Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District

06/01/2026

There are still some spots available in our Saturday, June 6 seminar in partnership with Native Plant Trust, How to Choose Competitive Native Ground Covers, with instructor Kathy Connolly of Speaking of Landscapes. The seminar will be held from 1:30–3:30 PM at deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown.

Come learn how plants compete for space and survival, about native plants that cover ground effectively, and experience firsthand how to observe and identify some of their competitive traits with sample plants from the Native Plant Trust greenhouses. A PDF handout will be included.

Space is limited and advance registration is required at www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/how-to-choose-competitive-native-ground-covers/. The event fee is $40.

For more information, contact us at [email protected] or 860-346-3282.

We hope you can join us!

Photos: Kathy Connolly (Heal all, Woodland stonecrop, Wild strawberries)

05/14/2026

We hope you can join the Conservation District and Native Plant Trust for the seminar, How to Choose Competitive Native Ground Covers, with instructor Kathy Connolly of Speaking of Landscapes. The seminar will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026, 1:30–3:30 PM at deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown. Kathy is a landscape designer, writer, and speaker who emphasizes earth-friendly designs, use of native plants, and low-impact land care techniques.

At the seminar you’ll learn how to leverage native plants' natural competitive strategies to your advantage. You’ll hear about seven ways all plants compete for space and survival, and then learn about natives that cover ground effectively. You'll also have the opportunity to handle some ground covering plant samples from the Native Plant Trust greenhouses and experience firsthand how to observe and identify some of the competitive traits, and how to research others. A PDF handout will be included.

Space is limited and advance registration is required. The event fee is $40. Please register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/how-to-choose-competitive-native-ground-covers/

For more information, contact us at [email protected], or 860-346-3282.

We hope you can join us!

Photo credit: Kathy Connolly
Common violet is a versatile ground cover that readily fills many types of spaces

05/11/2026

This year's plant sale, which was our 34th, was a big success, once again! It's hard to believe how long we've been holding our sale and how different it is from when we first started, when we were selling primarily traditional landscape plants and bare root conifers. We're so gratified about the enthusiastic interest in incorporating CT native plants in the landscape, and happy to be able to provide such a great selection at our sale.

The sale wouldn't be possible without our many customers, who are so excited about picking up their native plants; our hard-working volunteers, staff and board members who help unload trucks, put together orders, and bring them to the customers waiting by their cars; the nurseries we work and the wonderful selection of native plants they provide; and our friends at the Chester Fairgrounds, who welcome us back every year. Many thanks to all!

04/11/2026

Join us for a fun-filled fishing adventure with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) "Fish with CARE" program! Cast your line at Butternut Pond in Middletown on April 16, 2026, from 4:30 to 7:00 pm.

Loaner tackle, bait, and expert instruction will be provided by DEEP staff and certified volunteer fishing coaches. This event is perfect for beginner anglers or anyone looking to refresh their skills. Open to adults and families with children 6 and older—youth 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult, and anglers 16+ need a CT fishing license.

Come relax, have fun, and maybe even catch your first fish!

Space is limited and registration is required: https://portal.ct.gov/deep/fishing/care/care-fishing-classes

04/03/2026

Don't forget--ordering for our 2026 CT Native Plant Sale closes on Monday, April 6, 2026. This is our final reminder to place your orders!! You can learn more about our in-stock plants on our webstore (www.conservect.org/product-category/ct-river-coastal-conservation-district-2026-native-plant-plug-sale/).

Order pick-up will take place May 1-3, 2026 at the Chester Fairgrounds. Remember that the sale is by pre-order only, so there will be no extra plants available on sale days. Pick-up times will be scheduled in advance to reduce waiting times.

You can shop on our webstore or download a copy of our brochure and order form on our website Plant Sale page (www.conservect.org/ctrivercoastal/plant-sale/). Some of our plants are only listed in our webstore, including our landscape plugs, so we encourage you to check our online offerings.

This year's sale features a large selection of potted shrubs, ground covers, edibles, conifer seedlings, flowering perennials, ferns, grasses, sedges, and landscape plugs in multi-packs. Our ecoregional plants include a variety of potted trees and shrubs. Ecoregional plants are CT native plants grown from seeds collected from local sources; these evolved here, are better adapted to the local environment, and help preserve local pollinators and other wildlife (learn more at www.conservect.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CRCCDNewsletter_2022_web.pdf).

The plant sale is the conservation district's main fundraising event, and proceeds are used to support our conservation, environmental education and technical assistance programs. For more information or to sign up for our mailing list, please contact us at [email protected] or 860-346-3282.

We look forward to seeing you in May at the Chester Fairgrounds!

03/31/2026

This is a great local example of a dam removal project and I recommend attending the open house! We went on a field trip to the site with Steve Gephard as part of our annual meeting program about dam removal and the Highland Pond project. It was really interesting to see the area completely transformed after the dam was removed, and I look forward to returning periodically to see the changes over time.

Join us for a Highland Pond Dam Removal Open House at the Highland Pond Preserve on Saturday, April 18, from 9:30–11:30 a.m.

See the results of the recent dam removal and stream restoration project on Sawmill Brook and learn more about fish migration and river restoration from project managers Sally Harold and Steve Gephard of RiverWork, LLC.

📍 350 Bell Street, Middletown
(off Country Club Road in the Westfield section)

In partnership with RiverWork, LLC, for World Fish Migration Day.

03/12/2026

Our next film in The Elements: An Annual Environmental Film Series will be Last Paddle?, which will be shown at Wesleyan's Goldsmith Family Cinema on March 30, 2026 at 7pm. This inspirational and visually stunning film chronicles the life-long commitment to river conservation and restoration around the globe of renowned river advocate Mark Angelo, who has paddled more than 1000 rivers in well over 100 countries. As always, the film is open to the public and free of charge. For more information and the trailer, go to https://lastpaddle.com/

A facilitated discussion will follow the film with CT River Conservancy Board of Trustees member, Tim Lewis.

Please preregister at https://rockfallfoundation.org/event/last-paddle. For more information, phone the Conservation District office at 860-346-3282. We hope you can join us!

The film series, begun in 2015, is sponsored by the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, Middletown Garden Club, Russell Library, The Rockfall Foundation, and Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts, Bailey College of the Environment, and College of Film and the Moving Image.

03/10/2026

We want to hear from you!

Please see the flyer below and register for free to attend one of two Local Work Group Meetings on March 27, 2026. These meetings are being convened by the CT Conservation Districts to gather information from landowners about important natural resource concerns in your area, including feedback about Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) technical and financial assistance programs. Your input will help shape the programs and policies that support landowners' conservation efforts.

REGISTER at www.ctcouncilonsoilandwater.org/home/events/ for the upcoming Local Work Group Meetings at your preferred time and location:

Middletown--Friday March 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Light lunch will be served.

Vernon--Friday March 27, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Refreshments will be served.

We hope to see you there!!

02/20/2026

Are you ready for spring to arrive, especially after the snowy and frigid winter we've been having? Spring will be here before we know it, and though it might be hard to think about garden planning now, it's not too soon!

We're excited to announce that ordering for our 34th annual CT native plant sale will begin next week! The sale will be held May 1-3 at the Chester Fairgrounds, and will be pre-order only again with scheduled pick-ups to reduce wait times.

2026 offerings include a large selection of deciduous trees, conifers, shrubs, ground covers, edibles, perennial flowers, ferns, grasses and sedges, including some new and some old favorites. Ecoregional plants include a variety of trees and shrubs, and we are also selling landscape plugs in multi-packs.

The sale brochure will be sent in the mail next week. You can shop in our webstore at www.conservect.org/ctrivercoastal/ starting Friday, February 27, 2026 at 5pm, download our brochure and order form, or phone (860) 346-3282 to receive a hard copy. Some plants will only be listed on our webstore, so be sure to check our online offerings.

We look forward to seeing you in May at the Chester Fairgrounds!

01/23/2026

Our Coginchaug River Watershed Water Quality Story Map has been updated and published with our 2025 bacteria results! Check it out at https://arcg.is/0yaL8m0

The story map now includes water quality results for 2012 to 2025, all collected thanks to the efforts of community volunteers participating in the Conservation District’s citizen water quality monitoring program, the CT River Watch Program.

In addition to graphic displays of bacteria results, the story map includes interesting river facts, information about ongoing water quality improvement efforts, and actions that individuals, municipalities and farms can take to protect water quality.

Mapping Bacteria Concentrations