Hartland Rapids (a.k.a. Sumner Falls) on the Connecticut River in Hartland, Vermont.
Last Thursday I had the chance to visit one of my favorite photo spots on the Connecticut River – Sumner Falls in Hartland, Vermont and Plainfield, New Hampshire. I shot the above photo from the Vermont side at dawn, and it was the first time I had the fortune of some pink clouds above the river here.
Those of you who have followed my blog over the years know that I spent a lot of time photographing the length of the Connecticut River watershed about 5 years ago for the Trust for Public Land and the Nature Conservancy, and it has been rewarding to watch some excellent conservation projects succeed in the watershed over that time frame. These two organizations have collaborated with many others, including the Friends of Conte Refuge, the Connecticut River Watershed Council, and state and federal agencies, to create and implement a plan to preserve as much as possible in this important natural resource. This week, in recognition of this collaborative success, the Connecticut River is being named the first “National Blueway” by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and the watershed will serve as “a model of collaborative watershed partnerships that enhance river recreation, restoration, conservation and educational goals.”
Hopefully this designation will encourage future conservation in the watershed, but today I just want to congratulate all of my colleagues who work countless hours to conserve open space, working forests, and family farms in this ecologically important and beautiful part of New England.
A couple of years ago, I put together a short documentary on the conservation happening within the watershed. If you didn’t get a chance to see it then, here it is again:
Congratulations to everyone who made this succeed! Conservation and smart management are so important in protecting our natural resources for future generations. An artist’s role can be to inspire people to act, and I think you really helped in this cause, Jerry.
Thanks Ben – I played one very small role in this. There are dozens of folks, like those in my video, that work day in and day out on preserving the watershed. I give them all the credit.
Excellent work, Jerry. It reminded me WHY I like living in CT and am in no big hurry to move back to the Detroit, MI area. I passed a link along to some of the locals and suggested that they might want to consider it, or similar, as a basis for a chapter program.
Thanks Tim!