Reviving the Quinnipiac: A Community Effort to Restore Our Riverat Historic Pardee-Morris House

New Haven, Conn. (May 23, 2025) – The Northeast is experiencing more intense and frequent rain events, which increase non-source pollution and bacteria levels into its waterways, according to Courtney McGinnis, Professor of Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences at Quinnipiac University. McGinnis will present “Reviving the Quinnipiac: A Community Effort to Clean and Restore Our River” at the historic Pardee-Morris House (PMH). The free event will take place on Sunday, August 10, 2025, at 2 p.m. Register here.

McGinnis completed her Ph.D. in physiology and neurobiology at the University of Connecticut, where her dissertation focused on understanding the molecular mechanism of endocrine disrupting chemicals. At Quinnipiac, she also directs the Environmental Sciences and Studies Program, where her interest in aquatic toxicology has been the focus of her research.

McGinnis continues to study the molecular mechanisms of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and for the last decade has examined the Quinnipiac River for the presence of phthalates and plasticizers. As a trained toxicologist, she is passionate about teaching the basic principles of toxicology to future toxicologists and the public.

During her “Reviving the Quinnipiac” presentation at PMH, McGinnis will highlight the vital work now underway. While sampling the Quinnipiac River in 2021, McGinnis began noticing that trash was being illegally dumped along the banks of the Quinnipiac River in North Haven, Connecticut, and that throughout 2022 and 2023, the amount of trash continued to increase drastically. In 2024, the Quinnipiac River Foundation supported her research of sampling the Quinnipiac River and clean-up events. She organized three clean-up event days and worked alongside the town of North Haven to decrease the amount of bulk trash throughout a portion of Valley Service Road. “There is still illegal dumping taking place in this area and we will be organizing clean-up events this year as well,” she says.

New Haven Museum thanks community partners WSHU 91.1 FM and The Howard Gilman Foundation for supporting the 2025 summer season.