Connecticut River Conservancy

10/22/2026

River Restoration Alert! 😃💧

The Connecticut River Conservancy and partners have completed a large-scale water quality improvement project on the Ottauquechee River in Woodstock, VT. The project brought together multiple partners and organizations to deliver a bioengineered solution to address the underlying cause of bank erosion and nitrogen loading in the river.

In addition to water quality benefits and habitat improvements, the work will allow the Ottauquechee River to dissipate some of its energy during high flows. Many more details and a full list of partners are at the link below!

The project brought together multiple partners and organizations to deliver a bioengineered solution to address the underlying cause of bank erosion and nitrogen loading in the river.

10/21/2026

Friendly reminder! The Submission Deadline for Your Connecticut River Art is Sunday, Nov 1st 🎨💧

In celebration of the Connecticut River Conservancy's 75th anniversary, we invite artists to submit work for a curated group exhibition, The River We Call Home. This exhibit honors the Connecticut River watershed as a place of wonder, belonging, and relationship—one that sustains both human and natural communities. This exhibit seeks to reflect a legacy of love and stewardship through artistic interpretations of the river as a home. By highlighting the watershed’s dimensionality as only art can do, we hope the exhibit will stir a renewed sense of passion and engagement for environmental conservation.

Two united yet distinct exhibits will be held at beautifully situated river-side locations in 2027: the Connecticut River Museum (Essex, CT) from February-May; and at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (Brattleboro, VT) from July-October. Please spread the word with your artist friends—including those who enjoy craft arts!

In celebration of the Connecticut River Conservancy’s 75th anniversary, we invite artists to submit work for a curated group exhibition, The River We Call Home. This exhibit honors the Connecticut River watershed as a place of wonder, belonging, and relationship—one that sustains both human and ...

10/16/2026

The 30th Annual Source to Sea Cleanup brought together 140 groups across New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut to remove trash from rivers. Despite the threat of a Nor’easter, volunteers collected thousands of pounds of debris, removed hundreds of tires, and tackled illegal dumping sites throughout the watershed.

Read our latest news post for some highlights from this year’s cleanups.

Thirty years into the Source to Sea Cleanup, volunteers continue to demonstrate the impact of community-led efforts to protect and restore the Connecticut River watershed.

10/16/2026

2026 has been a very productive year for river restoration with the Connecticut River Conservancy!

We are happy to share the completion of a strategic woody addition project on the Ompompanoosuc River in Vermont with partners at Redstart, inc.

🌲 595 woody structures. 1,230 pieces of large woody material. Approximately 8.45 miles of headwater streams now have greater natural habitat complexity and vital flood protections.

What are strategic woody additions? 🤔🌲 They are a way of restoring the kind of forested river conditions that existed centuries ago. Many more details are at the link below.

This work was made possible through a grant funded by Watersheds United Vermont (WUV), with additional support from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Clean Water Initiative Program.

Major River Restoration Project Completed in Central Vermont: Over 8 Miles of Ompompanoosuc River Headwaters Restored for Wildlife and Flood Resilience.

10/15/2026

🔔 PSA for Vermonters!

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation has posted the draft 5-yr update to the Ompompanoosuc, Stevens, Wells, and Waits Rivers Tactical Basin Plan for public review and comment. Basin plans summarize existing surface water quality conditions, identify water quality concerns, and describe strategies for improving water quality, aquatic habitat, and watershed resilience. The public can review and comment on the draft plan through November 11th, 2026.

There will be two hybrid (virtual and in-person) public meetings to present the plan and discuss it with interested community members:

October 16th, 2026 6:30 PM
In-Person Location: Blue Mountain Union School Library, 2420 Route 302, Wells River, VT

October 22nd, 2026 6:30 PM
In-Person Location: Anderson Hall Café, Thetford Academy, Thetford Center, VT

All the details are available here: https://dec.vermont.gov/water-investment/watershed-planning/basins-and-planners/basin14

10/13/2026

🔔 Volunteer Alert!

The Connecticut River Conservancy's partners at the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and Mass Audubon are seeking volunteer help for pulling invasive buckthorn seedlings at Osgood Brook in Wendell, MA, this Friday, October 16th from 10am-1pm.

The Bowen’s Pond dam was removed last winter. The former impoundment is establishing really well with native vegetation, and the new stream channel is settling in to find it form. There is, however, a small band of buckthorn seedlings coming up around the edge of the former pond. We intend to keep that at bay to the maximum extent that we can, to give the natives a head start on the competition!

If you are interested and available, please contact Chris Hirsch via email: [email protected] to let him know you plan to be there. The address for the work is 269 Wendell Depot Rd.

10/13/2026

Explore the Green River in Guildford, VT, this weekend! 💧

Join CRC and partners on October 17th for one of three macroinvertebrate sampling sessions (at 10am, 11am, and 1pm) to learn and interact with the variety of macroinvertebrates in the stream. And/or stop by to spend time touring Green River Meadows and other educational stations that focus on riparian buffers, the connection between macroinvertebrates and fly fishing, and the restoration of the Green River Meadows site.

Details and RSVP: ctriver.org/event-details/green-river-vt-explore

10/08/2026

Calling all aquatic ecology lovers near Lyme, NH 🦗💧
The Connecticut River Conservancy and The Upper Valley Land Trust are conducting a macroinvertebrate survey at the Lyme Hill Conservation Area on October 14th at 9:30am. There are just 10 more spots available if you'd like to join us!

We will be using nets to collect macroinvertebrates from a stream and identifying what we collect to learn about stream health and biodiversity.

Details and registration here: ctriver.vomo.org/opportunity/macroinvertebrate-survey-in-lyme-nh

10/07/2026

The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group's 2026 symposium "From Awareness to Action - Strengthening Our Response to Invasive Plants" will be held on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at UConn Student Union, Storrs, CT.

The symposium will be recorded and made available after the event. Attendees can choose to attend in person or purchase the recording.

Sessions include education on a variety of techniques for management of terrestrial and aquatic invasives, as well as restoration with native alternatives.

Go to the link on the flyer for more information!