Connecticut River Estuary
- Currently a Ramsar Site
- Listed on more than one “valuable wetland” list by natural resource agencies or nongovernment organizations.
- Protects biological diverse wetland flora, fauna and/or their habitat
- Supports significant numbers of wetland-dependent fauna, such as water birds or fish
- Rare or unique wetland type within its own biogeographical region. (Meeting this criteria would include, but is not limited to, wetlands with unique hydrology or chemistry that make it rare within its own region)
The lower Connecticut River from Middletown to Old Saybrook is a tidally influenced riverine lower perennial watercourse that bisects a landscape of relatively low density in the otherwise densely developed Northeast. It is the only major river system on the Atlantic coast without a major port or urban center at its estuary. This long tidal river (the translation of its native American name) has reaches that contain biologically unique, diverse, productive, and ecologically sensitive natural communities. It serves to link the land and sea as a migratory corridor for various birdlife, diadromous fish, and various mammals. It is culturally sugnificant with a number of prehistoric, precolonial, and colonial sites recognized along its shores and within the adjacent watershed. It is host to a number of tourist destinations, state parks and natural areas, lies within the Silvio Conte National Widllife Refuge, and contains a number of culturally and historically significant resources along its shores. The freshwater and brackish water tidal wetlands are exemplary communities in the region. These communities,, and the tributary streams, shorelines, and open water areas associated with the river support a plethora of state and federal species of conservation concern including species listed on both the CT and Federal Endangered Species Acts.
- Maintains ecological connectivity/cohesion
- Aesthetic/cultural heritage value/ provisioning
- Recreation (birdwatching, ecotourism)
- Aquifer recharge
- Storm abatement
- Carbon storage
- Water quality improvement
- Education
- 50-100 ft
- Inland Shallow Fresh Marsh
- Inland Open Fresh Water
- Inland Fresh Shrub Swamp
- Inland Fresh Wooded Swamp
- Coastal Salt Meadow
- Coastal Regularly Flooded Salt Marsh
- Stream
- Tidal Systems
Soils consist of glacial tills on higher topographic elevations (uplands of the adjacent steep sided river valley) to stratified sand, gravel and silt at the lower portions of the topsequence, and extensive areas of Westbrook Mucky Peat within the brackish marshes of the estuary.
Soils consist of glacial tills on higher topographic elevations (uplands of the adjacent steep sided river valley) to stratified sand, gravel and silt at the lower portions of the topsequence, and extensive areas of Westbrook Mucky Peat within the brackish marshes of the estuary.
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