Connecticut River Watershed Initiative

The Connecticut River Watershed (CRW) is a significant regional eco-zone within New England, spanning four states and covering a wide range of economic activities, land-use practices and ecological habitat. From its headwaters near the Canadian border down its length to the Long Island Sound, the watershed encompasses areas of high population density, suburban sprawl, farmland, and forest, and supplies water not only to the metro areas of Boston, Worcester, Springfield and Hartford, but also to numerous small towns and, through groundwater, to hundreds of thousands of rural residents. These water supplies are critical to the long-term economic and ecological health of the region. Changes in land use and economic conditions within the CRW have important effects on a host of biophysical resources such as water quality, biodiversity protection, and invasive species. These impacts on the natural capital of the region in turn affect human well being in areas such as health, economic opportunity (tourism, agriculture, energy) and social capital. Significant expertise exists within the region for addressing the pressing issues of sustainable resource use and economic sustainability, but there has to date been very little coordination between the scientific experts in their isolated disciplines, and between agency managers and academic researchers. The initiative described in this talk aims to develop, simulate and help visualize a Desired Future Condition for the CRW. It is being done in collaboration with USGS, UMass and USFWS. In early 2004 two focus groups will be held, and following a conference in March 2004 a coordinated science-based perspective on the key sustainability issues facing the watershed will be published. One anticipated longer term product of the project is a suite of visual tools that will give managers and planners the ability to ‘see’ in a dynamic way the present and future conditions of the watershed