Connecting people to the region’s natural resources is at the heart of our education and outreach programs.  When people experience the exhilaration of our rivers and the peacefulness of our forests firsthand, their inherent value and need for protection becomes clear.  We continually offer opportunities to connect people with special places, events, and issues across a broad spectrum: river cleanups, action alerts, and conferences, volunteer programs, newsletters, paddling trips, monthly River Currents columns, celebrations, and more…

We are the Connecticut River’s chief ambassador:   

• That’s why we’ve coordinated the annual, basin-wide Source to Sea Cleanup and its thousands of participants for over a decade, and published the Connecticut River Boating Guide, the authoritative guide to the Connecticut River.

• That’s also why the Connecticut became an American Heritage River in 1998--after CRWC rallied hundreds of citizens, legislators, and 52 non-profits and co-sponsoring agencies to help garner the designation.  It is one of just 14 American Heritage Rivers, chosen for its natural, cultural, historic, and economic significance to New England and the Nation. 

• It’s also why CRWC was chosen in 2007 to host the 75 rowers from 17 countries crewing on the FISA World Rowers Tour.

• And why CRWC was uniquely positioned to call together press conferences where scientists presented critical public health findings from a river-wide fish-tissue study on mercury, PCBs, and other pollutants.