The waters of the Connecticut River have long played an important role in the history of New England and, indeed, in providing for the growth of the emerging nation at the time of its settlement. They powered its mills, factories, cities, and towns, served as a means of transportation for its people and goods, and irrigated its rich farmland. The river also suffered from years of overuse and abuse, resulting in high levels of pollution and, ultimately, necessitating extensive efforts to abate further degradation and restore water and habitat quality. To date, federal, state and local governments have spent over $600 million to clean up the river and its tributaries and improve the quality of its fish and wildlife habitat, an environment also shared by the region's two million people.
Tourism is important in the project area. The aesthetic beauty and quality of the river and the quaint nature of the riverine towns serve as a strong draw to tourists. A great variety of tourist facilities and activities existing in the lower Connecticut River valley are either river dependent or substantially enhanced by their proximity to the river, such as the Essex steam train and river cruise and a variety of other transportation-related recreational activities. For example, year-round scenic rail excursions are available along a 19.3 kilometer (12 mile) shoreline route from Essex to Chester. Riverboat rides offer scenic tours of the river, while recreational fishing opportunities are provided by charter boat operations. Year-round aerial sightseeing tours, including sea plane rides, are offered by riverside airports. A number of cultural facilities are present along the river, among them is the Connecticut River Museum in Essex which offers exhibits of historical and cultural river uses, including shipbuilding and maritime commerce, as well as natural resource displays. Four state parks are located along the lower river corridor: Selden Neck State Park and Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, Hurd State Park in East Hampton, and Haddam Meadows State Park in Haddam. Together they provide a total of more than 688 hectares (1,700 acres) of public land along the shore of the river. These parks provide opportunities for boating, canoe rental and canoe camping, and fishing.
Ecotourism is small but significant, and much of it concentrates on the bird species of the river, particularly bald eagles in the winter season. The lower river is one of the premier bird-watching areas in the state for shorebirds, eagles, osprey, and waterfowl. Waterfowl hunting is popular in this area, as is furbearer trapping, and both contribute considerable revenue to the state. State wetlands are leased for the trapping of furbearers, especially muskrat. It is estimated that the annual revenue generated from hunting is on the order of $1,100,000 statewide.
The project area supports both active commercial and recreational fisheries. The commercial fishery focuses on American shad (Alosa sapidissima), white catfish (Amerius catus), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), white perch (Morone americana), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), and American eel (Anguilla rostrata). Annual commercial landings of these species generate over $130,000 annually. Bluefish (Pomatomus saltarix), winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus), summer flounder (Paralicthys dentatus), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), hickory shad (Alosa mediocris), and blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) dominate the recreational harvest in estuarine portions of the project area. Alternatively, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui), northern pike (Esox lucius), white catfish, channel catfish, white perch, and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) dominate the harvest in the more upstream, freshwater portions of the project area. Striped bass are targeted by recreational anglers throughout the project area. In recent years, the number of recreational fishing tournaments in the Connecticut River has dramatically increased, and the majority of this activity occurs within the project area. In all, the recreational fishery is estimated to sustain a total economic value of over $2 million.
Under Article 2(2), the Ramsar Convention specifies that the selection of wetlands for the List of Wetlands of International Importance (List) should be based on their international significance in terms of ecology, botany, zoology, limnology, or hydrology. Member countries adopted general criteria and expanded guidelines at the Conferences of the Parties at Heiligenhafen (1974), Regina (1987), and Montreux (1990) for nominating wetland sites for the Ramsar List. These three categories for selecting internationally significant wetlands are: 1) representative or unique wetlands in a region; 2) wetlands using plants and animals as indicators of importance, especially rare and endangered species; and 3) wetlands of particular value to waterfowl. According to the Convention, a wetland is considered suitable for inclusion in the List if it meets any one of the established criteria. The Lower Connecticut River tidal wetlands complex has been determined to meet the following criteria in support of its inclusion in the List:
Return to table of contents