The Watershed

The Heart of New England

From its start in the remote mountains and lakes of New Hampshire, flowing south to its mouth at the sandy estuary of Long Island Sound in Connecticut, the Connecticut River unites New England. Here, where the region’s longest river winds through rural, suburban, and urban landscapes, you’ll find rich tidelands, fertile floodplains, and abundant recreational opportunities.

The longest river in New England, the Connecticut River is ecologically, culturally, historically, and financially significant to the millions of Americans who live, work, and recreate within its bounds. The 7.2-million acre Watershed spans the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and its natural landscape is essential in maintaining community and economic health. More than 80% of the population lives in cities, while nearly three-quarters of the Watershed is forested, containing some of the most intact and connected natural areas in New England. The natural landscape of the watershed is essential to outdoor recreation economies, which is of outsized importance to the watershed’s rural areas.

The Watershed is critical to the 2.3 million people who rely on the Connecticut River for their drinking water, including residents of Springfield, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut, and drinking water from reservoirs filled by the River serve an additional 2.5 million people, including residents of the Greater Boston area. The quantity and quality of the Connecticut River is inextricably linked to the water quality and habitats of Long Island Sound, and therefore the community and economic health of all communities that depend upon it.

Named after Congressman Silvio O. Conte (R-MA), the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was established in 1997 with the goal of promoting a healthy and resilient Connecticut River Watershed. It is the only multi-state National Fish and Wildlife Refuge defined by a watershed boundary and is comprised of 23 divisions of land owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Centered on an inclusive, cooperative approach to land conservation and management, the Refuge stewards more than 50,000 acres of land and counting throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. For over 25 years, partnerships between the Conte Refuge and organizations with a shared vision for the Watershed have been key to this ongoing story of conservation success and a model emphasizing the importance of partnerships to accomplishing our conservation goals across the region.