Let’s Go

Rivers Alliance of Connecticut
Right in Your Own Backyard
Spring is just around the corner! As we eagerly anticipate the bloom of flowers and budding of trees, many of us are also jotting down to-do lists for our yards and dreaming of new landscaping projects.
Did you know there are simple, common-sense practices you can incorporate into your spring gardening and landscaping that will benefit your backyard streams as well? These small efforts can make a big difference, improving the health of the beautiful Connecticut River and the iconic Long Island Sound.

For helpful tips and resources, visit the River Smart website at www.riversmartct.org. You’ll find plenty of practical advice to help you protect and improve our waters.

You can also support healthier waters across Connecticut by contributing to Rivers Alliance’s work during Give Local on April 29 and 30. Your support helps Rivers Alliance advocate for better protection and management of our precious water resources. For more details, follow them on social media and visit www.riversalliance.org. Together, we can make a difference for Connecticut’s waters!

Connecticut River Salmon Association
Migratory Fish Encounter
Bring freshwater and saltwater ecosystems to LIFE for your students! Educate your students about the unique challenges that migratory fish encounter through the eyes of Atlantic salmon. Study the anadromous life cycle of a threatened and endangered species. Consider participating in Salmon-in-Schools—a scientific and environmental learning project. Students participate in all phases, from rearing salmon eggs in the classroom to calculating the Development Index to stocking rivers. Connecticut River Salmon Association (CRSA) provides teacher orientation, materials, and support from fisheries biologists at the Connecticut DEEP.

The program begins with learning about the life cycle and challenges the fish encounter in both freshwater and saltwater ecosystems. It continues with incubating eggs in a chilled aquarium beginning in early January. The eggs hatch mid-February into alevin and then transition to unfed fry. They are ready for stocking by late April or early May into select tributaries of the Connecticut River.

To bring Salmon-in-Schools to your classroom, contact salmoninschools@ctriversalmon.org. For more information visit ctriversalmon.org.

The Rockfall Foundation
Scholarship Opportunity
The Rockfall Foundation invites high school seniors from the Lower CT River Valley (LCRV) to apply for the Virginia R. Rollefson Environmental Leadership Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a qualified student who carries out a program, project, or activity that benefits preservation, conservation, restoration, or environmental education in the LCRV.

The application deadline is noon, March 20, 2025. Detailed information may be found at rockfallfoundation.org/programs/vrrscholarship/.

Save the date, May 4, 2025, for Oysters at the Point—A Sustainable Seafood Social at Saybrook Point Resort and Marina in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Proceeds from the event support Rockfall’s environmental grants and educational programs. Look for more information at www.rockfallfoundation.org.

Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center
Summer CAMP Registration is OPEN!
The Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center’s (RTPEC) Children’s Innovation & Discovery Center is the ultimate learning space for eco-enthusiasts and aspiring scientists. Equipped with advanced laboratories and offering hands-on experiments, children immerse themselves in the wonders of ecology, conservation, and sustainability. These dynamic workshops and STEM-focused programs empower kids to think critically and solve problems like real scientists. From designing eco-friendly inventions to growing native plants, every visit will be an adventure in environmental innovation.

RTPEC believes that learning should be joyful and that every child has the potential to be a leader. At the Innovation & Discovery Center kids learn to tackle real-world environmental challenges with creativity and ingenuity. Join in where learning meets adventure and every discovery sparks curiosity and instills a lifelong love for the natural world. Register today at www.ctaudubon.org/rtp-summer-camp/.

Great Meadows Conservation Trust
Help Plant Native Shrubs
Coming off a successful Brisk Winter Walk season, Great Meadows Conservation Trust (GMCT) now looks forward to spring and continuing its Climate Smart Land Stewardship project at its Wood parcel in Wethersfield. Removal of invasives is a long-term project, and the trust’s volunteers are making good headway. Native shrubs and trees will be purchased in the spring from the CT River Coastal Conservation District. Delivery may not be in time for Earth Day, so keep checking www.gmct.org and its Facebook page for updates on planting dates. They are hoping for a repeat performance from last year when a team of archaeologists from the state and Friends of the Office of the State Archaeologist dug the holes for planting. The soil is then sifted to assure that no sacred artifacts were in the area. This is required because of other findings on the parcel, and it made planting so much easier for the volunteers!

Audubon Vermont
Sugar on Snow Parties
Celebrate the maple sugaring season at Green Mountain Audubon Center! This year’s Sugar on Snow Parties will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 22 and 23, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Audubon Vermont’s sugarhouse in Huntington, Vermont. Come tour the Bird-Friendly Sugarbush, see how maple syrup is made, and get a taste for yourself! You’ll learn about the ways sugarmakers can create quality bird habitat in their sugarbushes! All ages are welcome, and programs are fun for the whole family. The events are free of charge. Sugar on snow and maple syrup will be available for purchase. Learn more by visiting vt.audubon.org.

East Haddam Land Trust
Connect with Nature
Join East Haddam Land Trust (EHLT) for outdoor adventures and other fun ways to learn about our natural world. People of all ages are welcome for spring hikes every second and last Sunday of the month. Walks are led both at EHLT’s preserves and at other sites in Middlesex and New London counties.

EHLT also leads kayaking groups on calm waters, often on Moodus Reservoir and the Salmon and Connecticut rivers. Its Words from the Woods Book Circle invites the public every third Monday of the month to East Haddam’s Rathbun Library for lively discussions of books and other writings by natural scientists.

EHLT members and East Haddam residents are invited to submit nature photographs taken in town for possible selection for its 2026 annual calendar. Visit ehlt.org/photo-calendar. Visit ehlt.org to learn about EHLT’s work, become a member, and sign up for weekly e-bulletins. Make a connection, and let’s have fun together!

FloGris Museum
Their Kindred Earth on View
From February 22 through June 22, the FloGris Museum in Old Lyme presents Their Kindred Earth: Photographs by William Earle Williams. What do we know about the land we live on? History books leave holes and silences along with assumptions that have been passed down for generations. This exhibition fills some of the absences by sharing lesser-known stories about Connecticut and its connections to other regions that played a role in bringing people of color to the shores of the future United States. Over the past forty years artist William Earle Williams (b. 1950) has made sites of African American stories more visible by identifying and photographing places across the country that hold histories of the slave trade, the Underground Railroad, and emancipation. Many remain unmarked and largely overlooked in a society that has long ignored Black history. Through art we can imagine the presence of those who had no agency or opportunity to record their own histories. For more information visit flogris.org.

Lyme Land Trust
The 12th Annual Tour de Lyme
This year’s bike ride to benefit the Lyme Land Trust will be held on Sunday, June 1. Ride the beautiful hills of Lyme with a choice of six road rides and two mountain bike routes. Upon your return to bucolic Ashlawn Farm, enjoy food trucks, beer, and music. Registration includes lunch and beer, and picnic-only tickets are available for those who wish to join their rider friends. For more information and to register visit tourdelyme.org.

RiverCOG
Support Your Local Land Trust
RiverCOG, through the Lower Connecticut River Land Trust, is proud to support the conservation activities of the land trusts and communities in the Lower Connecticut River Valley region. Visit one of the many municipal, state, or federal parks, forests, preserves, and refuges; attend a hike or workshop; visit a local farm; or see a show at one of the region’s historic theaters or museums. Spring is a wonderful time to watch the birds return and explore. Temperatures will be mild, and the views are stunning. To find out more about this beautiful part of Connecticut visit Inheritance: A Remarkable Conservation Legacy, The Lower Connecticut River and Coastal Region (www.rivercog.org/inheritance), and please remember to support your local land trusts!

Connecticut Land Conservation Council
41st Land Conservation Conference
Join like-minded people at the 41st Connecticut Land Conservation Conference, a pivotal gathering for conservationists, land trusts, and anyone passionate about conserving Connecticut’s natural beauty. Organized by the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, the day-long conference will be held March 22, 2025, at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.

The event brings together a diverse array of voices and expertise to foster learning, collaboration, and innovation in land conservation. This year’s conference will feature acclaimed author, photographer, and filmmaker Dudley Edmondson, who will explore the intersection of race, representation, and environmental stewardship in his keynote address.

Discover more about the conference and secure your spot by visiting ctconservation.org/conference/.

Connecticut River Museum
Cruises, Conference, and Camp
Don’t miss the beauty and vitality of the Connecticut River this spring. Join the Connecticut River Museum (CRM) aboard RiverQuest for Osprey & Eagle Cruises. On these leisurely journeys, you’ll pass bald eagle nesting territories where eagles and their fledglings are often nearby. Returning ospreys will be hard at work on their nests after their migration from wintering grounds—don’t miss their “nestoration” activities!

On April 5, 2025, participate in the second Annual Connecticut River Valley Environmental Summit to be held at Wesleyan University. This inspiring event gathers river valley professionals, community leaders, and students to collaborate on preserving our waterways.

Looking for summer activities for kids ages 6–11? Secure a spot in one of CRM’s engaging Summer Camp programs. Children will learn, explore, and connect with nature in a fun and educational environment. CRM can’t wait to see you at these events as it tells the story of the Connecticut River. Visit ctrivermuseum.org to learn more.

Riverfront Recapture
Walk, Row, and Appreciate
Looking for a place to hike? See feathered friends? Want to launch your boat or visit the Lincoln Financial Sculpture Walk? Find out where you can do all of these things and more at one of Riverfront Recapture’s four parks on the Connecticut River in Hartford and East Hartford, Connecticut. Great River Park, Riverside Park, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, and Charter Oak Landing are destinations for people across the region, from runners and bikers to rowers and paddlers. All parks are open daily from sunrise to sunset, featuring walking trails, picnic tables, fishing access, boat launches (open Memorial Day to Labor Day with a day or season pass), and more.

Riverfront’s Community Rowing Program is one of the largest and most successful in New England. Recreational and competitive classes, including the opportunity to compete on nationally recognized racing teams, are offered to everyone from preteens to retirees. You’ll find countless reasons to visit time and again. Find out more to plan your visit at riverfront.org.

Connecticut River Conservancy
Community Science Volunteering
Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) engages volunteers with unique community science events throughout the Connecticut River watershed in spring and summer. Volunteers can help remove water chestnut (an aquatic invasive species) to restore clean water and healthy habitats, conduct sea lamprey nest surveys, and collect samples from the river to provide vital water quality monitoring data. These activities directly support CRC’s work and serve as an opportunity to learn about the local ecosystems and connect with others. To learn more and sign up, visit the “Get Involved” page at ctriver.org. Additional events are listed at ctriver.org/events. If events are not listed yet, sign up at ctriver.org/email to be informed of opportunities as they come up. You can also contact CRC at CRC@ctriver.org or 413-772-2020.