Kathy Urffer is the Vermont river steward for Connecticut River Conservancy.
As River Steward for Connecticut River Conservancy, I can't stop thinking about rivers.
Since the 2011 Tropical Storm Irene, as an organization we have been racing to get projects done to protect communities before the next big flood.
In the face of climate change, Vermont needs a comprehensive, equitable way to ensure access to surface water users for decades to come. We at the Connecticut River Conservancy believe that a bill under consideration in the Vermont Legislature creates that pathway. If enacted, it will require data collection...
For hundreds of years, the Indigenous history of the Northeast has been systematically erased. It is time to speak up to make sure that the federal government and power companies do not continue that bitter legacy. Five hydroelectric facilities on the Connecticut River are renewing their operating licenses under...
The Connecticut River is home to many types of wildlife that move throughout the river and rely on parts of the river and riverbanks during their life cycles. Tiger beetles lurk on river beaches in sandy hideouts to hunt for prey. Ancient shortnose sturgeon migrate from the estuary to areas upstream and congregate on the river bottom in the winter. Dragonflies live as larvae in the water and emerge to transform into adults on the banks of the river each...
Since late 2012, five hydroelectric facilities in the heart of the Connecticut River have been in the process of renewing their operating licenses, which are issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon dams in Vermont and New Hampshire, and the Northfield Mountain Pump Station and Turners Falls Dam in Massachusetts, impact more than 175 miles of the Connecticut River. Later this summer, members of the public will have what may be their last...