During the 1970s the increasingly decrepit Steamboat Dock building at the foot of Main Street in Essex, Connecticut, was a topic of conversation for visitors and residents alike.
Central Watershed Outings: Boating the French King Gorge to Barton Cove
ç Last summer—after water levels finally subsided after prolonged rain—I embarked on an interpretive cruise aboard the Heritage, a tour boat operated by FirstLight’s Northfield Mountain Environmental Education and Recreation Center.
Wildlife Wonders: Are Coyotes Living Near You?
Hiking last summer in Barn Island Wildlife Management Area, a beautiful 1,000-acre preserve in the southeast corner of Connecticut, my eyes spotted movement about fifty feet off to my right in the shadows of the forest.
The Dreaded Spotted Lanternfly
Squish them. Squash them. Stomp them. Smash them. That’s been the order of the day from multiple government agencies inciting the citizenry to bring down the boot on any invasive spotted lanternflies they encounter.
Gardening for Good: Rethinking Weeds
Any number of dictionaries refer to the word “weed” using distasteful associations. For example, you “weed out” troublesome things or people that are “useless or harmful.”
What’s For Dinner? Summertime, Summertime!
Nothing screams summer like a bowl full of tomatoes freshly picked from the garden.
Moodus Noises
Since the earliest days of English settlement in the 1600s, folks correctly identified the strange rumblings in the Moodus section of East Haddam, Connecticut, as earthquakes that are heard more than felt, but it was centuries before science explained the cause and mechanism for their creation.
Conte Corner: Celebrating Trees
As spring arrives, we’re celebrating trees and their important—and complex—role in preserving the Connecticut River Watershed.
New Community Park Coming to the Riverfront
Moments after we stepped out of our car and began to take in the 61 acres of open space sweeping down to the Connecticut River, we spied a coyote skirting the tree line.
Estuary for Young Readers #13
“So, how?” Lieutenant Dunbar said, arms folded, eyes squinted, staring out across the Rappahannock River. “The cavalry could just charge across the river at Kelly’s Ford, but they’d get blown out of the water by those three cannons.
One Photograph: Three “Wish Birds”
As a Massachusetts boy who had been seeking out new birds for better than a year, I was possessed by an unwritten “wish list” of some ten or fifteen species I’d tried desperately but failed to see.
Is It Too Soon to Talk About Climate Natural Solutions In Vermont?
Just as birds need healthy forests and grasslands, protected wetlands, and connected floodplains for habitat, Vermont’s human communities need those same landscape features to survive the onslaught of weather shifts caused by global climate disruption.
Is It Too Soon to Talk About Climate Natural Solutions In Vermont? #2
Just as birds need healthy forests and grasslands, protected wetlands, and connected floodplains for habitat, Vermont’s human communities need those same landscape features to survive the onslaught of weather shifts caused by global climate disruption.
Below the Surface: Atlantic Salmon, a New England Icon
The Atlantic salmon is a near mythical creature, long prized by indigenous people, royalty, anglers, artists, and gourmands.
On My Mind…
As Estuary begins its fifth year of publication, it seems fitting to reflect on what has taken place and what lies ahead.
The Fascinating Life Cycle of Dragonflies
Warm breezes, the shimmer of light reflected off gentle ripples on the surface of a pond, the melodic trill of summer cicadas, and the translucent glimmer of dragonflies as they perform their aerial ballet—all of these images conjure thoughts of summer in New England.
Cymbella Cistula
While many are familiar with the fish and wildlife that define our landscapes, there are other lesser-known critters that play a role in creating and maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
Celebrating Microcultures
On a tributary a mile west of the Connecticut River, above an old milldam in Centerbrook, Connecticut, a small former auger bit factory breathes the 21st century air
Wildlife Wonders: Green Herons
It’s well known by birdwatchers that green herons (Butorides virescens), who are common in the Connecticut River watershed, use their daggerlike bills to seize prey.
Vermont’s Spectacular Waterfalls
Few things in nature exemplify spring more than a roaring waterfall or stream in a freshly leafed out forest.