Search Results

Becky the Brook Floater with the Flex Your Mussels slogan. Created by Henry Gustavson, 2024.  In the fall of 2024, the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) returned for its second year supporting Middlebury College (VT) students in their Community Engaged Environmental Studies Practicum. Over the course of a semester, student teams work with an environmental organization in Vermont to research and advise their community partner on action steps they can take to resolve an environmentally focused issue. The students’ work culminates in a report outlining the problem and their proposed actions, which is then presented to their class and community partners.   With consultation and support from Kathy Urffer, Director of Policy and Advocacy and Vermont River Steward, and Clare Wangard, an ECO AmeriCorps member serving with the CRC, the students—Jack Lundgren, Henry Gustavson, Elle Thompson, and Gray Thomas—focused on freshwater mussel restoration in the Connecticut River. The watershed is home to 12 native freshwater mussel species, eight of which are listed as threatened or endangered at the state and/or federal level. These freshwater mussels are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, changes to natural river processes, water pollution, and competition with non-native and invasive species.  The students' report includes proposals to expand and continue some of CRC’s current efforts—such as community science efforts, riparian buffer enhancements, and water quality monitoring—to conserve and restore freshwater mussel populations. Visual demonstration of the effects of freshwater mussels on water quality conducted for an interactive education program. Credit: Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.  The team also had creative ideas for promoting more fun and engaging images of mussels, including the slogan “Flex Your Mussels,” and a cartoon mussel named “Becky the Brook Floater,” who was very popular with the attendees of their presentation. Henry Gustavson, who conceptualized Becky, says, “We tried to build on CRC's wide-ranging strengths by taking a holistic approach to our research and recommendations. As for Becky the Brook Floater, finding a way to make mussels attractive and approachable for the general public wasn't easy, but it was the most rewarding part of the project for me.”  A sample bumper sticker using Becky the Brook Floater and the Flex Your Mussels slogan. Created by Henry Gustavson, 2024  The students employed broad and comprehensive perspectives—drawing from environmental studies, public policy, history, and biology—to create an in-depth and compelling report detailing tangible proposals for freshwater mussel restoration by the CRC. Gustavson, Lundgren, Thomas, and Thompson’s report is thoughtful, insightful, and incredibly well-researched. CRC is grateful for the opportunity to work with committed environmental stewards and hopes to continue its partnership with Middlebury College in ongoing and innovative environmental protection.   Thank you to Henry, Jack, Gray, and Elle for your hard work, insight, and innovations. Thank you to Kathryn Morse and Diane Munroe of the Environmental Studies Program of Middlebury College for their dedication to their students and community-engaged environmental education.   To see Becky the Brook Floater and learn more about their proposed action steps for the CRC, you can read the report here:   Want to stay updated on the latest river news? Sign up for our newsletters  to get more river stories and Connecticut River watershed updates directly in your inbox. The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) restores and advocates for clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities to support a diverse and thriving watershed. CRC has been a steward of the Connecticut River and tributary streams since 1952. Our programs include advocacy, aquatic invasive species management, dam removal, habitat restoration, migratory fish surveys, recreation, trash cleanups, and water quality monitoring. Together through community engagement and education, we're dedicated to ensuring equitable access and healthy rivers for all. ECO AmeriCorps is a program administered by the VT Dept. Environmental Conservation. The program consists of 24 members serving statewide with partner organizations dedicated to improving Vermont’s water quality and climate resiliency, and minimizing the amount of waste entering landfills. For more information about ECO AmeriCorps, visit www.ecoamericorps.vermont.gov .    AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency for service and volunteering. CNCS annually engages more than five million citizens in service at more than 60,000 locations in 8,500 cities across the country through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and other programs. National service participants address the most pressing challenges facing our cities and nation, from educating students for the jobs of the 21st century and supporting veterans and military families to preserving the environment and helping communities recover from natural disasters. For more information on AmeriCorps, visit www.americorps.gov .    This material is based upon work supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of AmeriCorps or the Corporation for National Service.

ECO AmeriCorps Member Clare Wangard demonstrates the EnviroScape. Connecticut River Conservancy has continued their collaboration with the Water Way(s) Project for elementary school education in the Connecticut River watershed for the fourth year in a row. Conceptualized by Erin Maile O’Keefe–educator, designer and community activator–in collaboration with community members and teaching artists, Water Way(s) Project and Curriculum aims to combine experiential learning, creative movement, and Indigenous ways of knowing to connect children with their local waterways.   This November, the fourth-grade class at Green Street School participated in Water Way(s), spending two weeks exploring their relationships with the Connecticut River watershed. The residency culminated in an Expo where the students demonstrated the application of their learning experience to their loved ones and members of their community. Students presented maps, choreography, and reflections inspired and informed by the Whetstone Brook and a restored floodplain near the school. Student activities included the following:  Map-Making: Process and Exhibit   Mollie Burke, local legislator and art educator, encouraged students as they explained the process for creating individual maps of the Whetstone Brook, or Kitadowôganisibosis—the Abenaki name for the Whetstone that students learned and then taught the audience at the expo. The students outlined how they created precise maps of the Whetstone and its surrounding land, added details using markers, used watercolors to paint-wash their map, and glued them into detailed, hand-drawn covers. Each student’s unique map incorporated reflections, poems, and drawings inspired by what they had learned.  Exploring Water Pollution   Students—along with ECO AmeriCorps Member Clare Wangard—facilitated an interactive EnviroScape demonstration. The students used sprinkles and oatmeal to illustrate how everyday items like oil, trash, and pesticides can move from the land into waterways. After “making it rain,” Clare posed a question to the audience, “Would you like to swim here?” that was met with enthusiastic no’s. After the workshop, one student said they would make sure to pick up trash whenever they saw it to reduce pollution.  River Reflections   “So much depends upon a brook in the middle of nowhere giving life to everyone.”   On the first day of their residency, the fourth graders took a walking field trip to Kikitta Ahki , the recently restored floodplain of the Whetstone Brook. There, they spent time paying attention to the brook —its appearance, sounds, smells, and movements -- and learned how Vermont River Conservancy protected and restored this place. Students wrote letters to the Whetstone Brook on biodegradable paper and attached them to vines hanging from a nearby willow tree. The poems remain for students to revisit and community members to reflect on when they visit Kikitta Ahki. At the Expo, a few students shared their weathergrams.   Fluvial Geomorphology and Scarf Choreography    As part of their exploration of water, students used physical movement to imitate and explore how water moves. In groups of three, students depicted the movement of water using scarves. Some students used fluid movements to show the calm flow of water, while other students explored how water moves when it is disrupted, creating a splashing motion.   After that, the class came together in a choreographed performance to demonstrate how rivers moved historically and how they move today. Using blue fabric to represent water, pull ropes to represent currents, and push sticks to represent sediment, students first showed the formation of terraces, and then a flooding event. The students demonstrated how the shape of water—before and after glacial melt—has shaped the contours featured in Vermont’s landscape.  City Planning: Designing a Floodplain   After learning from Connecticut River Conservancy River Steward Kathy Urffer about how the landscape along waterways can support the river and the entire community—animals, plants, and people—students developed their own ideas for restoring a local floodplain. The students used colorful symbols on site maps to represent their ideas for improving the floodplain. Students’ designs proposed fish hatcheries, brick four-square courts, berry bushes, and sanctuaries for native fauna.   For more information: Water Way(s) - The Human Connection Project   Collaborations and Gratitude   Collaborating educators:   Erin Maile O’Keefe, Water Way(s) leader and educator  Mollie Burke, state legislator and educator  Hayley Kolding, Southern Vermont Conservation Manager, Vermont River Conservancy Kathy Urffer, Connecticut River Conservancy River Steward, Policy and Advocacy Director, and educator  Clare Wangard, ECO AmeriCorps Member   Special Thanks To   Gedakina  Vermont Arts Council  Vermont Humanities  Kelly Shifflette and Kjersten Cantillo – 4th Grade Teachers  The Fourth Grade Class

Recorded 12/11/2024 In this LiveStream we celebrated some of the accomplishments made throughout the Connecticut River watershed in 2024! During this virtual event we heard from Connecticut River Conservancy's Executive Director, Rebecca Todd, and many other staff representing our programmatic work for clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities. There were brief presentations on everything from aquatic invasive species to dam removals and restoration projects. Watch this recording to gear up for another exciting year ahead! For more river updates throughout the year, be sure to sign up for our email updates. You can also access a PDF of all the slides from the LiveStream .

Turners Falls Dam in MA. Photo by Douglas L. Engel. Connecticut River Conservancy has been engaged in the 12-years-and-counting hydropower relicensing process for 5 facilities on the Connecticut River – the Vernon, Wilder, and Bellows Falls dams in VT/NH, and the Turners Falls dam and Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station in MA. A few months ago, CRC shared a milestone update ,  and since then our focus has turned to the next phase in the process, which are the 401 Water Quality Certifications (WQC’s) .  Along the way in recent months an ongoing investigation led by the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) has for the first time detected DNA from the endangered shortnose sturgeon ( Acipenser brevirostrum ) in the Connecticut River between Turners Falls, MA, and Bellows Falls, VT/Walpole, NH. The study was initiated by CRC’s River Steward for New Hampshire, Dr. Kate Buckman, in partnership with James Garner, a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts with expertise in environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques. In light of this, and with a specific focus on the hydropower facilities in Massachusetts, CRC has sent a letter to MassDEP urging the agency to consider the new evidence as part of their obligation under section 401 of the Clean Water Act in hydropower relicensing. Below are the first two paragraphs of the letter, which is available in its entirety here .  Dear Timothy Jones, and David Hilgeman,  The Connecticut River Conservancy (“CRC”) writes to raise concerns regarding the impacts of Turners Falls Dam (FERC No. 1889) and Northfield Mountain pump storage station (FERC No. 2485) (collectively “Turners Falls Project”) on endangered shortnose sturgeon ( Acipenser brevirostrum ). While CRC has been consistently concerned about the impacts of the Turners Falls Project, the direct impetus for this letter comes from two recent events that constitute new evidence not previously analyzed by any of the regulatory agencies responsible for licensing or permitting the Turners Falls Project. First, two shortnose sturgeon were discovered stranded in isolated pools below the dam in separate incidences in the summer of 2024. Second, scientists have documented environmental DNA (“eDNA”) evidence of the presence of shortnose sturgeon above the Turners Falls Dam in the Turners Falls impoundment.  As the state agency responsible for water quality, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality (“MassDEP”) has the obligation under § 401 of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) to condition federal licenses in order to meet state water quality standards, including protecting and enhancing aquatic life uses.1 CRC takes the opportunity to write now,2 while MassDEP is finalizing a draft 401 certification for public comment, to place squarely before MassDEP the new sturgeon evidence. CRC maintains that this evidence supports its position that increased flows below Turners Falls Dam from July 1 through November 15 are not only needed to protect shortnose sturgeon, but also required by state water quality standards. Moreover, the newly found eDNA evidence of shortnose sturgeon above the Turners Falls Dam requires MassDEP to analyze the potential impacts on sturgeon of the operations at Northfield Mountain, including erosion impacts and impingement and entrainment at the intake structures.  Read CRC's full letter to MassDEP here. More information is available on the hydropower relicensing process here . To get more updates straight to your inbox, please sign up for CRC's newsletters on this and other river-related news.

Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) has announced that Redstart, a Corinth, VT, based company is this year’s Restoration Partner of the Year.     The Restoration Partner of the Year award is a celebration of collaboration for positive ecological impact within the Connecticut River watershed. River restoration projects include buffer plantings to reduce erosion, strategic wood additions to increase aquatic biomass, and floodplain forests to improve natural river functions and store carbon. All projects ultimately help to improve water quality, expand fish passage and habitat for aquatic organisms, and support flood resiliency.     "Redstart and their knowledgeable staff have been fantastic partners on many fronts from project development to landowner outreach to project implementation” said Ron Rhodes, Director of Programs at Connecticut River Conservancy. “We always try to work with good, local companies so these restoration dollars have both a positive environmental and economic impact in our local communities.”  Founded in 1992 by Virginia Barlow, Redstart combines in-depth knowledge of natural systems and stewardship practices with decades of field experience to provide responsible management of natural resources in Vermont’s forests, rivers, farms, and fields. To date, CRC and Redstart have restored 17 miles of river habitat in 50 streams with 13 different landowners.     This year’s restoration projects included planting a riparian buffer at Billings Farm in Woodstock, VT, several strategic wood addition projects on private lands in the Waits and Ompompanoosuc rivers, as well as planning and mapping work done for future projects.  CRC and Redstart are working with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to develop guidelines for installing beaver dam analogs to mimic the natural processes beavers employ to maintain healthy streams, establish temporary pools of water for fish and wildlife habitat, and catch sediment.    “Redstart is excited to work with CRC to explore innovative techniques to restore natural ecosystem functions" said Ben Machin of Redstart. “We have always found CRC to be an ideal partner with a positive vision, great enthusiasm, and a tremendous ability to make good things happen.”   Healthy riverbanks, floodplains, and forests throughout the Connecticut River watershed are essential to supporting clean water and thriving habitats in our rivers. That’s why CRC and partners regularly plant native trees and shrubs along riparian zones of the main stem river and tributaries, restore floodplain forests and wetlands to their natural conditions, and conduct related projects to filter pollution, slow fast-moving waters, and provide a buffer zone between our streams and other land uses. CRC began recognizing a Restoration Partner of the Year in 2022 with the Northwoods Stewardship Center, and again in 2023 with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. These awards come with a small gift such as a framed certificate, a joint project walk-through and gathering of different staff, and a friendly group lunch, which this year was at Colatina Exit in Bradford VT.  Meaningful partnerships such as these provide the know-how, labor, and technical resources to execute large-scale restoration projects. CRC and Redstart look forward to continuing to build strong networks for both environmental and community impact in the years to come.   Sign up for our newsletters  to get more river news and Connecticut River watershed updates directly in your inbox.

With the arrival of Fall, we often think of everything winding down and getting ready for the winter. We're putting our gardens to bed, the trees are turning, and leaves are falling, many animals are packing on the pounds and preparing to hibernate or at least hunker down. Freshwater mussels are moving deeper and digging in for the winter, and it would be natural to assume that the rest of the river residents are doing similar activities.   In contrast, we often herald Spring as the season of awakening and rebirth, filled with spawning runs, egg laying, and the start of the next generation. But it turns out that there's a lot of action in the fall, too. Fall is when our beautiful native brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) begin their spawning runs. Brook trout need cold water (preferably <60 °F ) year-round, but when the water temperatures hit 40-50 °F , they start heading upstream to breed. This usually takes place in late September and October (right now!). Female brook trout excavate a small redd, which gets covered back up with gravel after eggs have been laid and fertilized, then they go on to build another nest. The eggs overwinter in the gravel and the fry hatch out usually around February/March.    Water temperatures affect the timing and success of spawning runs, as well as how long it takes the eggs to develop and hatch. You might be wondering how those little eggs don't freeze in the substrate of cold, shallow, headwater streams that are often home to brook trout. Well, it turns out that the ideal places to construct redds are gravel banks where there is a spring or consistent localized groundwater discharge. That upwelling groundwater helps maintain an appropriate temperature for the eggs to develop, even when the air temperature is well below freezing.   The brook trout's sensitivity to water temperature and oxygen levels, and reliance on the exchange between ground and surface waters for certain life stages, underscores for me yet again how critical it is to consider ecological connectivity when talking about river health and species needs, and to think about how human activities can either enhance or degrade habitat for species like the brook trout, even if those activities are taking place on land. CRC does just that when taking on various projects, including our restoration work. We have undertaken projects in the past specifically to enhance brook trout habitat, and likely will do so in the future as well. Sign up for our newsletters  to get more river news and Connecticut River watershed updates directly in your inbox.

Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC), a nonprofit dedicated to clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities throughout the entire 410-mile Connecticut River watershed, has received 11.5-million-dollars from the USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which is implemented through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This is the largest funding award in the organization’s 72-year history, with all funds dedicated to ecosystem restoration projects in the Connecticut River watershed portion of New Hampshire, as well as Coos County, over the next 5 years. These funds will be used to help farmers and private landowners manage and enhance aquatic and forested ecosystems on their properties. “We are excited to continue our important work with the Connecticut River Conservancy under the recently awarded RCPP project to address resource concerns in Coös County and the upper Connecticut River watershed,” said Becky Ross, New Hampshire State Conservationist for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in the Granite State. “As stewards of the headwaters of one of New England’s most important rivers, it is vital to have such a strong private-public partnership to leverage our collective strategies and capabilities to support our shared vision of conserving this natural resource. Through the power of partnerships under RCPP, we can achieve more positive impacts faster and help accelerate support for the conservation goals of our dedicated farm and non-industrial private forest landowners in the Granite State. Under this program we look forward to helping them help the land – together.” The goal of this effort is to restore degraded stream and forest ecosystems in parts of New Hampshire, which will in turn improve water quality, ecosystem health, and climate resiliency. This will be accomplished by stabilizing streambanks, removing dams, replacing undersized culverts, planting riparian buffers, installing strategic wood additions, and carrying out forest management practices. The proposed projects are estimated to stabilize at least 2,000 feet of streambank; prevent 400 pounds of nitrogen and 200 tons of sediment from entering waterways annually; enhance 70 miles of stream habitat; reestablish 50 acres of riparian forest; complete 400 acres of forest stand improvement, and sequester or reduce 50-150 tons of CO2. Since the early 1800s, the Connecticut River and its tributaries have been the lifeblood of local communities in western and northern NH. Over time, the conditions of our waterways and forests have worsened due to overuse and mismanagement. Additionally, these habitats are now being heavily impacted by climate change, including intense rainfall, off-season flooding, periods of high temperatures, and extended droughts. Degraded ecosystems provide fewer ecosystem services for humans and nature, and are less able to bounce back from extreme weather events. In the project area today, there are still 150 dams and 455 culverts with no or reduced fish passage and thousands of acres of forests that need proper management. These funds will enable CRC and our partners to remove stream barriers, enhance habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species, and improve the overall health of the upper watershed. CRC has a long history of completing ecological restoration projects. Since 2011, CRC has removed 24 dams, replaced 6 culverts, opened 427 miles to aquatic organism passage, and planted over 90,000 native trees and shrubs on 26 acres across the watershed. This award will allow CRC to continue this great work in the upper watershed, including the headwaters of the Connecticut River located in northern NH. "CRC’s award of 11.5M in the great state of New Hampshire will have a positive and long-lasting impact throughout the entire Connecticut River watershed, all the way down to Long Island Sound” said Rebecca Todd, Executive Director at Connecticut River Conservancy.  “This funding empowers the kind of bold action we need to take now to support our habitats and communities in a rapidly changing climate.” As part of this effort, CRC has teamed up with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund to provide over 2 million additional dollars to go towards related stream restoration efforts in the watershed. Since 2009, the NHDES ARM Fund has invested over $1 billion in restoration and conservation funding in the project area, including protecting over 1,400 acres of wetlands and 39 miles of river, and removing barriers on 17 miles of river. CRC and the NHDES ARM Fund will collaborate regularly to identify potential projects and coordinate how to best spend funds to optimize ecosystem impact across the project area. This funding will give private landowners the financial help they need to restore their land and become more resilient in a changing climate. In more good news for the watershed, CRC is among the partners included in Mass Audubon’s 25-million-dollar NRCS award for conservation work along the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. CRC has also recently received a grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ (EEA) Dam and Seawall program for a dam removal exploration in that state. These combined projects highlight an impactful and partnership-based vision for watershed-wide climate resiliency in the years to come. CRC looks forward to continuing our work with the USDA NRCS in New Hampshire, the ARM Fund, and our local restoration, engineering, and construction partners to improve water quality, forest health, and riparian habitats in our local rivers. About Connecticut River Conservancy: The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) restores and advocates for clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities to support a diverse and thriving watershed. CRC has been a steward of the Connecticut River and tributary streams since 1952. Their programs include advocacy, aquatic invasive species management, dam removal, habitat restoration, migratory fish surveys, recreation, trash cleanups, and water quality monitoring. Together through community engagement and education, they’re dedicated to ensuring equitable access and healthy rivers for all. Learn more at ctriver.org .   About the Regional Conservation Partnership Program: The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation. In 2024 the USDA Announced $1.5 Billion for 92 Projects. You can learn more about the RCPP awards in NH here  and see the full list of awarded projects across the country here . For questions about this award: Lauren Zielinski, Stream Restoration Specialist (603) 325-7022   lzielinski@ctriver.org   Ron Rhodes, Director of Programs (413)768-4994   rrhodes@ctriver.org Sign up for our newsletters to get more river news and Connecticut River watershed updates directly in your inbox.

The Connecticut River Watershed Partnership Act (CRWPA) is an exciting new bill that was recently introduced in the House and Senate and supported by a broad coalition of public and private organizations throughout New England, including the Friends of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the Connecticut River Conservancy, Mass Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, Kestrel Land Trust, and the Appalachian Mountain Club among others. The bill was introduced by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), with a companion bill in the House introduced by Jim McGovern (MA-02) and cosponsored by Annie Kuster (NH-02). Additional co-sponsors include Ed Markey (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Becca Balint (D-VT), Jim Himes (D-CT), Richard Neal (D-MA), and Jahana Hayes (D-CT). Legislation Summary: The CRWPA will formalize partnerships between state, local, and private entities (including tribal organizations, nonprofits, and institutions of higher learning) to promote conservation, restoration, education, and recreation efforts in the watershed and establish a voluntary grant program to facilitate these activities. This collaborative effort will benefit fish and wildlife habitats, protect drinking water sources, and enhance access to the watershed’s public spaces, particularly for excluded and marginalized communities. CRWPA is modeled on the Chesapeake WILD Act (2020) and the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act (2015), which have successfully established similar partnerships in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and Delaware River Basin respectively. Specifically, the CRWPA will: Require the Secretary of Interior to establish a non-regulatory Watershed Partnership Program intended to identify, prioritize and implement restoration and protection activities within the Watershed in consultation with federal, state, local and non-profit stakeholders;  Create a voluntary grant and technical assistance program for state and local governments; tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; and other eligible entities for activities in the Watershed; Implement a 75% Federal cost share for the grant program, except where the Secretary determines a larger cost share is appropriate; Authorize such sums as are necessary to carry out the program; and Ensure other activities conducted by the Secretary in the Watershed will supplement, not supplant activities carried out by the partnership program. The Connecticut River, New England’s longest, is a vital watershed that drains 7.2 million acres across five New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The Watershed is home to 396 communities and provides multiple environmental and economic benefits to diverse stakeholders and industries, including fisheries, farming, hunting, recreation, boating and tourism. The Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge encompasses the entire Watershed and is the only refuge of its kind in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Connecticut River is also one of just fourteen Federally recognized American Heritage Rivers in the United States. You can read the Senator’s press release and the full bill text here , and refer to the Friends of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge web page for a  full list of supporting representatives and organizations. Image above: Connecticut River Looking North to Mount Tom and Mount Holyoke, South Hadley, MA. Photo by Al Braden.

With all the crises facing our environment, the threat of aquatic invasive species might seem trivial. But the truth is that plant diversity is incredibly important for many reasons, and invasive species are an enormous threat to that diversity. Invasive plants out-compete native populations for sunlight and nutrients. They take over the ponds and streams where they are found and are difficult to dislodge. In taking over so aggressively they reduce a wetland’s ability to mitigate flooding. They destroy the complexity of food webs and make habitat unattractive or unlivable to native wildlife.   Aquatic invasive species like Hydrilla verticillata  and Trapa natans  (water chestnut)  also threaten recreational opportunities, making swimming, boating or fishing impossible in many places that were once ideal for these activities. The removal of these plants can be laborious, but fortunately these efforts are being supported by concerned civilians who see an opportunity to have a real positive impact on the environment, all while spending time on the water communing with nature and connecting with one another.  Volunteers for Water Chestnut Removal   In 2023, Connecticut River Conservancy, one of many organizations working to remove water chestnut from the Connecticut River, enjoyed the help of 98 individual volunteers. In 2024 that number increased to 237. This is a growing team of enthusiastic folks that have found their way to this work via many paths.   “I found out about the [water chestnut pulls] from my mother. She saw a post on Facebook asking for kayak volunteers and she knows I love kayaking, so she sent the info to me” said volunteer Elizabeth Plikaitis. “Despite not knowing anyone and going by myself to volunteer, I was instantly greeted by the staff and spent the morning chatting and making new friends among the other kayakers. There is a definite feeling of comradery among the group and a sense of purpose. I looked forward to my time with this group every week and can’t wait to go back next season. Volunteering with the CRC has quickly become a passion of mine and a favorite way to spend my time.”  Others have already spent some time working on other environmental projects. Amanda DiTaranto says, “I first found the opportunity to volunteer with water chestnut removal while volunteering with CRC in their sea lamprey survey. Pulling invasive water chestnuts quickly became a favorite activity of the summer for me. I enjoy having the opportunity to paddle in areas I may not have known about before, interacting with CRC staff and other volunteers, the physical activity, seeing wildlife in their natural habitat and learning new things from those I'm with.”    The CRC staff who lead the volunteer events also find them cathartic. According to CRC field coordinator, Sarah Manteiga, "working with volunteers to remove water chestnuts restores my hope and inspiration. They give their Saturday mornings and work hard for a good cause, but often express how relaxing, even meditative, the task is." Adelheid Koepfer, a CRC crew member in Connecticut points out that “many people come back again and again to help, even after they have moved away. People come from all different ways of life, and it is so interesting to hear their stories, but the best of all is to see how many friends care about the river, and how much a group of dedicated people can achieve.”   How a Volunteer Event Unfolds   A typical day volunteering at a water chestnut pull begins around 8:30am with the assignment of kayaks to those who cannot bring their own. Personal Floatation devices are distributed, and a few minutes are spent at the water’s edge ensuring that everyone is comfortable and safe paddling their boats. There is usually a short paddle to the site of the infestation and there, water chestnut plants get pulled out of the riverbed and stuffed into five-gallon buckets. Buckets of water chestnut are dumped into barges that are rowed back to shore, their contents composted. The work can be hot during summer and at times the volunteers do get muddy, but the rewards outweigh any hardship. " At the end of a pull it's a wonderful feeling seeing how much you've actually removed!” -Amanda DiTaranto.  2024 Water Chestnut Results   This year’s impact was tremendous. The seven staff and 237 volunteers that worked on CRC’s projects in 2024 removed 174,000 water chestnut plants from the Connecticut River watershed. This was accomplished over the course of 2,245 labor hours.   Combatting invasive species requires years of dedicated effort and progress can be slow, but progress is certainly being made. According to Connecticut field coordinator Michelle Helming, “it was a great season with great people, and it was a sense of community that brought all these amazing, hardworking individuals together.”  You can learn more about aquatic invasive species   and sign up for CRC’s emails  to get notified about future volunteer opportunities.

Mill River Field Trip On a windy October field trip to the Mill River with Connecticut River Conservancy’s Ryan O’Donnell, third graders got their feet wet, learned about river health, and scooped up wriggling creatures. Students in Cindy Kassell’s 3rd grade at Lander-Grinspoon Academy in Northampton, MA are studying the Connecticut River and the Mill River. Their year-long study investigates, “ How have these rivers been significant to the people in the valley? How do we care for rivers?” Kassell reached out to CRC: “my class would love to learn more about the river and help protect it… we want to get involved in the local river happenings.”  Is it clean? Ryan O’Donnell, CRC’s  Monitoring Program Manager, showed students the sign posted on a tree next to the river: Is it Clean/Esta Limpio? “I made that sign and put it there!” He explained his job and the role of volunteer monitors who collect water samples to test in the lab.  “There are lots of things we can do to understand rivers and different ways to tell if a river is healthy.” Students got very excited when he waded into the shallow water with a kick-net, showing them how to sample macroinvertebrates to assess the level of pollution in a stream.  Who’s living in the river? Children eagerly explored the leaf-filled shallow water with little nets, scooping their findings into containers to examine up close. They observed tiny fish, hopping beetles, and bubbles coming up from the leafy sediment. “There’s a cute little frog! Two frogs! Hopping away!” O’Donnell brought their attention to a big crayfish lurking in the fork of a tree root, telling them to approach quietly so it wouldn’t scoot away. Everyone got a good look – “it’s huge!!” – and learned that crayfish belong to the category of organisms considered moderately pollution tolerant. Children’s favorite part of getting out of the river was dumping their boots to see who had collected the most water.  Writing weathergrams “Who wants to write a note to the river?”   Carol Berner, River of Words Regional Coordinator, gathered students in a circle and showed them how to make weathergrams . She invited them to write a few words capturing the “here and now” of this place and moment. Students suggested sensory observations: “drops of rain falling off the trees, leaves moving slowly downstream, a dog splashing.” Berner gave them each a strip of brown paper tied with twine to write their message and hang it from a branch – so the weather could write back. As soon as the children settled quietly into writing, a sudden gust of wind blew acorns into the water, making loud pops and splashes. Children exclaimed that the weather was already writing back!   Walking back from the river to the trailhead, carrying nets and wet boots, children talked happily about all the things they had seen and heard and learned on their field trip to the Mill River.  Weathergram The wind blows the acorns in the water and makes a sound like plip plip plop plop I found a lot of fish and a lot of crayfish and when nature blows it makes me happy.

Last year, I could not tell you what Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) meant. However, over the course of the year, I have learned this term to be much more than what initially seemed like little more than an environmental sustainability buzzword. EPR programs are systems that reduce the waste generated by industrial production by charging producers for the waste they generate that isn’t recyclable or recollected. This system encourages producers to meet otherwise untouched recycling and reduction rates. One question that logically follows this statement is, “How do producers increase recycling rates when consumers are the ones who decide whether or not to recycle?” There are a couple types of EPR programs that catalyze a reduction in waste generation while simultaneously increasing recycling rates: stewardship programs and packaging programs. Stewardship programs require producers of certain environmentally harmful or otherwise hazardous materials to create their own recollection systems to guarantee that their products don’t end up in the waste stream. Currently, there are over 100 stewardship programs across 33 states (Product Stewardship Institute). Here in New England, there are over 30 stewardship programs, including mercury recollection in every state, “Bottle Bills” in every Connecticut River watershed state aside from New Hampshire, paint programs, mattress programs, electronics programs, and most recently, tire programs. These programs are wildly successful. The Container Recycling Institute found that states with container deposit laws recycle at twice the rate of other states. The trend was constant across materials without outliers. The other type of program is packaging EPR. Packaging EPR programs create regulations that determine what materials can be used in product packaging and in what quantity. Unlike stewardship programs, this type of EPR has only started gaining traction in the United States in the last four years, despite the existence of analogous programs elsewhere worldwide. This type of program requires producers to change what materials they use in their packaging to make it more recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable. In addition, it sets recycling and reduction goals with which producers must comply. While the system structure varies among the four states with packaging EPR programs in the United States, they generally have a few common characteristics. The statewide environmental department conducts a needs assessment to determine which materials will be prohibited, the fee structure to charge producers for the use of discouraged materials, and the timeline for reduction and recycling goals. The department then hires a “Producer Responsibility Organization” which manages the funds collected through the taxation of certain materials and distributes them to the department for administration or municipalities for disposal infrastructure. The only packaging EPR program in New England was passed in Maine in 2023. Because the four packaging EPR programs in the United States are in their implementation stages, there is no data demonstrating their success yet; however, The Recycling Partnership conducted a study on the status of packaging recycling and reduction in a number of regions with packaging EPR programs and found major success, with the Netherlands increasing its recycling rate since the introduction of its EPR program in 2007 in every metric available and Quebec more than doubling its recycling rates of every packaging material after the introduction of its packaging EPR program in 2005. Despite the success of EPR programs worldwide, opponents of EPR are concerned that consumers pay for the cost placed on producers by taxation through increased product prices. However, environmental consulting firm Resource Recycling Systems conducted a study which indicated that this does not occur (Dimino). 76% of products studied did not increase in price after the introduction of EPR legislation, only 15% increased, and 9% decreased. Additionally, of the 15% of products that increased in price, the average increase in price was less than 1%. This means that a product which once cost $5 cost less than five cents more after introducing a relevant EPR program. By forcing producers to pay for the waste that they generate that contributes to environmental damage, producers are incentivized to reduce the amount of waste they produce, use more recyclable materials, recover their waste, and reuse it instead of purchasing new raw materials. EPR guarantees that people don’t have to consume as high quantities of environmentally unsustainable materials while simultaneously making it easier for them to recycle. This reduces the waste in our landfills and takes steps towards the preservation of our natural environment. Check out CRC's informative pamphlet here . Product Stewardship Institute. “EPR Laws in the United States.” https://productstewardship.us/epr-laws-map/ , 2024. Gitlitz, Jenny. “Bottled Up. Beverage Container Recycling Stagnates (2000-2010).” Container Recycling Institute, 2013, https://www.container-recycling.org/images/stories/PDF/BottledUp-BCR2000-2010.pdf . Dimino, Resa. “Impact of EPR for Packaging on Consumer Prices.” Signalfire Group, https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/waste_management_and_disposal/ccsmm/epr-workinggroup/impact-of-epr-for-packaging-on-consumer-prices-9_28_22.pdf . The Recycling Partnership. “Increasing Recycling Rates with EPR Policy.” 2023, https://recyclingpartnership.webdamdb.com/bp/#/downloadqueue/DEMfU95FkzCsVTXP /source/0.

Connecticut River Conservancy’s River Restoration Network partners at Save the Sound have released the 2024 Long Island Sound Report Card  based on Unified Water Study data, and we are happy to share an increase from a B to an A-.   The Long Island Sound Report Card tracks and publicizes the ecological health of Long Island Sound, which is where the Connecticut River watershed drains into the Atlantic Ocean along with hundreds of other local watersheds. Their biennial report assembles water monitoring data and, using an assessment methodology designed for the Report Card, grades water quality in five open water regions of Long Island Sound and 57 bay segments along its margins. They provide the results to elected officials, environmental agencies, and the general public as part of ongoing work to catalyze improvements in ecosystem health and promote restoration projects and infrastructure investments. All grades in the 2024 Long Island Sound Report Card result from monitoring data collected during the 2023 monitoring season.  The full report is available  here , and you can learn more about the Unified Water Study in CRC’s recent video below.  The Connecticut River watershed’s grade increase from a B in 2023 to an A- in 2024  (based on the prior year’s data collection) means that we are making progress when it comes to water quality improvements in our embayment in the Connecticut River, and also overall in the Long Island Sound, which is cause for celebration.   Some of the contributing factors to this improvement could be dam removal projects that help improve dissolved oxygen and sediment transport , the annual watershed-wide river cleanup efforts with the Source to Sea Cleanup,  ongoing work in water quality monitoring , improvements to wastewater treatment plants, and advocacy/policy  to support clean water and healthy habitats.  While we are happy to see these improvements, some challenges continue to persist. Nitrogen is a leading pollutant in the Long Island Sound, and it comes from our rivers like the Connecticut River. Nitrogen flows into the river from wastewater treatment plants, fertilizer usage, and stormwater runoff. When excess nitrogen gets into the Long Island Sound it can have disastrous effects, causing algal blooms and creating dead zones where fish cannot get enough oxygen. This is something we will continue to monitor, and can benefit from individual actions such as these:    Reduce water usage  Reduce fertilizer use  Plant riparian buffers with native plants  Build rain gardens  Reduce your carbon footprint Vote for leaders who support environmental policies Reduce waste consumption and use eco-friendly materials In addition to Save the Sound and River Restoration Network , CRC is grateful for our partnership with the Connecticut River Museum  in the essential boating needs to gather this data on a regular basis.   Sign up for our newsletters  to stay connected with CRC’s work for water quality, advocacy, and other river news.