SEPT. 18-27

Connecticut River Watershed BioBlitz 2026

Discover the living organisms that make the Connecticut River Watershed home. In celebration of World Rivers Day on September 27th, the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership is hosting a watershed -wide BioBlitz. The event begins on Sept 18 and ends on Sept 27, 2026. Visit your favorite area or explore a new location in the Connecticut River Watershed, and post photos of the living organisms you see. Make sure you list “Connecticut River Watershed” in the Notes section of your submission.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 - 10-5:00pm

Event website

The block party will take place on the Museum campus and feature a full day of events geared to all ages. Attendees can look forward to food and beverage vendors along with live music! Children will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of educational activities centered around history and nature. There will also have a variety of classic lawn games to play!

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 - 10-12:00pm

CRC and Farmington River Watershed Association

Volunteers needed! Farmington River Cleanup 9/19 Join us for the 39th Annual Farmington River Cleanup!

We have two cleanups scheduled this year - one in Collinsville, CT and the other in Windsor, CT.

We’ll provide gloves, trash & recycling bags! Please bring a refillable water bottle.

Please wear rugged shoes, sun protection, and weather-appropriate clothing. Participants are encouraged to bring waders or swimwear if you’d like to get wet!

SEPT. 18-19
sourcetoseacleanup.org

Join us to remove trash from our waterways, riverbanks, and communities across the 410-mile Connecticut River watershed in NH, VT, MA, and CT. All ages welcome. Each fall, volunteers of all ages and abilities come together to do their part and spend a few hours making the water cleaner, the riverbanks safer, and the wildlife happier.

SATURDAY, SEPT.26 - 9-3:00

Connecticut Audubon Society

A BioBlitz is a fun way to discover the variety of life in one place. Join us at the RTP Estuary Center as we explore our 5-acre sanctuary and see how many birds, plants, insects, and other species we can find and identify. Bring your phone and learn how to use tools like iNaturalist and eBird to record your discoveries and contribute to real community science.

Registration is $10 per family.

TUESDAY, SEPT.22 - 6-7:00pm

Western MA Fly Fishermen and the Enfield Public Library

John Lawor from the Western Massachusetts Fly Fishermen will lead an informative introduction to the world of fly fishing.

Fly fishing is a specialized angling technique that uses a lightweight, artificial "fly"—composed of feathers, fur, or synthetic materials—to catch fish, typically by imitating their natural food sources like insects, nymphs, or baitfish. Unlike conventional fishing, it uses a weighted line to cast the nearly weightless fly.

Fly fishing is often considered a challenging, artistic, and immersive sport.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23 - 1-2:00pm

Living Waters Exhibit

Tour Watersheds from Around the World and Meet Their Live Animal Ambassadors! Living Waters serves as an introduction to ecosystems and climates from around the world. Visitors learn about different ecosystems and climates as they explore and compare different aquatic habitats from the Connecticut River watershed, North and South America, Africa, and the Pacific Ocean. At the Springfield Science Museum, Lower Level

THURSDAY, SEPT. 24 - 3:30-5:00pm

Great Falls Discovery Center

Check out the annual draining of the Turners Falls canal, take a stroll along the Canalside Rail Trail, and absorb local history with Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center staff and DCR staff. Meet at the entrance of the Center for this free two-mile walk on flat terrain. Meet at the main entrance. For adults and youth.

SEPT. 22–25 - 1:30 pm daily

Beneski Museum of Natural History

Join the Beneski Museum of Natural History for a live journey through 600 million years of geologic time and the remarkable history of the Connecticut River Basin. Museum Educator Alfred (Fred) Venne will explore the tectonic, volcanic, sedimentary, glacial, and erosional processes that shaped the valley, drawing on fossils and the geologic record to reveal how Earth's dynamic history created the landscapes we see today.

SEPT. 18-27

Chester Museum‍

In 1841, the Western Railroad became the world’s first mountain line carved through wilderness, following the Connecticut, Westfield, and Housatonic Rivers. Join our museum tours during Watershed Week to explore this rich history, featuring a special helicopter video loop spanning from the Connecticut River to Muddy Pond. Call for an appointment.

SEPT. 18-27

Connecticut River Watershed BioBlitz 2026

Discover the living organisms that make the Connecticut River Watershed home. In celebration of World Rivers Day on September 27th, the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership is hosting a watershed -wide BioBlitz. The event begins on Sept 18 and ends on Sept 27, 2026. Visit your favorite area or explore a new location in the Connecticut River Watershed, and post photos of the living organisms you see. Make sure you list “Connecticut River Watershed” in the Notes section of your submission.

SEPT. 18-19
Sourcetoseacleanup.org

Join us to remove trash from our waterways, riverbanks, and communities across the 410-mile Connecticut River watershed in NH, VT, MA, and CT. All ages welcome. Each fall, volunteers of all ages and abilities come together to do their part and spend a few hours making the water cleaner, the riverbanks safer, and the wildlife happier.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26 - 10am-12pm

Hilltown Land Trust

We’re celebrating 40 years of conservation made possible by our amazing community! Come raise a toast (or slice of cake) and enjoy a free, laid-back, family-friendly event, featuring local environmental voices, lawn games, and the inside scoop on conservation in the Hilltowns.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26 - 9-12:00pm

Mass Audubon - Arcadia Sanctuary

Eastern Bluebirds are thriving in Massachusetts today largely thanks to people's efforts installing nest boxes. This program tells that story from the beginning. Starting with an indoor presentation on bluebird natural history and the conservation movement that reversed their decline, participants will assemble and take-home their own bluebird nest box, learning where and how to install it for the best results. Must pre-register!

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 - 10-12:00pm

MASS Audubon - Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary

Arcadia’s outdoor Nature Play Area is the perfect place for young people to climb, balance, use their imagination, and build fine and gross motor skills while having fun in nature. Pack a snack or picnic lunch and enjoy time together at Arcadia, getting to know other families in the area. Nature Play Days are free for Mass Audubon Members, Northampton and Easthampton residents, and included with sanctuary admission. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT.23 - 10-1:00pm

Mass ECAN - Slow the Flow‍ ‍

For professionals, practitioners and super-volunteers who don’t mind getting a little muddy. The Slow the Flow Work Group is offering one more field training as a continuation of our work on partnering with beavers! Join us at the Hiram H. Fox Wildlife Management Area, where we’ll consider integrating different restoration efforts. There will be a networking lunch (BYO but we'll provide some snacks) right afterwards. 

‍Registration is free, but space is limited. This Training is organized in partnership by Mass ECAN, our Slow The Flow Expert Work Group, and Trout Unlimited.

THURSDAY, SEPT.24 - 6-8:00pm

Friends of Lake Warner

Celebrate Connecticut River Watershed Week with a moonlit Voyageur canoeing experience on the calm waters of Lake Warner. This easy-paced paddle invites participants of all abilities to connect with the lake, one another, and the larger watershed we all share. Guided by certified adventure guides, your group will practice teamwork, build trust, share laughter, and rediscover a playful sense of wonder as the evening light settles over the water.

Seats are limited to 16 so must pre-register.

MONDAY, SEPT.21 - 8-12:00am

Connecticut River Conservancy

We are looking for volunteers on to help us rescue sea lamprey and other aquatic creatures!

Each year in Turners Falls/Great Falls, FirstLight power company drains their canal for maintenance purposes. This process leaves thousands of juvenile lamprey stranded and exposed to harsh elements. We only have a few hours to find and rescue as many of them as we can before it’s too late. Because of this tight timeline and the size of the canal, we need your help! 

FRIDAY, SEPT.18 - 10-1:00pm

Mass Audubon

We will be cleaning up around the Van Horn Upper Pond. We will meet in the parking lot and walk a short distance to the paved walking trail. The water access points are not paved, so wear closed-toed shoes. Bring bug spray and trash picker tools, if you have them. We will have breakfast snacks!

SATURDAY, SEPT.19 - 5-9:00am

Westfield River Watershed Association

Join WRWA and cleanup crews across four states on Saturday, September 19 as part of the larger Connecticut River watershed Source to Sea Cleanup. Preregister if possible by contacting the local coordinator. Westfield River volunteers will gather at 9:00 a.m. meeting in Westfield in the public parking lot at the end of Meadow Street.

SEPT. 19-20

Fly Fishers International

Interested in learning about fly fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities? Then stop by the Fly Fishing and Outdoors Festival - a festival built around community, live music, camping, local vendors, and time well spent outside in Western Massachusetts.

SATURDAY, SEPT.19 - 10:00am

‍Trustees of Reservations ‍

Come celebrate the installation of an informational sign with historical information and the location of many mill sites on the Westfield River in Chesterfield. Included on the sign are indigenous influences as well as former resident and Medal of Honor recipient Samuel Eddy, who resided in the former Toll House/Tavern of the Boston to Albany Turnpike crossing at the Gorge. 

The Chesterfield Historical Commission, Wild and Scenic Westfield River Committee, and the Trustees of Reservations came together to research, design and construct an informational sign at the Chesterfield Gorge. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19 - 10-6:00pm

Cummington Cultural Arts District

RiverFest is an annual fall community event in partnership with several arts, culture, historical, and environmental groups that takes place along the Westfield River in Cummington. The Westfield River is the Cummington Cultural District’s backyard, flowing behind the buildings and houses that line Main Street, our celebrated rural arts destination. 

A variety of all-ages arts and ecology activities will take place across the Main Street corridor of the Cultural District that tie-in with Cross Pollination. RiverFest is free and is for all ages.

SEPT. 18-27

Connecticut River Watershed BioBlitz 2026

Discover the living organisms that make the Connecticut River Watershed home. In celebration of World Rivers Day on September 27th, the Connecticut River Watershed Partnership is hosting a watershed -wide BioBlitz. The event begins on Sept 18 and ends on Sept 27, 2026. Visit your favorite area or explore a new location in the Connecticut River Watershed, and post photos of the living organisms you see. Make sure you list “Connecticut River Watershed” in the Notes section of your submission.

SEPT. 18-19

Sourcetoseacleanup.org

Join us to remove trash from our waterways, riverbanks, and communities across the 410-mile Connecticut River watershed in NH, VT, MA, and CT. All ages welcome. Each fall, volunteers of all ages and abilities come together to do their part and spend a few hours making the water cleaner, the riverbanks safer, and the wildlife happier.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25 - 9:00am

Windham County Conservation District

Get out on the river this summer with your local Conservation District! Help us monitor and remove an introduced water chestnut along the Connecticut River. At Kayak for Conservation Events, we paddle on the setbacks of the Connecticut River and hand pull water chestnut. You are welcome to pull as long as you are able to! We will provide water and sunscreen but recommend snacks and hats/sun protection. 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25 - 8:30am-4:00pm

Lake Sunapee Protective Association

This erosion control field day is designed for code compliance officers, public works personnel, town boards that approve plans and service professionals working in soils, erosion control, water quality and stormwater system designs.  Click here to view a brochure for the event.

Click here to register.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

NH Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)

Join AMC NH as we celebrate Connecticut River Watershed Week by hiking up Mt Wantastisquet at a relaxed pace to explore the impact of fire and water on the natural region around Brattleboro VT and Chesterfield NH. On this easy 4-mile out-and-back hike up about 1000 feet to the summit, we'll highlight evidence of multiple wildfires to strike the mountain, most recently in 2007 and 2015, and learn how to read the path of a wildfire through basal scars on trees. From a large outcropping, we can survey the Connecticut River in the valley below and discuss the impact of the Great 1927 Flood on the region and the landscape.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23 - 7:00pm

Jefferson Historical Society

David Govatski, from the Jefferson Conservation Commission will present at the Jefferson Community Center on the Pine Tree Riot of 1772. The White Pine played a crucial role in providing masts for the Royal Navy. The enforcement of the Broad Arrow Policy in 1691, which reserved white pine trees—vital for Royal Navy ship masts—for the Crown, caused many colonists to cut down the big pine. A sheriff tried to arrest a sawmill owner in 1772 that led to the Pine Tree Riot, in Weare NH, that was a significant act of resistance against royal authority.