One could walk the length of the Connecticut River and never think of Wallace Stevens.
Connecticut River Critters: The Mudpuppy
Mudpuppies gushing out of fire hydrants onto the streets of Albany, New York.
Central Watershed Outings: Tracking Dinosaurs in the Connecticut River Valley
In March 1835 Amherst College professor Edward Hitchcock received a letter about a mysterious discovery in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The writer, a doctor named James Deane, described bird-like tracks embedded in a slab of sandstone rock.
On My Mind…
In the Connecticut River, the scientific community recognizes ten species of migratory fish that include American shad, alewife, American eel, Atlantic salmon, striped bass, blueback herring, sea lamprey, hickory shad, Atlantic sturgeon, and shortnose sturgeon. They travel thousands of ocean miles and annually swim up the Connecticut River, some a few miles and some over two hundred miles.
Casting About: A Day on the Deerfield River
On an Autumn evening last year, I got a text message from guide Chris Jackson offering me a half-day float on the Deerfield River. His offer, however, came with a warning. Drought conditions, coupled with unseasonably warm weather plaguing the entire Northeast at that time, had caused river conditions that were low and warm, resulting in difficult fishing.
What’s for Dinner: Duck Confit and Wild Rice
Ducks and wild rice are as comfortable together on your dinner plate as they are in the wild! The wild rice, a semi-aquatic grass, is mostly found along riverbanks where the water is shallow and the currents slow.
Local Wastewater Operators Persevere to Improve Our Public Waterways
The adage “When it rains, it pours” is one that is becoming all too familiar and challenging for the future health of our local waterways.
Conte Corner: Fifty Years with Andrew French
I n November 2024, I sat down with Andrew French, Refuge Manager of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge and the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and longtime employee of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), to discuss his career and perspectives on the Connecticut River watershed.
What Does the Future of Our Forests Look Like?
These are difficult times for our forests. Non-native pests and pathogens are causing great harm and, in some cases, nearly eradicating entire tree species.
Estuary for Young Readers #16
Two months ago, I’d say early fall, a handyman named Wayne found a room in the local boarding house, and since then has pretty much settled into life here in Saybrook taking odd jobs for folks all over town.
Gardening for Good: How to Find and Grow Native Plants from Seed
Native plants are at home with local growing conditions and don’t require special tools or even a greenhouse to grow from seed.
Conte Corner: What’s in a Name and a Designation?
National Natural Landmarks, American Heritage Rivers, and Wild and Scenic Rivers—the Connecticut River watershed has been awarded all of these federal designations.
Let’s Go
News from our River Partners
Second Annual Award for Early Career Achievement in Environmentalism
On September 26, 2024, The Watershed Fund and Estuary magazine gave its second Early Career Achievement Award in Environmentalism to Riley Doherty of New Haven, Connecticut.
The 125th Annual Christmas Bird Count
It’s hard to believe, with our commercialized, extended celebration, that Christmas was banned by the Puritans and did not become a federally recognized American holiday until 1870.
Bank Swallows
A healthy river system is dynamic and dramatic, and many river critters have evolved to live amidst this energy and change.
One Photograph: The HAPPY Accidents
Luck: the blessing and the curse.
In finding, let alone in photographing any wild and free-willed creature able to absent itself by lying low or swimming, diving, stealing off on foot, or blasting off in flight, you need that blessing.
Casting About: The “Eighty-Eight”
I’m going to introduce you to an effective fly that I doubt you have ever heard of, nor are you apt to find it in any fly-tying book, fly-fishing catalog, or in any fly shop. It’s called the Eighty-Eight.
Supporting More Than Salmon
Historically the Connecticut River supported one of the largest annual runs of Atlantic salmon in North America.
Wild Life Wonders: The Secret Life of Bumble Bees
It’s not an accident that the phrase, “busy as a bee” became popular. Bees have always had the reputation for being hard workers by pollinating plants,