Thank you to everyone who participated in Celebrate Our Watershed 2025!
Whether you joined us for a hike or paddle, an outdoors exploration or bird watch, or supported HVA by dining out for a cause, we are grateful for your support. This year, we hosted 35 events across the tri-state Housatonic River watershed, made countless new friends, and brought community members together in celebration of the beautiful region we call home. It was a pleasure spending time in nature with you!
A huge thank you to all of the incredible friends and partners who supported Celebrate Our Watershed this year! We couldn’t do it without you. From Long Island Sound, through western Connecticut and into eastern New York, and north to Berkshire County, it’s more important than ever to meet each other outside and engage with the non-human communities that surround us. We appreciate you taking part in the broader mission to protect the environmental health and natural resources of the Housatonic Valley and beyond. Thank you!
We had an amazing summer learning, hiking, and exploring with you! Check out these highlights and photos from Celebrate Our Watershed 2025:
May 8: Berkshires Open House
The HVA Team was excited to greet community members at the 2025 HVA Berkshires Open House at our office in Pittsfield! We had a marvelous time discussing upcoming projects in Berkshire County, from river restorations to dam removals, educational events, and programs that increase recreational access to the river. We showcased the success of the Berkshires Clean, Cold & Connected Restoration Partnership and discussed future collaborative efforts across the Housatonic, Hoosic, and Farmington River watersheds. Thank you to those who joined us!
May 14: Housatonic Valley Regional High School Student Paddle
HVA’s Conservation Director, Julia Rogers, led students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s Local Environmental Action Group on a paddle, circumnavigating East Twin Lake and popping into West Twin Lake in Salisbury, CT. It’s great to see these students so actively involved in supporting their local environment.
June 8: CT Trails Day Hike at Trinity Forest Preserve with Cornwall Conservation Trust
In celebration of Trails Day with the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, HVA Board Member and Cornwall Conservation Trust President Bart Jones led a conservation-themed walk at Trinity Forest Preserve, sharing information about Cornwall’s ecological and cultural history while pointing out the remains of charcoal mounds and the work of busy beavers.
June 14: Trail Walk with Great Mountain Forest
Check out these scenic views from our hike with Great Mountain Forest led by GMF Trustee and HVA Board Member Bart Jones. We had a great time exploring the trails at the West Gate in Falls Village and walking to Old Man McMullen Pond while learning about the history of the property and conservation in northwest Connecticut. And we dodged a ton of traveling red efts along the way!
June 21: Pond Critter Exploration at The Silo
We had a magnificent time searching for pond critters on the beautiful grounds of The Silo in New Milford! From all stages of tadpole, to salamanders and snails, to water bugs that breathe through their butts, it’s incredible what you can find in the muck.
June 27: Moth Lighting Night at The Silo
What critters come out after dark? We found out at our Moth Lighting Night at The Silo in New Milford, CT! From Green Cloverworm to Eastern Tent Moths, we caught a glimpse of the native species that keep our ecosystems functioning… while we’re usually fast asleep.
September 6: Housatonic Heritage Hike to Campbell Falls
As part of Housatonic Heritage‘s annual Heritage Walks series, HVA’s Berkshire Watershed Director, Erik Reardon, led a hike to Campbell Falls, showcasing the hidden beauty of this stunning waterfall that straddles the Massachusetts-Connecticut border. Not only picturesque, this cold-water natural feature is inherently valuable to the surrounding forest and species who call the ecosystem home.
September 13: Hawk Watch at Topsmead State Forest
Spotting red-tails and red-shoulders on the horizon is the perfect way to spend a morning at Topsmead State Forest in Litchfield, CT. HVA joined the Friends of Topsmead State Forest and Litchfield Hills Audubon Society for this annual migration event, where we caught a glimpse of several raptor species. We’re wishing safe travels to all those flying south for the winter! Check out our reel from the event here.
September 27: Wonders of the Wood Thrush Nature Walk with Bent of the River Audubon Center
To close out Celebrate Our Watershed, HVA teamed up with the Bent of the River Audubon Center in Southbury, CT, for a Wonders of the Wood Thrush presentation and nature walk! Participants learned all about the Wood Thrush—a tiny bird that migrates 2,000 miles from North America to Central America for the winter. There’s been a 60% loss in the Northeastern Wood Thrush population since 1966, but teams like the Bent of the River staff have been working hard to conserve critical habitat in western Connecticut and monitor individuals’ movements through banding and tracking. We also had the chance to explore one of the Center’s beautiful trails and check out some prime Wood Thrush habitat.
Housatonic River Cleanups with the Berkshire Environmental Action Team
This summer, HVA and the Berkshire Environmental Action Team hosted two successful Housatonic River cleanups! Volunteers removed 32 tires, 9 chairs, 6 shopping carts, 2 mattresses and a box spring, a chain link fence, a 5-gallon bucket of joint compound, a 5-gallon bucket of paint, barbed wire, countless pieces of clothing and other textiles, and hundreds of additional pounds of trash from the river. What an amazing feat! A huge thank you to all of these incredible volunteers, and we’re looking forward to more West Branch cleanups next year.
Water Wonders Story Time
HVA staff had the pleasure of reading Drop: An Adventure Through the Water Cycle by Emily Kate Moon at six local libraries this summer! Thank you to all of the families who joined us to learn about where water travels in their town and how we can keep our rivers and streams healthy and clean.
2025 Summer Photo Contest
Prize Winners and Photo Gallery
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in HVA’s 2025 Summer Photo Contest! We are thrilled to share that we received more than 425 photo submissions from 110 participants, covering 58 of the 83 towns in the Housatonic River watershed. We are blown away by these numbers and can’t wait to make next year’s contest even bigger. Visit hvaphotos.org to see all of this year’s winners and a gallery of submissions.
Thank you to all the incredible restaurants that hosted a Dine Out for a Cause event with HVA this summer!
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
