Issues → May/June 2008 → Features →
Connecticut River Tidelands: A Last Great Place
(page 2 of 2)
Still, the fight to save the tidelands is pitched against a relentless foe. Pressure from sprawl and development continues to eat away at the edges. "We're seeing a lot more assault on the ridgetops," notes Judy Preston of the nonprofit Tidewater Institute. High levels of nitrogen still contaminate the seemingly clean water, and mercury laces the silt. The oyster and shad fisheries remain decimated. The attacks come from everywhere -- from the fertilizer running off manicured lawns to airborne particles sent out from power plants hundreds of miles away.
Great publicity and a strong coalition of stewards may still not be enough to preserve a balance in the face of the planet's most powerful invasive species: human beings.
Out and About in the Tidelands
Chester-Hadlyme Ferry
Apr. 1-Nov. 30; $3 per vehicle, $1 pedestrians.
Rte. 148, Hadlyme or Chester, CT
860-443-3856; ct.gov/dot
Connecticut Audubon Society
1361 Main St., Glastonbury, CT
860-633-8402; ctaudubon.org
Connecticut River Expeditions
One-and-a-half-hour cruises; call or visit Web site for additional
excursion packages and schedules.
67 Main St., Essex, CT
860-662-0577; ctriverexpeditions.org
Connecticut River Museum
67 Main St., Essex, CT
860-767-8269; ctrivermuseum.org
Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Call or visit Web site for packages and schedules.
1 Railroad Ave., Essex, CT
800-377-3987, 860-767-0103; essexsteamtrain.com
Resources: CT Tidelands
Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency/Tidewater Institute/Gateway Commission
Old Saybrook, CT
860-388-3497; crerpa.org, ctrivergateway.org
Connecticut River Watershed Council
Middletown, CT
860-704-0057; ctriver.org
Eightmile River Wild & Scenic Watershed
Haddam, CT
860-345-8700; eightmileriver.org
The Nature Conservancy
Middletown, CT
860-344-0716; nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/Connecticut
For additional resources and links to recreation, dining, and lodging: Things to Do: Connecticut Tidelands.
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