“Head for the inlets, where the sea breaks through,” wrote Roger Tory Peterson,* “if you wish to see birds by the hundreds”; and this 14-year-old had dearly wished to do just that. I asked my dad, who had grown up here at the mouth of the Connecticut, and he knew of exactly such an inlet.
Each spring when the light returns and the crocuses bloom is an important time for the Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge: the Congressional Appropriations process.
Like a tree trunk dividing upward into branches and small twigs, our river systems have incredible complexity. The Connecticut River drains a vast, 11,000-acre watershed with many tributaries. Species of migratory fish ascended most of these, to differing degrees, depending upon which species and which tributary.
This issue is dedicated to the Farmington River Watershed, a cornucopia of wonderful habitats for wildlife and mankind.
In the Fall issue of Estuary, Ed Mitchel will begin a regular column on the fine art of fly-fishing throughout the Connecticut River watershed. The column, entitled “Casting About,” will feature stories from Ed’s long association with the fly-fishing world, including the best environs for fish, equipment, attire, and skills required, as well as the best places to go for the best results.
News from our River Partners
Examples of citizen science at work might be as simple and meaningful as sampling water quality in a local stream for the Nature Conservancy or helping wildlife biologists count salmon that are using fish ladders to get around hydro dams and leap upstream to spawn in rivers like the mighty Connecticut River.
More than 200 colored circles freckle the coastline of Long Island Sound on a digital map. Peter Linderoth, director of water quality for Save the Sound, calls them “Skittles,” but instead of candy flavors, this colorful assortment represents grades.
From the observation room at the top of Heublein Tower on Talcott Mountain, you stand almost 1,000 feet above the Farmington River. The magnificent castle was a summer retreat promised by Gilbert Heublein to his wife, Louise, and opened to the public in 1974. Today, it stands just off the New England National Scenic Trail and has one of the best views in southern New England.
Octogenarians to tykes unite and pedal the pavement and trails for a good cause.
Ah, spring. For the gardeners among us it is the long-awaited return to being outside, smelling the soil, welcoming the sun. And regardless of how you spent your winter month —planning or just anticipating—the gardening season is now upon us. And suddenly there’s oh so much to do.
A bright side of COVID gave Portland, Connecticut, architect Alain Munkittrick time to produce his book depicting 160 restored and historic houses in the Connecticut River Valley, all of which have stories to tell.
Way back when, Smith College’s different look and a different outlook.
Ten meters above the water a herring gull glides and casts a dark shadow that cannot be a shadow, cannot be directly below him nor as cleanly defined in the absent brightness of not-yet-day.
Octogenarians to tykes unite and pedal the pavement and trails for a good cause.
The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, affectionately and officially known as “The Kate,” is first and foremost a performance space.
Along the seashore we’re familiar with ribbed mussels and blue mussels (which make a delicious meal), but unlike these saltwater mussels, the freshwater cousins do not taste good nor do they form large rafts or adhere to hard substrate like dock piers and rocks.
It takes the vigilance of every generation to protect a valued natural resource, like an estuary.
Ah, spring. For the gardeners among us it is the long-awaited return to being outside, smelling the soil, welcoming the sun. And regardless of how you spent your winter month —planning or just anticipating—the gardening season is now upon us. And suddenly there’s oh so much to do.
Through the Conte Corner the authors hope to bring to life how laws, policies, and funding, in DC and locally, make a difference to the watershed, the Conte Refuge, and you and me: the people who live, work, and play here.