Harbor Watch

07/18/2026

07/09/2026

The floating barrier, installed by the town of Fairfield and Westport-based Harbor Watch at Earthplace along the Rooster River at the Fairfield-Bridgeport line, is designed to intercept floating debris before it reaches Ash Creek and Long Island Sound while helping officials determine where the litter is coming from.

More: https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/fairfield-ct-rooster-river-litter-boom-22336291.php

06/23/2026

A ribbon cutting was held this morning for the new litter boom on the Rooster River, an environmental initiative designed to intercept and prevent trash and debris from traveling downstream and ultimately reaching Long Island Sound.

Thanks to Fairfield Conservation Commission Chair Luke Thomas, Town of Fairfield Conservation Director Tim Bishop, Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale, and Director of Harbor Watch Nikki Spiller and the other representatives and citizens for being present to mark the beginning of this collaboration!

Harbor Watch will conduct bi-weekly inspections to maintain the device and remove collected trash. The Harbor Watch team will then sort and weigh the debris to provide valuable data on the types of litter found in the watershed, helping to inform future education and prevention efforts.

The purchase of the litter boom was fully financed through the use of State funds granted to the Town through the sale of small alcoholic beverages: the “Nickel-Per-Nip Fund.”

What you see in these photos is less than 24 hours of trash accumulation! Large rain events like the one we experienced last night create runoff that pushes large amounts of trash into our waterways. Follow along to see how much trash is collected in the coming months. 🚯🐢

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06/09/2026

Cheers to 40 years of Harbor Watch! 🥂🦪

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our 15th annual Cocktails & Clams fundraiser at Copps Island Oysters! Your support helps Harbor Watch keep our local waters safe and clean for generations to come. 🌊✨

📸 Photos by Eon by Victoria. Check out the full gallery of event photos here: https://earthplace.org/cocktails-clams-2026/

💬 Loved the event? We want to hear from you! Email your feedback, quotes, or testimonials directly to Lucie Connell at [email protected]

Thanks again to our incredible sponsors and community! 💙

05/26/2026

Do you know a high school students who is interested in water quality and may be looking forward to a career in environmental science?

This summer Harbor Watch is offering THREE programs for students to learn about the water quality in the Long Island Sound watershed and what is being done to improve local ecosystems. 💧

Registration is open now:
https://earthplace.org/harbor-watch/student-programs/high-school/

04/22/2026

Thanks for getting out on the water with us, Jill!

03/04/2026

We had to hop on this trend!
These budding scientists grew up to dedicate their careers to water quality. 💧

Water quality issues not only negatively impact ecosystems, but they can be a serious public health concern. Did you know that your actions can contribute to the cause? Over the years we've learned so much about individual action for improving water quality, such as maintaining our septic systems, cleaning up after our dogs, using fertilizers responsibly, reducing our single-use plastics, and more.

You can even become an advocate for water quality at any age, whether you're still working on your ABCs or you're looking for your next retirement project!

We haven't changed much, have we? 😉

02/17/2026

The results are in...and they're golden! 🥇
Claiming the first gold medal in the Harbor Watch Games is our fearless leader, Nikki Spiller! Mastering the spreadsheet early on in her competitive career, she can knock out a complicated formula faster than anyone else in the lineup. No error messages for Nikki, just mountains of cold hard data. 🏂

Come back every day this week to see who else medals in the Harbor Watch Olympiad 🏆