On My Mind…

  This article appears in the Spring 2024 issue\n\n On My Mind…\n\n As Estuary begins its fifth year of publication, it seems fitting to reflect on what has taken place…

Meeting of the Waters

…of hydrology, geology, and biology attract world-renowned scientists conducting multi-million dollar research in what is regarded as a living lab. Of scientific interest is the array of biotic (living) and…

A Man’s Home is His Castle

…allowed him to escape annoying guests. Upstairs an art gallery held over 100 paintings. From the high tower he could see up and down the meandering waterway from East Haddam…

Hiking the New England Trail over Mt. Tom

…the NET crossing on Route 141, we reach Mount Tom’s 1,202-foot summit. It’s the highest basalt peak of the Metacomet Range, a 100-mile long chain of mountains and ridges that…

The Vessel and the Painting

…and thanks us all for coming. “You can take a picture of the main street in so many communities and see the same hotels and the same restaurants, and you…

In Memoriam: David Holahan

…contributor to Estuary magazine, who died June 11, 2024. David was a seasoned professional writer, commentator, and reporter. Kyn Tolson, David’s widow, wrote to us, “He loved writing for the…

River Heroes

…problems of the poor factory workers of Chicago, studying phosphorous and lead. The Illinois Commission on Occupational Diseases appointed her medical investigator in 1910, a post where she could integrate…

Diatoms

…a microbial safari one needs only a receptacle to hold a water sample, a pipette for transporting a small amount of the water sample onto a glass microscope slide, a…

The Most Dangerous Animal in America

…because barberry and ticks come back,” says Williams. That research is proving valuable for homeowners, land trusts, and sanctuaries. Many state resource agencies claiming to be “stewards of the landscape”…

Why Do People “Love or Hate” Eastern Coyotes?

…highly impressive, and they are simply beautiful creatures.”\n\n Bill Hobbs is a nature columnist for The Day in New London, CT. For comments, he can be reached at whobbs246@gmail.com. \n\n…

Deerfield River

…straightening, a common practice throughout the watershed, further impacted hydrology and natural communities by causing unnaturally high flows, habitat degradation, flooding, erosion, and sedimentation. Whitewater rafters. Hydroelectric development began in…

The Connecticut River Raft Race

With all the decorum of a college fraternity on house party weekend, the annual Connecticut River Raft Race will celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 20, 2024. “Race” is a…

A Beauty and A Beast

…and, thrive, with little competition. And, as we have seen before, these plants also have effective survival and dispersal strategies. Yellow iris, for example, have robust spreading roots in the…

Snowy Owls

Norman Smith releases a snowy owl, helped by his third-generation owl research assistants—Carmella and Alexa Nihill—at Duxbury Beach, MA. Image Credit: © Raymond MacDonald/ray-macdonald.com.\n\n Snowy Owls\n\n Fierce Predators, Beautiful Birds\n\n…

Let’s Go

…Land Conservancy (Excellence in Community Engagement Award), Connecticut River Gateway Commission (Special Award for Excellence in Conservation), Madeline McClave (Katchen Coley Award for Excellence in Conservation), and Granby Land Trust…

The Perils of Japanese Knotweed

…used herbicides…and unnecessary physical control methods (cut and fill, summer cutting and excavation) that add equipment and labor costs and increase environmental impacts, without improving control compared to spraying alone.”…

Cold Weather Safety

…Hampshire or, as noted above, in the comparatively balmy south where the River meets the Sound. Ambient temperatures do not have to be below freezing for it to creep up…