Estuary Magazine

26/12/2025

Are barred owls bad ass? Find out in our Winter issue. Bill Hobbs follows up his Fall story, about photographer Frank DiNardi's year photographing a barred owl family in his father's back yard, with an interview with Maggie Jones. “Barred owls are badass. They are fierce,” she told Hobbs. "I know firsthand," having worked for over 30 years as a state- and federally-licensed wildlife rehabilitator at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic, Connecticut. Get all the details on barred owls in the current issue! photo (c) Frank DiNardi

Subscribe at estuarymagazine.com.

New subscribers get access the winter issue online—PLUS Hobbs's fall story "Barred Owls in the Backyard," Fall 2025, and all of our back issue stories.

22/12/2025

We love this! Check it out and submit your photos for a chance to win an Estuary magazine subscription.

Introducing the Watershed Snapshots photo raffle! ctriver.org/photo-submission 😀📸🤳🏼

Whether you're going through all the amazing photos you took in 2025 or reaching further back into your archives, CRC invites you to submit your favorite Connecticut River watershed photos for a chance to win a 2026 Estuary Magazine subscription + recognition.

Photos can show nature, wildlife, people, urban environments—anything that you feel represents the watershed we all call home.

Submit between now and January 28th!
ctriver.org/photo-submission

22/12/2025

It's not too late! Give the gift of Estuary magazine. 12 months of fascinating stories about the Connecticut River and its watershed! Flora & fauna, science & conservation, culture & history, and more!

Visit https://www.estuarymagazine.com/subscribe-gift/

Happy Holidays from Estuary magazine!

20/12/2025

A great event for a good cause from our River partner Connecticut River Salmon Association. Hope you can attend and support their Salmon in Schools program.

Join us to support Salmon-in-Schools on January 24, 2026. More info and reservation form available on our website - ctriversalmon.org.

15/12/2025

Help us welcome Christine Woodside and her new column, Covering Ground. She is the author of Going Over the Mountain, a wilderness memoir, and two other books; and the longtime editor of Appalachia journal. She writes from a tiny office in downtown Chester, Connecticut, and lives in Deep River. Her first column is about one of her favorite walks—to an old dam on Pattaconk Brook. It leads her to learn more. She writes, "I had been ignoring something I already knew anyway: that dams tell long and involved stories and change the habitats of the waterways they slow down. Yet it’s too easy to see them as a pretty backdrop to my life, like a Currier and Ives painting. Although, as I’ve said, I do love this little dam." Christine reminds us of the power of being out in nature and being witnesses and advocates.

Find out more and subscribe at estuarymagazine.com.

photo: Christine Woodside

05/12/2025

Announcing Connecticut River Watershed Seminar Series!
Estuary magazine and its parent The Watershed Fund have teamed up with the Old Lyme Conservation Commission to offer a free seminar series beginning in January 2026 for anyone interested in the environment, focusing on the past, present, and future of the Connecticut River watershed and the issues it faces. Quarterly seminars via Zoom given by experts in their fields will provide in-depth, accessible, and timely explorations of the river’s history, terrestrial habitats, aquatic habitats, invasive plants, geology, and restoration efforts. The series is planned to span eight sessions over two years.

Wednesdays, 6 -7 pm., via ZOOM

2026 Series:

January 7, 2026 : Water Quality, Dr. Andrew Fisk, Northeast Regional Director, American Rivers

April 8, 2026: Avian Habitats, Jillian Liner, Director of Conservation, Audubon Vermont

July 8, 2026: Building Resilient Habitats, Dan Wilder, Director of Applied Ecology, Norcross Wildlife Foundation

October 14, 2026 : Aquatic Habitats, Stephen Gephard, recently retired fisheries biologist after 42 years with CT Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection

Sessions will be moderated by Matt McKenzie, Professor of History & Maritime Studies at UCONN Avery Point, and co-chair, Old Lyme Conservation Commission.

Free registration is required. For details and how to register, visit https://www.estuarymagazine.com/2025/10/seminars/

Audubon Vermont American Rivers

27/11/2025

Wishing you all wonderful time with family, friends, or in nature
In thanksgiving for our Connecticut River and everyone who works to make it a better place for all.

estuarymagazine.com

24/11/2025

Great opportunity with our River Partner Connecticut River Conservancy

🔔 Accepting applications for the River Steward in CT position!

River Stewards are the principal advocates for the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) and serve as the public face of CRC in their respective state. They advocate for clean and healthy rivers, collaborate with community and governmental partners, and communicate with the public. River Stewards play a vital role in protecting and restoring the Connecticut River and its tributaries in collaboration with the CRC team.

This position will be focused on Connecticut and candidates must be based in the state. Details & application here: https://www.ctriver.org/jobs/connecticut-river-steward

23/11/2025

"How much time does it take for people to get a dose of nature high enough to say they feel healthy and have a strong sense of well-being?", Judy Preston asks In her Gardening for Good column in the Fall 2025 issue.

The answer? "Precisely 120 minutes—and that’s either all at once or over the course of one week." She then lays out the scientific evidence that getting out into our gardens or out in nature lowers blood pressure and stress hormone levels, enhances immune system function, reduces anxiety, and improves mood. Are you convinced? We are!

Subscribe at estuarymagazine.com for more great information about enjoying the natural world right in our backyards. Estuary magazine is all about the Connecticut River and watershed.

photo: Judy Preston

14/11/2025

Finding inspiration in the Connecticut River Watershed. The Fall issue features a profile of artist John H. Sargent. Shown here: “Mouth of the Connecticut River,” acrylic, 2017. Sargent initiated this collaborative work for the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center. Mark Lewchik, Madeleine Dauer, and Gretchen van der Lyke contributed elements to the painting; Morgan Allen of RTPEC provided guidance.

In the photo: John and Linda Sargent at Fourth Lake, exploring the source of the Connecticut River. Find out how John draws inspiration from the natural world of the watershed and where you can see his work. Subscribe at estuarymagazine.com

09/11/2025

Have you ever been tempted to take up rowing? The Connecticut River is a great spot for it. In our current issue, Hartford resident Jennifer LaRue describes her experiences taking a rowing class for the first time.

She writes, "Based in Riverside Park, just north of downtown Hartford, the Riverfront Recapture Rowing Program launched in 1988 with just two borrowed boats. … By 2024 more than 28,000 people took part in programs ranging from Learn to Row and Recreational Rowing to Adult Racing and the annual Head of the Riverfront regatta each year."

She loved her experience, even the bumpy parts. Ultimately, she notes, "there’s nothing quite like being on the Connecticut River early in the morning, with the new
sun picking out details of the Bulkeley Bridge and the Hartford skyline. There’s an egret! There, hulking dinosaur-like across the treeline, goes a blue heron! The water is so clear, you can see the sandy riverbed. The breeze is gentle and chilly and smells divinely of marine life."

Read more recreation and boating stories on and around the Connecticut River in this and upcoming issues of Estuary magazine. Subscribe at estuarymagazine.com.

05/11/2025

Subscribe by Nov 7 to receive the Winter 2025 issue.
Featuring:
* Fire, Forest, & Water Create a Traditional Nipmuc Mishoon
* The Scourge of Hydrilla and What's Being Done About It
Plus:
* Announcing Connecticut River Watershed Seminar Series
* Look Again: Sites of Slavery and Freedom Along the Connecticut River
* Context is Everything for Nautilus Architects
* News from our River Partner nonprofits including Save the Sound and Connecticut River Conservancy
And our regular columnists!

A quarterly magazine for people who care about the Connecticut River; its history, health, and ecology— present and future.

Join us! Another great issue comes to your mailbox or inbox when you subscribe and support this quarterly magazine published by the nonprofit The Watershed Fund.

https://www.estuarymagazine.com/subscribe/