The Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) invites you to join them on Thursday, May 8th, for their inaugural Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour Event. Enjoy an evening of short films about environmental stewardship, adventure, and fellowship in the natural world at the Bellows Falls Opera House. In addition to a film program hand-picked by CRC including two films from their local Connecticut River watershed, there will be speakers from the Connecticut River Conservancy, refreshments, and raffle prizes. This is also a great opportunity to learn about CRC’s summer programming and how to get involved. Festivalgoers can expect family-friendly films featuring people working around the globe to promote cleaner water, healthier habitats, and more resilient communities.
Based in Greenfield, Massachusetts, the Connecticut River Conservancy restores and advocates for clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities to support a diverse and thriving watershed. Through collaborative partnerships in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, CRC leads and supports science-based efforts for natural and life-filled rivers from source to sea.
They embrace their shared responsibility for the watershed and all that lives in it. They work to hold themselves and others accountable to reduce and repair environmental harm. By listening, learning, and developing relationships, they build partnerships at all levels, creating opportunities and resources throughout the watershed and with the communities who sustain and are sustained by their rivers.
CRC advocates for clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities throughout the entire Connecticut River watershed. From advancing legislation to getting their feet wet gathering data and meeting with concerned citizens in town meetings, their River Stewards are a multi-faceted team of many talents. CRC’s four focus states of NH, VT, MA, and CT each have a dedicated staff member with distinct annual priorities.
The Connecticut River hosts 8 species of migratory fish that travel thousands of ocean miles and over 200 miles upriver annually. These include alewives, American eels, Atlantic salmon, American striped bass, blueback herring, sea lampreys, and shortnose sturgeon. CRC’s migratory fish restoration efforts include advocating for and expanding fish passage and raising awareness of their work through community science and education.
CRC knows that river restoration includes improving fish passage and flood resiliency at “pinch points” in rivers. These obstacles include obsolete dams no longer serving a useful purpose, and undersized culverts that block or hinder fish and other aquatic animals from accessing their entire watershed. CRC works with many partners to safely remove dams and upgrade culverts. Since 2014 they have helped remove 24 dams and upgrade 6 culverts. Connecticut River Conservancy has also been involved in the dam relicensing process for over a decade with the aim of getting the best possible outcome for their rivers, wildlife, and communities.
CRC’s water quality monitoring program provides vital scientific information to help the public and local, state, and federal partners better understand their rivers’ health. The data collected by their volunteers and staff helps inform other areas of work such as advocacy, restoration, and recreation access.
CRC regularly plants native trees and shrubs along riparian zones of the main stem river and tributaries, restores floodplain forests and wetlands to their natural conditions, and conducts related projects to filter pollution, slow fast-moving waters, and provide a buffer zone between our streams and other land uses.
Clare Wangard, ECO AmeriCorps Member – Outreach, Education, and Restoration Assistant at Connecticut River Conservancy, says, “Hosting a Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour Event provides a great opportunity to bring the community together for environmental inspiration while also highlighting our organization’s work throughout the Connecticut River watershed, from removing dams to advocating for improved river access. This event helps make a connection between the importance of clean water and enjoyment of our vital natural resources, and allows us to invite folks to get involved in local community science volunteering.”
Wangard continues, “The Connecticut River Conservancy’s favorite thing about putting on this event is seeing how these films can resonate with peoples’ experiences and empower or renew their commitment to protecting and preserving our rivers. We are especially excited to share stories told in our own watershed. We hope that people will enjoy this event as much as we have enjoyed putting it together for them!”
