A living laboratory where scientists, students, and neighbors study the coastline together, right on the water that shaped it.
The Research and Education Station at Manresa Wilds, known as R.E.S.A., is the flagship research and learning initiative of Manresa Wilds: five institutions studying, teaching, and telling the story of a 125 acre former power plant on the Long Island Sound, mid transformation from industrial legacy to coastal park.
Manresa Island Corp. has committed initial grants to support partner led research, education, public programming, and workforce development connected to the site. While the site's transformation is just beginning, hundreds of students, professors, and scientists are already at work here, researching its history, the future of Long Island Sound, and the people who will carry that work forward.
Five institutions have joined us on this journey, becoming R.E.S.A.'s founding consortium: oceanographers, marine educators, environmental scientists, humanities scholars, and K through 12 teachers, each studying, restoring, and growing this place in their own way.
R.E.S.A. is where Manresa Wilds' education and workforce development work happens. Students here work alongside local organizations, artists, and engineers, turning classroom learning into the real work of studying, restoring, and opening up a coastal public space.
Classroom visits, virtual tours, and lesson plans across STEM, social studes, and the arts are organized through Manresa Wilds On The Move, our K through 12, college, and university learning program.
Interns work alongside Manresa Island Corp staff and R.E.S.A. partners as the park advances through remediation, restoration, and phased opening, gaining hands on experience across the many disciplines involved in bringing the park to life.
R.E.S.A. is about making research and education something the whole community can see, touch, and be part of. These partnerships are helping us build Manresa Wilds as a place where students can learn by doing, connecting classroom knowledge to the real work of studying, restoring, and activating a coastal public space.
Jessica Vonashek
Executive Director of Manresa Island Corp.
