The Connecticut River Conservancy is 70 years old this year! 

There’s a lot to be proud of in what all of us have achieved together over the last seven decades. Our rivers are no longer open sewers and everyone has access and opportunity to be sustained by clean and healthy water.  And thanks to you the last ten years have been particularly remarkable.  You believe in our work and your rivers!  In 2011 the Board leaned in and made a commitment to grow CRC into our mission.  And thanks to your support and a tremendous staff we’ve been succeeding.

Over the last ten years we have:

  • Built a restoration program that has removed 20 deadbeat dams, planted almost 70,000 trees and native shrubs to restore hundreds of miles of rivers and their riverbank habitat.  And there’s 60 more projects waiting in line to be next!
  • Created one of the northeast’s largest freshwater bacteria monitoring programs that annually tests over 150 locations for river cleanliness in collaboration with over a dozen partners.
  • Built and supported a collaborative network of individuals and organizations that work to remove invasive aquatic plants from over 100 locations.
  • Developed four community science monitoring programs that provide opportunities for volunteers to collect environmental data that supports the restoration of migratory fish runs.
  • Maintained steady and effective advocacy for strong environmental standards on permits, regulations, and licenses throughout the watershed including sticking to cases that last for years.
  • Helped to grow and support the 410-mile Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail through administration, fundraising, and stewardship.
  • Grew the now 26th Annual Source to Sea Cleanup into a nationally recognized event that not only picks up trash, but advances solutions to stop trash before it starts.
  • Installed solar panels and heat pumps at our historic headquarters in Greenfield to begin our journey addressing our contribution to carbon emissions.
  • To do even more, we have grown the staff from 6 to over 20, tripled the size of the annual budget, and raised over $4.0M in the organization’s first large-scale fundraising campaign in decades.

Before the end of October, Andy will be taking on a new challenge as the Bureau Chief for Natural Resources at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.  He is excited for this new opportunity and will be so pleased to watch CRC continue to do great work as a new Executive Director is brought on in the coming months. Director of Restoration Ron Rhodes will be taking the helm as acting Executive Director during this transition.  The Board will be launching a search for a replacement.

Board of Directors announcement of resignation of Andrew Fisk, Executive Director

Andy Fisk has announced he is resigning. We are sad to lose him; he has been a charismatic and effective leader of CRC.  We wish him great success at DEEP, in a role that will surely collaborate occasionally with CRC.

Andy joined CRC as its Executive Director in 2011. Over his tenure, CRC has grown in capacity, collaborations, and impact. We are grateful and thank him for his decade of leadership.

CRC’s Board will manage the process of recruiting a new executive director.  In the interim, we have named Ron Rhodes, Director of Restoration, to be Interim Executive Director.  Ron has significant management experience and both Andy and the Board have offered all assistance he might need.  Andy’s final day will be Thursday, Oct. 20.

We will share the job announcement soon and ask for your help in identifying candidates to continue moving CRC forward. The CRC Board of Directors stands ready to lead the organization and assist Ron and the staff in achieving a smooth transition.

Sincerely,

Bob Sproull, CRC Board Chair