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< Back Ron Rhodes Director of Programs Ron joined CRC in 2011 as a NH/VT River Steward, spending most of his time removing old dams, planting trees, and working with landowners and partners to implement river restoration projects. Now, Ron is the Director of Restoration Programs where he leads CRC’s aquatic and riparian habitat restoration programs throughout the watershed in NH, VT, MA and CT, and determines short and long-range restoration program opportunities. Ron is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH where he majored in Political Science and Economics. Prior to moving to the Upper Valley, where he lives with his wife Betsy, Ron worked in politics and government in Washington D.C. and Ohio. rrhodes at ctriver.org 413-772-2020 ext. 214 Our Mission Get to Know Our Mission, Vision, & Values Upcoming Events Register to Learn & Connect Get Involved Volunteer, Participate, or Donate

< Back Bob Sproull Trustee, Board Chair Bob is a computer scientist, retired from running a research lab for Sun Microsystems and Oracle. For over twenty years, he lived in Boston and rowed on the Charles River. He served on the board of directors of the Charles River Watershed Association for 15 years and helped them launch a capital campaign. Bob lives in Leeds, MA, is the coordinator of the Friends of Mineral Hills Conservation Area, and is a member of the Yankee Rowing Club. He tries to row on the Connecticut as often as possible and enters an occasional race. CRC@ctriver.org

< Back Kathy Urffer Director of Policy and Advocacy Kathy joined CRC in 2017. Prior to moving to Vermont, Kathy was Special Projects Manager and Operations Director for Hackensack Riverkeeper in New Jersey. In addition to managing the staff and day to day finances of the organization, she developed and ran their river cleanup program, assisted with their canoe and pontoon boat eco-cruise programs, managed stream restoration projects, and fish advisory, outreach and education projects. More recently she has served on the Board of the Southeastern Vermont Watershed Association, the Windham Regional Commission, and has worked on education projects related to wastewater treatment. Kathy holds a M.S. in Natural Resource Management from Antioch New England University, a B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers, and is a former Vermont Leadership Institute Fellow from the Snelling Center for Government. She is a self-taught amateur botanist and herbalist and enjoys re-learning about the natural world through the eyes of her two children. kurffer at ctriver.org 802-258-0413 Our Mission Get to Know Our Mission, Vision, & Values Upcoming Events Register to Learn & Connect Get Involved Volunteer, Participate, or Donate

< Back Leslie Harris Trustee Leslie manages the pick-your-own orchards at 200-acre Quonquont Farm in Whately, MA. Before coming to the farm, she served as a non-profit administrator for more than 25 years. Today, Leslie chairs the Trustees of the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation, which funds projects in animal welfare, land conservation, and veterinary research. Leslie and her wife are the kind of people whose idea of a terrific vacation is to see how many dogs they can get into their canoe before they disappear into a cloud of bugs down some remote waterway. CRC@ctriver.org

< Back Payton Shubrick Trustee, Vice-Chair Born and raised in Springfield, MA Payton is a proud graduate of Central High School, College of the Holy Cross, and most recently Bay Path University. The oldest of four children, Payton is a natural leader and innovative thinker who enjoys new challenges facing traditional industries. Skilled in design thinking and ideations to solve tough problems, she currently works at MassMutual as an R&D Lab Manager. She continues to call Springfield home, living in Sixteen Acres and is currently considering MBA programs as she is a firm believer of continuous learning. CRC@ctriver.org

Board of Trustees We are continually rewarded by the generous gifts of time and skill from members of the CRC Board of Trustees. All are seasoned experts in fields ranging from the environment and education, to legal, corporate business, and finance. The dedicated folks on our Board offer us the know-how and long-range thinking that helps keep CRC moving in the right direction. We cannot thank them enough. Bob Sproull Trustee, Board Chair Computer scientist, rower, and experienced with conservation and board management. Read More Tim Lewis Trustee, Secretary Avid paddler and conservationist retired after a career in manufacturing. Read More Kari Kastango Trustee The first person to swim the entire length of the 410-mile Connecticut River. Read More Tom Ciardelli Trustee, Treasurer Retired Professor of Pharmacology, and the former owner of Hanover Outdoors. Read More Payton Shubrick Trustee, Vice-Chair Skilled in design thinking, leadership, and ideations to solve tough problems. Read More Stephen Gephard Trustee Fisheries biologist, consultant, formerly with CTDEEP for 42 years. Read More David Deen Trustee Former CRC River Steward + 30 years as a VT legislator advocating for river protections. Read More Nicole Pollard Trustee Experienced in industry-leading technology, data science, and education. Read More Damon DePaolo Trustee 20+ years of experience in IT & cyber security, with a passion for the outdoors. Read More Alison Brinkmann Trustee Experienced in business & nonprofit leadership, boater on the Connecticut River. Read More Leslie Harris Trustee Nonprofit administrator for 25+ years, orchard manager, and outdoor enthusiast. Read More Tony Judge Trustee Former broadcasting executive and radio, television, & film producer, and wildlife nonprofit board vice-chair. Read More Honorary Trustees Raul de Brigard Land Use Consultant Higganum, CT ​ Ed Gray Author Lyme, NH ​ Susan Merrow Environmental Lobbyist East Haddam, CT Jim Okun Principal, O'Reilly, Talbot, and Okun Ellington, CT Ronald Poltak Retired, Executive Director, NEIWPCC Auburn, NH ​ John Sinton Retired, Professor of Geography, Land-Use and Environmental Planning, Human Ecology Florence, MA ​ Annette Spaulding Retired, Spaulding & Harris Tax Service Bellows Falls, VT Our Mission Get to Know Our Mission, Vision, & Values Upcoming Events Register to Learn & Connect Get Involved Volunteer, Participate, or Donate

Support the Connecticut River Every contribution supports our mission of clean water, healthy habitats, and thriving communities. Together, we can restore free-flowing rivers for fish passage and recreation in the Connecticut River and tributaries for years to come. Other Ways to Give Donate by Mail Please mail your check, made out to Connecticut River Conservancy, to: 15 Bank Row, Greenfield, MA 01301 Donate by Phone To donate by phone or to get assistance with your donation, please contact us at 413-772-2020 More Ways to Give Learn about legacy and workplace giving, sponsorships, stock donations and more with more ways to give. For questions about making your gift to support Connecticut River Conservancy, contact Brett at bmorrison - at - ctriver.org or call 413.772.2020 x218.

< Back Stacey Lennard Events Manager & Source to Sea Cleanup Coordinator Stacey’s passion for the Connecticut River began in the spring of 1996 when, after moving to the valley from NYC, she and her husband embarked on their first paddle in celebration of his birthday. They have created a ritual of the event, bringing friends and family along for this annual birthday flotilla. Stacey began volunteering with CRC in the winter of 2015 and currently organizes our public events. She loves to combine her creativity and community-building skills to share the important work of CRC and inspire others to engage with their rivers. ​ Stacey holds an M.F.A. in photography from UMass Amherst, an M.A. in Art Education from City College of New York and a B.F.A. from University of Michigan. She was the Executive Director of Youth Action Coalition—a community-based youth arts and social justice organization—for nearly 20 years, and has been an arts educator and facilitator in rural and urban schools and out-of-school settings. She lives in Leverett, MA with her husband, sons and new puppy, loves canoeing, backpacking, playing the cello, reading, and cooking. At her first Source to Sea Cleanup, Stacey and son Ethan dragged nine tires out of the river! Stacey hopes to be a Source to Sea Through-Paddler in the near future. slennard at ctriver.org 413-772-2020 ext. 211 Our Mission Get to Know Our Mission, Vision, & Values Upcoming Events Register to Learn & Connect Get Involved Volunteer, Participate, or Donate

Dam Removal River restoration includes improving fish passage and flood resiliency at “pinch points” in our rivers. These obstacles include obsolete dams no longer serving a useful purpose, and undersized culverts that block or hinder fish and other aquatic animals from accessing their entire watershed. CRC works with many partners to safely remove dams and upgrade culverts. Our accomplishments since 2014: There are over 3,000 dams in the Connecticut River watershed. Most of them are obsolete. In addition, there are 44,000 stream crossings (bridges and culverts), many of which are undersized. Why Remove Dams? Fish Passage Removing the old dams, building fish ladders at active hydro dams, and replacing culverts with larger flood and fish-friendly structures allows fish to move upstream to spawn and find colder water during the warm summer months. Creating fish and aquatic animal passage helps reestablish natural cycles in rivers, allowing migratory fish, mussels, amphibians, turtles and a host of aquatic invertebrates access to critical habitat to reproduce. Learn more about migratory fish in the Connecticut River. Flood Resilience By removing obsolete dams and undersized culverts we create natural stream flows that improve flood resiliency in our communities. Each dam removal lowers the flood elevation level and provides additional storage capacity within the river channel during the next big storm. Non-flood control dams do not provide flood storage capacity during large storm events; these obsolete dams only act as a small speed bump during the high flow events. Dam Safety Poorly maintained dams or those that have outlived their useful life are at risk of failing. Dam failure can cause flooding and damage to upstream and downstream infrastructure, homes, businesses, and ecosystems. Any polluted sediment trapped behind a dam is also released. With severe storms becoming more common, dam failure is a growing threat to communities. The National Inventory of Dams is a helpful resource to look at the number of dams in your state, along with their hazard potential. Water Quality Dam removal improves water quality by increasing water flow and oxygen levels and reducing water temperatures critical for aquatic organism health. Many projects also remove the accumulated sediment behind the dam which may contain excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that can be harmful to a healthy river system. Dam removal is often followed by buffer planting in the spring to help stabilize the riverbank for long-term benefit. Learn More About River Restoration Beaver Brook Dam Removal in Wilmington, VT Recent Project: In 2023 Connecticut River Conservancy worked with a private dam owner, the Town of Wilmington, the State of Vermont, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to remove an old mill dam and upgrade a town owned culvert to a new bridge. This project aims to restore water quality, reconnect native brook trout habitat, and improve flood resiliency in Beaver Brook (a tributary to the Deerfield River in the town of Wilmington). Learn More About This Project How We Remove Dams CRC works with private landowners, towns, and other owners of these structures to facilitate dam removal so that our rivers are healthier for everyone to enjoy. Agreement Communicate with landowners to ensure there is agreement on moving forward with a potential project. Permits Secure all necessary local, state, and federal permits legally required for dam removal. Assessment Collect information on site structure, environment, potential benefits, and feasibility of moving forward. Funding for Removal Another round of funding must be secured for the implementation of construction work. Funding for Design Secure funding to move ahead with the design phase - which usually involves grants and regional partnerships. Construction Implement site access, water and sediment management, dam removal, channel and flood bench construction. Project Design Engineers conduct field investigations, surveys, and modeling to create a design plan & cost estimate. Restoration Plant native trees, shrubs and grasses along the riverbank to ensure long-term stability and ecological health. This process can take 3-7 years! After project management and completion, we also monitor the site for several years to document the long-term impact and share results with regional partners and the public. ​ CRC is currently pursuing multiple dam removal projects throughout the watershed, as well as several culvert replacement projects. Grant applications and funding proposals are being submitted to federal and state agencies and many Foundations. This multi-year campaign is focused on tributaries to the Connecticut River watershed where native fish and other organisms are prevented from moving upstream to spawn. CRC's Dam Removal History Dam Removal News Long Island Sound River Restoration Network Testimony in SUPPORT of SB 192 An Act Concerning Dam Safety with modifications Long Island Sound River Restoration Network Testimony in SUPPORT of SB 192 An Act Concerning Dam Safety with modifications Connecticut River Conservancy Receives NFWF Grant for Stone Pond Dam Removal Project Connecticut River Conservancy announces the receipt of a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for dam removal project. State of Vermont Clean Water Funds Used to Remove Old Dam in Wilmington The Connecticut River Conservancy in collaboration with partners recently completed a dam removal project on Beaver Brook. For questions about dam removal with Connecticut River Conservancy, contact Ron at rrhodes - at - ctriver.org .

< Back Sam Stegeman Operations Manager Sam joined CRC in 2024, and he is likely to be the person to answer your call to the office or greet when you visit the CRC Headquarters in Greenfield. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in Environmental Studies. Prior to CRC, Sam served nine years as the Executive Director of the Vermont Wilderness School in Brattleboro and five years on the program team at Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) in South Deerfield. Sam spent his adolescence in the Westport River watershed of southeastern Massachusetts, and since 2006 he and his family have lived alongside the South River in Conway. He got to know CRC through volunteering for water quality monitoring, and today is thrilled to bring his affinity for nonprofit development to such a great organization with such a fun and dedicated staff. sstegeman@ctriver.org 413-772-2020 ext. 200 Our Mission Get to Know Our Mission, Vision, & Values Upcoming Events Register to Learn & Connect Get Involved Volunteer, Participate, or Donate

< Back Aliki Fornier Ecology Planner Aliki joined CRC’s staff in March 2018 shortly after moving to the valley from St. Peterburg, FL. Prior to joining CRC, she was a volunteer at several conservancies around the globe. In 2013, she volunteered at the Maurtitius Marine Conservation Society, working towards the preservation of cetaceans and marine turtles around the Island of Mauritius. In St. Petersburg, she volunteered with the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve helping to eliminate invasive species. Aliki learned of CRC through her participation in CRC’s annual Source to Sea Cleanup, as well as volunteering for our mussel restoration program. Aliki graduated with a B.A. in Biology from Eckerd College. Growing up in Switzerland, by the Lac Leman, she always spent time around water, exploring its secrets. Aliki also spends some time in Greece every year – where her family resides – sailing or scuba diving with her brother. afornier at ctriver.org 413-772-2020 ext. 207 Our Mission Get to Know Our Mission, Vision, & Values Upcoming Events Register to Learn & Connect Get Involved Volunteer, Participate, or Donate

< Back Brett Morrison Director of Development Brett grew up on the Connecticut River – fishing, swimming, and floating on the brooks, streams, and rivers of southern Vermont’s hills and valleys. He joined the CRC team in 2018, eager to meet CRC members and work toward the river’s better future. His professional experience includes fundraising throughout New England and NYC for the Student Conservation Association (SCA), consulting and business development with a communications and printing company specializing in nonprofit fundraising, and over a decade teaching, coaching and house parenting at New England independent schools (including Bement School in Deerfield, MA and Northfield Mount Hermon). Since returning to Vermont in 2006, Brett has served on the boards of the West River Watershed Alliance (VT) and the Strolling of the Heifers (Brattleboro, VT), and the Planning Commission in Vernon, VT. He enjoys coaching lacrosse, skiing, playing ice hockey, time with family, and exploring new parts of the river and watershed. bmorrison at ctriver.org 413-772-2020 ext. 218 Our Mission Get to Know Our Mission, Vision, & Values Upcoming Events Register to Learn & Connect Get Involved Volunteer, Participate, or Donate