Casting About- New Column Starts with Fall Issue
June 1, 2023In the Fall issue of Estuary, Ed Mitchel will begin a regular column on the fine art of fly-fishing throughout the Connecticut River watershed. The column, entitled “Casting About,” will feature stories from Ed’s long association with the fly-fishing world, including the best environs for fish, equipment, attire, and skills required, as well as the best places to go for the best results....
Farmington River Fun: Recreation for Everyone in the Valley
June 1, 2023From the observation room at the top of Heublein Tower on Talcott Mountain, you stand almost 1,000 feet above the Farmington River. The magnificent castle was a summer retreat promised by Gilbert Heublein to his wife, Louise, and opened to the public in 1974. Today, it stands just off the New England National Scenic Trail and has one of the best views in southern New England....
Tour de Lyme
March 10, 2023Octogenarians to tykes unite and pedal the pavement and trails for a good cause....
Tour de Lyme
March 1, 2023Octogenarians to tykes unite and pedal the pavement and trails for a good cause....
Ride the Connecticut River on Two Wheels
August 31, 2022My husband, Paul, and I love to explore by bicycle, and we love a water view. When you can combine the two, it’s a recipe for a great day out. The Connecticut River affords many attractive options. In this article, I describe one on the lower Connecticut and one in New Hampshire and Vermont....
Brattleboro Hinsdale Bridge
May 31, 2022A greenway with historic bridges and an island park, community connections to businesses, social services, recreational trails, and revitalization of downtown Brattleboro, Vermont: these are among the many benefits associated with a long-anticipated new bridge at the Connecticut River Route 119 crossing between Brattleboro and Hinsdale, New Hampshire....
Hiking the New England Trail over Mt. Tom
May 31, 2022Formed by ancient volcanoes some 200 million years ago, Mount Tom’s summit ridge is one of the most unique and spectacular natural areas of western Massachusetts....
Duck Hunters
December 1, 2021The Hartford portion of the Audubon Christmas bird count is unlike any other in the Connecticut River Watershed....
Deerfield River
September 1, 2021With a largely undeveloped watershed stretching from the Green Mountains of Vermont to the Berkshire Hills and Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts, the Deerfield River is one of New England’s most picturesque and historically significant waterways....
Fort River
May 31, 2021The Fort River Birding and Nature Trail is a well-engineered, universally accessible trail that opened in 2014. It allows visitors of all abilities and ages to experience the diverse habitats and wildlife....
Rail Trails
March 1, 2021Diverse rail trails help preserve the central Connecticut River watershed’s rich railroad heritage. After many of the region’s railways, including the extensive Boston and Maine Railroad network, discontinued during the twentieth century, conservation and community organizations created trails on the abandoned corridors....
Sailing into the Wind
March 1, 2021Among my favorite memories is when my sailing camp got the whole day to race against each other in different sailboats....
Cold Weather Safety
November 29, 2020“Maybe better that we die because then we won’t be embarrassed.” So muttered I to my duck hunting partner as the outgoing tide took our eight-foot pram and us, shivering and soaked to the skin, out from the mouth of the Connecticut River towards the grim waves of Long Island Sound on a freezing winter day many years ago....
Turners Falls Area Winter Birding
November 29, 2020In March 2019, a flock of 20 tundra swans made an unexpected overnight visit to a historic canal at Turners Falls, Massachusetts, one of the Connecticut River watershed’s finest winter birding destinations. The swans, which breed in the Arctic and overwinter on the mid-Atlantic coast and other regions, delighted fortunate observers before departing the next morning....
Early Morning Row
September 1, 2020The best time to row is early in the morning when the water is quiet and the only people on the river are morning fishermen and crabbers....
My Secret Ledge
September 1, 2020When I go there now, two or three times every week, I walk to the end of one road and trudge up a broken old woods road into the state forest....