Let's Go
Lyme Land Trust
Out and About with Lyme Land Trust
Join Lyme Land Trust for Tuesday Treks, Take-a-Walk Wednesdays, and once-a-month Astronomy Observing Sessions. Tuesday Treks are refreshing morning walks, about two hours long, offered weekly in one of the Trust’s preserves led by a board or staff member. Join Lymes’ Senior Center for Take-a-Walk Wednesdays with Wendy Hill, Lyme’s Open Space Coordinator and Vice President of Lyme Land Trust. Astronomy Observing Sessions are offered monthly near the new moon at the Trust’s observatory. Reservations are required. Visit lymelandtrust.org for more information and to reserve your spot, and for other news happenings.
Connecticut River Salmon Association
Calling All Connecticut Science Teachers!
This is a good time for Connecticut science teachers to consider becoming part of Connecticut River Salmon Association (CRSA) Salmon-in-Schools program for the 2023–2024 school year. Salmon-in-Schools operates in both Connecticut public and private schools, providing a valuable scientific and environmental learning project enjoyed by children from kindergarten through high school. Students participate in all phases of the program, from rearing salmon eggs in the classroom to calculating the Development Index to stocking rivers. CRSA provides guidance and teacher education, technical assistance and materials, and vital links to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
The program begins in early January by incubating Atlantic salmon eggs in a chilled aquarium. The eggs hatch mid-February into alevin (small fish of about an inch and a half supported by a yolk sac, its sole food supply). The unfed fry are ready to stock by late spring in a tributary of the Connecticut River selected by DEEP and CRSA.
To find out how you can bring Salmon-in-Schools to your classroom, contact salmoninschools@ctriversalmon.org. For more information visit ctriversalmon.org.
Audubon Vermont
Birding at the Green Mountain Audubon Center
Summer is a wonderful time to go birding in Vermont. The Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington, Vermont, is one great option. The Center is open to the public at no charge and has trails through more than 250 acres of bird habitat, including wetlands, meadows, and forests. You can also find birding outings hosted at the Center on the Audubon Vermont events page (vt.audubon.org/events). Or just bring your binoculars—all are welcome!
The Green Mountain Audubon Center also hosts birdbanding demonstrations. On seven mornings each year between June and August, their expert birdbander Mark LaBarr uses mist nets to catch and band birds. To learn more, visit Audubon Vermont’s events page (link above) or join Audubon Vermont’s Bird Banding Facebook Group for birdbanding updates throughout the season. Happy Birding!
Rockfall Foundation
Get it Fixed at the Repair Café!
We throw away vast amounts of stuff—even things with almost nothing wrong. Knowing how to make repairs is a skill we’re quickly losing. This loss threatens a sustainable future and a circular economy in which raw materials can be reused again and again.
Never fear, the Rockfall Foundation, in partnership with the City of Middletown Recycling & Public Works Department and the Lower Connecticut River Council of Governments (River COG), invites you to bring items you need fixed to its Repair Café on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at the deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, or this fall (location and date TBD) at a shoreline location.
At the Repair Café a skilled volunteer will help fix your item for free and teach you how, saving you money and keeping items out of the waste stream. Participants are responsible for obtaining any necessary replacement parts. Eligible items include electronics & electrical repairs including laptops; smart phones; tablets; lamps; and small appliances (no TVs or large appliances); jewelry; sewing and mending; knife sharpening (in limited quantities); woodwork/furniture; bicycles; and more. No registration is required. Find out more at rockfallfoundation.org/news-events/.
Save the Sound
Explore Your Favorite Beach and the Sound’s Health
Swimming at our region’s beautiful beaches is a favorite summertime activity—but how do you choose which beach to go to? One of Save the Sound’s highest priorities is making sure you know the water quality track record at your local swimming beaches. Take a deep dive into historical data for more than 200 Sound beaches in Connecticut and New York at SoundHealthExplorer.org/swimmable.
In late June, Save the Sound will release the 2023 Long Island Sound Beach Report, a biennial report grading how our region’s beaches stack up against state standards for safe swimming, according to science-based water quality data compiled in the summers of 2020 through 2022. The Beach Report explores potential reasons for problem areas—and what individuals, communities, and municipal leaders can do to improve water quality on a local level. Visit savethesound.org in late June to see how your favorite swimming spot fared!
Connecticut Land Conservation Council
Let’s Talk About Land Conservation
Celebrate land conservation success stories with Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC) throughout the summer! Join CLCC for Conservation Conversations—an opportunity to explore land trust projects across the state.
Add your voice to the conversation. Together with Connecticut’s land trusts, legislators and their communities, and YOU, participants will tour preserves, farms, community gardens, and urban parks while chatting about Connecticut’s state, regional, and local conservation priorities. Learn about important state and federal land conservation funding programs that have helped to conserve these special places.
Visit ctconservation.org/category/conservation-conversation/ for a schedule of upcoming events to find Conservation Conversations taking place near you. CLCC hopes to see you there!
Riverfront Recapture
Connect with the Connecticut River
Riverfront Recapture Inc. (RRI) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981. They manage, maintain, and operate four riverfront parks and their connected riverwalks and trails covering over 350 acres along 3.5 miles of the Connecticut River.
RRI’s mission is to connect people with the Connecticut River, and they do just that year-round in their clean and safe parks and during the summer through events, festivals, and fitness programs. Riverfront Recapture’s Community Rowing Program, one of the largest in New England, offers recreational and competitive opportunities for everyone from preteens to retirees.
In 2022 more than 780,000 people visited the parks to enjoy nature, take a class, or participate in one of Riverfront Recapture’s many signature events, including the upcoming Food Truck Festival from July 20 to July 22, the Dragon Boat & Asian Festival on August 19, and the Head of the Riverfront on October 1. Find out more at riverfront.org.
