to walk the area and plan for the summer |
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06/23/2018 |
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The work never stops at Bayview Park. Mulch is the order of the day, plus two new volunteers from the Wilcox family! |
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06/23/2018 |
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06/22/2018 |
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06/21/2018 |
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Work continues on the Midbridge! The triangle garden looks rejuvenated with new purple bushes and continuos stewardship of this courageous group of friends |
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06/21/2018 |
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The group hosted a cookout in the community garden, drawing previous volunteers, newcomers and providing an opportunity to talk to neighbors out and about. Aside from sharing a good time, the group planted yellow Spirea shrubs and verigated Wintercreeper groundcover, continuing to improve the front of the garden! |
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06/19/2018 |
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This week, the group kept up the good work at the Mayor's bed |
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06/16/2018 |
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The group got together to work on common areas and plan ahead for the rest of the summer. We visited different curbsides that need work and discussed common goals, agendas and priorities. |
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06/15/2018 |
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06/14/2018 |
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Tireless volunteers from Friends of Edgewood Park continue to make amazing progress at the park's Midbridge area. The trees that were planted earlier this year are constantly watered, and the gardens stay healthy and battling against invasive weeds. This amazing groups of friends continues to recruit committed people who share each other's anecdotes and jokes, and with the help of Edgewood Park goats the site continues to improve! |
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06/14/2018 |
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Volunteers continued to work on maintenance and made the first plantings of the year! |
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06/13/2018 |
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Trees around Bayview Park are in very different stages of growth, and this group knows how to tend to them. We focused on pruning tall branches around the baseball court, and mulching young trees that still need watering and protection from lawn mowers |
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06/08/2018 |
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Volunteers from Fair Haven Neighbors in Action came out again to share their energy with the community. They handed out flyers around Exchange, Poplar and Woolsey St, inviting more neighbors to join us this summer through tree planting and make Fair Haven beautiful! ____________________________________ Los voluntarios de Vecinos de Fair Haven en Acción salieron nuevamente a compartir su energía con el vecindario. Repartimos volantes por las calles de Exchange, Poplar y Woolsey, para invitar a más vecinos a unirse al equipo este verano y embellecer Fair Haven! |
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06/07/2018 |
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Wonderful workday at Edgewood Park! Volunteers met at the foot of the Marine Monument to weed the garden, implement a new trail and plant native Firecracker Mountain Laurel. As you can tell from the pictures, it was hard work and we all had an amazing time! |
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06/07/2018 |
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The turn up at Washington Ave this week was outstanding! The team organized really well, and after a short training on plant identification and weeding techniques, it became unstoppable. Joseph, Amadi, China, Ivan and Zack helped clean the lot from invasive plants that had been growing in record time - the group ended up collecting so much material that our group leader Nikki decided to start a compost bin on-site! Looking forward to next week when we start planting! |
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06/06/2018 |
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Freshly delivered mulch for the stewards of Bayview Park! Steve and Murray focused their energies on spreading mulch around freshly planted trees, attracting two little boys that left the baseball field to help. It was a fun day and a great start of the season! |
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06/05/2018 |
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The group got together to work on the Mayor's bed (eastern side of the Mall), and incorporate some new plantings |
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06/05/2018 |
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06/05/2018 |
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There is no planning without working with the Roundabout Gardeners! Carla and Chris came out for the first meeting of the season, and shared their stories of joining the group in 2017, plus new goals for 2018 - all during an intensive weeding session in the roundabout. We kept it safe by wearing reflective vests, of course. |
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06/01/2018 |
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06/01/2018 |
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The group got together to work on the Ellsworth beds maintenance, and pick up some trash around the Edgewood mall |
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06/01/2018 |
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06/01/2018 |
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To kick off the season, the group started by reaching out to neighbors and informing the community about the start of this year's season! They handed flyers and invited everyone to volunteer in the community garden |
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06/01/2018 |
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06/01/2018 |
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05/31/2018 |
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Volunteers meet with URI to walk the various areas under their stewardship, plan for the summer and - why not? feed the goats some of their favorite invasive weeds. |
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05/31/2018 |
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05/30/2018 |
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Planning has started for the 2018 season at Oyster Point! The group is commemorating their 19th anniversary this year |