Friends of Whalebone Cove

04/25/2026

Hope you can join us at this event TOMORROW at 3pm! We have a terrific local speaker who will educate us all about Marsh Birds of the Connecticut River! I'm baking! Free - open to the public.

04/10/2025

Did you miss our mailed Annual Report?

Over the coming months, we'll feature the stories and photos here as well.

First off - Updates from the Cove from Diana Fiske, President, Friends of Whalebone Cove:




How exciting for us to be starting our ninth year working in and around Whalebone Cove! We owe so much of our progress to you, our members and friends, who support our efforts and keep us motivated to continue our work to help preserve the Cove.



Nix the Knotw**d - I am thrilled to report that many of the native plants placed in the cleared test area right off Ferry Road (on the banks of Whalebone Creek) in the fall of 2023 not only survived the flooded riverbank winter, but some even bloomed this summer!

What a joy to see goldenrod, mountain mint, cardinal flower and columbine fighting to beat out the rejuvenated non-natives (like mugwort, multiflora rose, crown vetch and foxtail grass) in the clearing. We will have to continue to cull these, along with the tenacious knotw**d still putting up shoots.

Further plantings of elderberry, buttonbush, golden groundsel and marsh marigold were added in May 2024 to help supplement the vegetation (native and non-native) that is replacing the Japanese knotw**d monoculture we were faced with in May 2020.

I have identified 20 additional native plant species in the clearing, including pokew**d, common Milkw**d, skunk cabbage (an early season pollinator), Jack in the Pulpit, American germander, annual fleabane, and American holly. Our goal is to continue to w**d out the non-native plants on the Creekbank to allow the natives to thrive into more of a meadow. Drive by next summer sometime!



Hydrilla – The BAD news: This invasive is increasingly obstructing the Whalebone Cove side tributaries by early August (luckily it can’t get a foothold in the deeper main channels). The GOOD news: The US Army Corps of Engineers tested several herbicides at 5 sites in CT last summer, including Selden Cove, with very promising results. We await their final report which will be published at the end of their research. The challenge will be attaining DEEP permitting and eventually financing treating this acute problem in Whalebone Cove. But there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel…



Phragmites – FOWC is working with All Habitat Services to carry out a 3-year management plan to remove the two “Islands” of invasive Phragmites in the heart of the Cove. The project is moving along, and with the permitting process and first vegetation cut completed. We are so thankful to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge for helping us to fund the work.

02/06/2025

The Cove looks beautiful all year round!

Annual newsletters are going in the mail soon - so be on the lookout. We'll be posting all our newsletter articles here in the coming months.

07/02/2024

Invasive water chestnut is emerging again this year in Whalebone Cove.

Water chestnut -- which dramatically impacts native plants and wildlife -- has invaded and taken over many locations in the Connecticut River.

Join us for a Paddle and Pull to help protect Whalebone Cove!

When: Tuesday, July 9, 2:00-5:00 pm (high water or heavy rains cancel)
Where: meet at Hadlyme Ferry Landing parking lot (Rte 148/Ferry Rd)

Bring:
- Canoe, Kayak or Boat
- Water Bottle
- Life Jacket / PFD
- Sun Block

For more details email: [email protected]

06/25/2024

Want to volunteer with us? And learn about invasive plant removal/ replacing with native plants and shrubs?

We will be working on FOWC's "Nix the Knotw**d" project at Whalebone Creek this Friday, June 28th from 8-10am (while it's still relatively cool!) Let me know if interested. Thank you!! [email protected]

04/12/2024

Selden Cove will be a test site this summer for the Army Corps of Engineers to help look for ways to control invasive Hydrilla.

This is a fantastic resource for all things HYDRILLA in the Connecticut River! 🌿

Spring and summer bring new waves of aquatic invasive species growth, and research is underway for the best ways to manage these infestations.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District has developed an online storyboard that describes the Connecticut River Hydrilla Research and Demonstration project. Their hope is that this will address and answer any questions you may have about hydrilla, while also providing more details about the demonstration project, and describe USACE’s history (and previous work) studying and controlling hydrilla in other locations of the country. Connecticut River Conservancy is involved in this research and will continue to share updates.

You can see the storyboard here:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ac89d2534fa0490db6c8718191411bd1

And additional information about hydrilla on CRC's website here:
https://www.ctriver.org/hydrilla

04/09/2024

FOWC Annual Meeting Sunday April 28 at 3pm. Hadlyme Hall.
All invited. Public welcome! Refreshments. Great speaker!

10/20/2023

08/21/2023

Friday, August 25th at 8:00 - 9:30 am (to beat the heat!)
Join us doing our third (and final) cut of the season for Nix the Knotw**d test site on the banks of Whalebone Creek - by the bridge down the hill from Hadlyme Hall on Ferry Rd.
* Bring gloves, clippers, loppers, water.
I have bug spray, sunscreen, tarps and snacks!
Come join us!!

08/09/2023

HYDRILLA Press Conference - 8/16/23 at 10:00 am:

Representative Christine Palm and CRC's CT River Steward Rhea D have organized a press conference on Hydrilla in the Connecticut River. Wednesday, August 16, 10:00-11:00 am at Chester Boat Basin.
There will be a great lineup of speakers most of whom are in the Hydrilla working group.
Thank you to USACE, CAES, CT DEEP, RiverCOG, Bob Petzold and Mark Yuknat for stepping up! And a huge thank you to Rep. Palm for organizing this.
Come and learn about this new threat to boating, recreation and the general ecosystem in our CT waterways, and what steps are being taken to test control methods. Potential test sites are Chester Boat Basin and Selden Cove.