Earth Day Approaching, Connecticut River Conservancy Marks Progress

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 With Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, just weeks away, the Connecticut River Conservancy has issued its annual report of the milestones reached and work accomplished during 2024.

“It was a remarkable year full of progress and growth,” the environmental organization reports.  “We advanced a range of programmatic initiatives to further our mission of stewardship throughout the Connecticut River watershed, including:

  • 3 dam removals + 1 culvert upgrade to restore 13 miles of habitat

  • 1,128 E. coli tests for water quality monitoring

  • 7,331 native trees and shrubs planted

  • 174K water chestnut plants removed from our waterways

  • 78K lbs. of trash removed from rivers and parks with volunteers

  • 48 CRC-led events and 41 collaborative partner events

In addition, “many more efforts towards cleaner, healthier rivers which can't be simply rendered into numerical values.”  And along the way, officials point out, CRC “expanded our full-time staff, Board of Trustees, and partnerships to strengthen the impact that can only be done when dedicated people work together in service of a common goal.”

The organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, according to its mission statement, “restores and advocates for clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities to support a diverse and thriving watershed.”  That work is accomplished “through collaborative partnerships in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut” through which “CRC leads and supports science-based efforts for natural and life-filled rivers from source to sea.”

Among upcoming programs this month is “Healthy Rivers, Healthy Habitats and You” on April 23 in Fairfield at the  CT Audubon Birdcraft Museum, 314 Unquowa Rd. Rhea Drozdenko, CRC's River Steward in Connecticut, will discuss strategies that advocates are using to restore and protect the river and explore ways local residents can make a difference– “whether that’s inspiring the next generation, speaking up on a bill, or planting a riparian buffer.”

More on that program can be seen here, and more about the Connecticut River Conservancy can be viewed here.