16 River Restoration Projects Completed in 2025 by CRC and Partners

Partners including the Connecticut River Conservancy and Trout Unlimited on site during the Jack's Brook dam removal in Dover, VT.

The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) is happy to share the completion of 16 river restoration projects in13 towns throughout the watershed in NH, VT, & MA in 2025. 

These projects have helped increase flood resiliency in local communities, and improved water quality and access to spawning grounds for fish and other organisms. Funding for the projects came from federal and state agencies, foundations, and CRC donors, and were implemented with the support of dedicated project partners listed below. 

Completed Restoration Projects: 

• 2 dam removals in Dover and Springfield (VT), opening 5 miles of stream habitat for aquatic organism passage  

• 2 biostabilization projects in Orford and Acworth (NH), restoring 450 linear feet of eroding banks 

• 12 riparian buffer plantings with 7,722 trees planted over 16.3 acres in NH, VT, and MA 

“These restoration projects make a tangible and lasting difference for our rivers, habitats, fish, and communities” said Rebecca Todd, Executive Director at CRC. “It takes a village of fantastic partners, landowners, and community members to make these projects happen!" 

River restoration efforts are essential to caring for the Connecticut River and its many tributaries. As the watershed faces new pressures—from increasingly frequent flooding to long‑standing obstacles like aging dams, habitat fragmentation, and ongoing erosion—CRC and partners employ a wide range of environmental strategies to strengthen the river system. Alongside CRC’s broader work in advocacy, water quality monitoring, and community science, these restoration projects deliver visible, on‑the‑ground benefits, creating more connected habitat for fish and helping build safer, more resilient river communities. 

Dam Removal 

There are over 3,000 dams in the Connecticut River watershed, many of which are obsolete. An additional 44,000 stream crossings (bridges and culverts) are undersized. Not only are these obstructions no longer serving their intended purpose or being maintained, but they also prevent fish passage and habitat connectivity for wildlife, and result in lower water quality downstream. 

In 2025, CRC worked with local, state and federal partners to remove two old dams that were blocking fish passage for native species (brook trout and sea lamprey) in Vermont. These projects will restore water quality, reconnect native fish habitat, and lower flood elevation levels to protect local communities from the risks of severe flooding. You can read more about  Jack’s Brook dam removal and the Valley Street Dam removal.  

We were also proud to recognize the Trout Unlimited Northeast Coldwater Habitat Restoration Program as our Restoration Partner of the Year in recognition of their excellent partnership in the Jack’s Brook dam removal project.  

Biostabilization  

Biostabilization projects help stabilize eroding banks caused by flooding or improper land use. Instead of using riprap or “hard protections” which cause erosion problems downstream, biostabilization uses natural materials to reduce erosion by improving the strength of the riverbank and slowing down the flowing water, reducing the capacity of flood waters to cause erosion. Often, rootwads (the roots and stem of a tree) are placed in a streambank, covered in soil, and native vegetation is planted on top. The rootwads provide bank protection while the vegetation continues to grow and strengthen the bank over time. In addition, these projects help reduce nitrogen and sediment loading in our waterways, improve riparian and instream habitats, and provide shade and protection for fish and other aquatic organisms.   

You can read more about the Jacobs Brook biostabilization project in Orford, NH. 

CRC staff, Board of Trustees, partners, and volunteers in front of CRC's 100,000th tree (a paper birch) planted in the Connecticut River watershed near the site of the former Blake Higgins dam in Bellows Falls, VT.

Riparian Buffer Plantings 

 Buffer projects involve planting native trees and shrubs to create a vegetation zone between developed land and waterways, thereby helping to control erosion and slow the flow of water during flood events. In 2025, CRC and partners continued to restore floodplain forests and forested riparian buffers by planting 7,722 native trees and shrubs on 16.3 acres in 11 towns in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.  

These projects raised CRC's total number of trees and shrubs planted since 2011 to 104,908 stems. To mark this important milestone, we planted the 100,000th tree at the former site of the Blake & Higgins Dam in Westminster, Vermont. Towns in Vermont that included buffer plantings were Westminster, Plymouth, Bridgewater, Woodstock, Norwich, and Newbury. Towns in New Hampshire included Acworth, Orford, and North Stratford. Towns in Massachusetts included Holyoke and Amherst.  

Here is a summary of just one of these planting projects: 

In October 2025, CRC, Town of Amherst staff and community volunteers planted 210 trees and shrubs along approximately 500 feet of the Fort River at the former Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Amherst, MA. The retired golf course is now conservation land owned by the town, and the buffer planting is part of an ongoing restoration effort at the site. Trees and shrubs were selected to add species diversity and wildlife value including red maple, red oak, sycamore, paper birch, river birch, alder, black cherry, red osier dogwood, spice bush, arrow wood, and American cranberrybush. 

Thanks to funding from John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation for helping to make this planting happen. 

Monitoring 

In 2025, we also expanded our quantitative monitoring to 24 sites, including 9 new sites, planted during 2017-2024. Both growth and survival were good or better at 13 sites. However, we did observe high mortality due to voles and bindweed at 2 sites and due to drought at another 1.5 sites. Based on the 2024 monitoring, we replanted two sites in the fall and removed bindweed at a third site over the summer. We plan to conduct additional monitoring and maintenance in 2026. We also continued to explore alternative strategies for improving the success of our floodplain restoration work, including the addition of forest soils to our plantings and the response of planted trees to the invasive Japanese knotweed. 

River Restoration Partnerships 

CRC’s work would not be possible without the help of many federal, state and local agencies, local businesses and landowners, and other non-profit organizations who help make these projects a success. 

In 2025, we partnered with Intervale Conservation Nursery, Mt. Ascutney Regional Commission, New England Wetland Plants, Northwoods Stewardship Center, The Orianne Society, Passumpsic Valley Land Trust, Redstart Inc., The Town of Amherst, Trout Unlimited, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as private landowners, local businesses, engineering firms, and project contractors. 

In addition, CRC's funders include our generous donors, John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation, a supporting organization of Northwest CT Community Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, PUR, The Davis Conservation Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/National Fish Passage Program, U.S. Forest Service, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, and Watersheds United Vermont. 

To learn more, you can visit our river restoration and dam removal  pages, or sign up for email updates to hear about new projects in the upcoming field season!