Sacred Heart University Students Conduct Research At Manresa Wilds In Norwalk

FAIRFIELD, CT — Sacred Heart University students and faculty are conducting research at the former Manresa Island power plant site in Norwalk as part of a partnership supporting its planned transformation into a publicly accessible park.

The university is working with Manresa Island Corp., a nonprofit organization seeking to restore the more than 125-acre site, which was home to a fossil fuel power plant for more than 60 years. The planned Manresa Wilds park along Long Island Sound will focus on ecological restoration, education and public access.

Led by philanthropists Austin and Allison McChord, Manresa Island Corp. is pursuing the restoration through partnerships and private funding.

Sacred Heart is a founding partner of the recently announced Research & Education Station at Manresa Wilds, or R.E.S.A. Other partners include the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Wesleyan University and Norwalk Public Schools.

About two years ago, Manresa Island Corp. approached Sacred Heart biology professor Torrie Hanley about a partnership. Hanley saw opportunities for student field research, class trips, curriculum development and faculty research.

Since then, the organization has awarded Sacred Heart approximately $50,000 to support student and faculty research. The funding has been used for supplies, transportation, paid internships and other resources related to research and restoration work at the site.

“One of our goals for R.E.S.A. is to create opportunities for students to learn by doing — to connect classroom knowledge with the real work of restoring coastal ecosystems and preparing communities for an ever-changing climate,” Jess Vonashek, executive director of Manresa Island Corp., said. “Sacred Heart University's faculty and students are already making meaningful contributions to the site's ecological transformation while helping shape the next generation of environmental scientists and coastal stewards.”

Hanley said the partnership gives students an opportunity to participate in a large-scale restoration effort while gaining research experience.

“For SHU students to be part of this research process and engage with an educational resource in our backyard is an incredible opportunity,” Hanley said. “They will watch the project’s progress, see the changes, and know they had an impact.”

About 10 biology students are currently being paid to conduct research on the island.

Sacred Heart biology professor Jo-Marie Kasinak is expanding Project Limulus, the university's long-running horseshoe crab research project, to Manresa Island. Professor LaTina Steele is studying salt marshes, while professors Emily Levy and Barbara Pierce are studying birds at the site.

Sacred Heart's biology program also offers courses in restoration ecology, conservation biology and coastal biology that incorporate Manresa Wilds.

Last fall, Hanley took her restoration ecology class to the island. Students toured the site and stood atop the former power plant while learning about its industrial history and plans for the park.

“We talked about different types of restoration efforts, the people involved, and more,” Hanley said.

Students later developed their own restoration designs and compared them with the plans for the site.

“It was a chance for students to apply all the concepts they learned in class. They came up with a restoration design and compared their ideas with the actual plans,” Hanley said.

Senior Jamie Gaffney, a biology major from Hillsborough, New Jersey, said the field trip led him to become involved in research at the site.

“It was the coolest trip,” Gaffney said.

Gaffney, who enjoys biking, hiking and fishing, began working with Levy on her bird research after visiting the island.

Levy and Pierce, along with Gaffney and other students, plan to install acoustic recorders on the island to determine what types of birds use the site. The devices record birdsong, and researchers use machine learning to help identify species from the recordings.

“I feel really passionate about this work,” Gaffney said. “This site could serve as a blueprint for other sites and how they can restore them.”

“This has been my most memorable experience in college,” Gaffney added. “That field trip really got me involved. I loved Professor Hanley’s class.”

Junior Carolina Demarco, of Stamford, is a coastal and marine science major who volunteers at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. She learned about the Manresa Wilds project while attending the Norwalk Oyster Festival and later heard about Steele's research at Sacred Heart.

Demarco joined Steele and other students conducting salt marsh surveys. The group is measuring and testing grasses, observing conditions and planting additional marsh vegetation.

Salt marshes help stabilize shorelines, reduce erosion and provide protection against flooding. The Sacred Heart group is counting and measuring marsh vegetation and collecting leaf samples to measure plant stress.

Demarco said the project is her first experience conducting fieldwork.

“It’s just really cool to work hands-on with something that’s so interesting to me,” she said. “I’m really lucky to have this opportunity. I feel really grateful to do this research. It’s unbelievable.”

Demarco said she also values working with students and researchers who share an interest in the project.

“We’re all doing something we’re passionate about,” she said.