News from our River Partners
One Photograph: Birds? Why BIRDS?
One day my younger brother put it to me. “How do you get interested in birds?” he asked. “Just how do you get interested in birds?”
The Deadliest War in the Connecticut River Valley
Odds are that most hikers who traverse Connecticut’s Metacomet Trail along a spectacular trap rock ridge west of the Connecticut River have little idea that both trail and ridge are named after the Native American chief who in 1675 started a resistance that—if it had been successful—could have emptied New England of English colonists.
Gardening for Good: Energy Smart Landscaping
Winter is a good season to take a closer look at the “bones” of your home landscape, with an eye toward
planning something new or editing what you have.
Wildlife Wonders: Here Come the Monarchs
Each fall, as we all know, tens of thousands of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) fly from the Northeast to the central mountains of Mexico, where they huddle together and overwinter with other monarchs from across the country.
Kari’s Big Swim: Diving in to Promote Clean Water
Her mission: to draw attention to, and honor, the Connecticut River, its ecology, its beauty, and our collective obligation to its care.
Conte Corner: National Parks
Do you know how many National Park units there are in New England and the Connecticut River watershed?
What’s for Dinner? Apple Cider Braised Chicken
Bone-chilling days call for bone-in chicken.
Casting About: The Salmon River
South of Marlborough, Connecticut, south and west, a river runs. It is not a large river, yet it holds a large place in many an angler’s heart. They know these bright waters, and wade its riffles and runs, dreaming of trout dancing on a fly line.
On My Mind: Rowing Proud and Strong from High School Dropout to College Graduate: The Care Center of Holyoke Leads the Way
If you were sitting around one day trying to think of a category of American citizens who could use your help, young single mothers on welfare would have to be high on your list.
Riverbend Project and
the Mayor of Middletown
The river stank. For decades, towns, industries, and farms from Vermont to Long Island Sound had dumped vile and destructive wastes of every kind into her waters.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW OWNERSHIP, SAME MISSION
This is a great time to join the estuary family by becoming a subscriber.
American Shad: The Iconic Fish of the Connecticut River
Many areas in this country have icon species that add richness to their sense of place. The Texas Gulf Coast is busy working to restore the iconic Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, and we have here in the Connecticut River watershed the American shad (Alosa sapidissima).
Let’s Go
News from our River Partners
Migrating Under a Microscope
Since their arrival in the 1600s, New Englanders have constructed fishways to help fish pass over small dams and barriers, but the early designs were rudimentary, often just a constructed gap.
The Aftermath of the Great Floods of 2023
If more evidence was needed to remind us of the need for a watershed-wide strategy toward environmental planning and protection, the recent storms and rains in the north of New England provided just that.
Ribs and Roots
Now we turn our attention to the colors and flavors below the ground—the roots—such as potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beets, celery root, sweet potatoes, turnips, and ginger, to name a few.
The Most Dangerous Animal in America
Connecticut is at the infestation epicenter of a beast that kills some 200 Americans a year; injures at least 10,000 others; is annually responsible for billions of dollars in property damage; trashes native ecosystems; and spreads an infection that causes fever, headache, fatigue, and, if untreated, injury to joints, heart, and brain.
Fly-Fishing the Headwaters
Some of the finest fly-fishing in all of New England takes place in the headwaters of the Connecticut River, in Pittsburg, New Hampshire.
Mount Sugarloaf
Last fall I set out once again to witness the magnificent foliage of Mount Sugarloaf in the late afternoon light.