Expedition Log: Day 1 – Launched!
September 17, 2021
The BOATanists had a great day assembling all their gear and Ecotype plants on the outrigger canoes and began their expedition “paddlin’ for the pollinators” embarking from Enfield, CT to a remote island just above Hartford. We are excited to talk to the folks attending tomorrow’s MakeFest at the Connecticut Science Center, showing them how to make “native Ecotype Seed balls” and the importance of planting local pollinator habitats to rewild our landscapes and ensure local food security!
Observations from this part of the corridor: the river is abuzz with a symphony of happy insects. Solidago is in bloom and dragonfly’s are flying about. The river is low this time of year but a dam release increased the flow rate. There is a nice riparian buffer along the river where you seldom see human development. Tomorrow we are sure will be different as we paddle to the largest city along a river in Connecticut.
Stay tuned for more expeditions updates over the next five days. Thanks for following along.
Recent Posts
Advocacy News: May 2026
The Good News: CT Senator Chris Murphy has introduced a bill (bipartisan and bicameral) to increase funding for Agricultural Management Assistance to $30 million and to expand the eligible uses for these funds to include “soil health improvements, composting, implementing organic farming, and food safety certification in addition to existing authorized uses such as water management structure and soil erosion control.” Let’s thank Senator Murphy for introducing this bill!
The Bad News: The Farm Bill passed the House of Representatives on April 30, despite 320 food, farm, and conservation organizations, including CT NOFA, voicing our opposition to a bill that does not fix SNAP, does not support new and beginning farmers, and does not adequately support conservation programs or organic agriculture. Now it goes to the Senate and we need to urge both of Connecticut’s Senators to reject this Farm Bill.
Our Vision for a Future of Resilient, Plentiful, Healthy and Locally-Grounded Farming and Food
In concluding its annual retreat, the Northeast Organic Farming Association Interstate Council (NOFA IC) reaffirms the values that have grounded our work for 55 years.
Our vision is that every person is able to live their life with healthy food, clean water and air, community, livelihood, dignity, and purpose within the means of our life-giving planet. We seek that vision on every level, from our households and farms to our communities, states, bioregions, nation, and world. For that vision to be fulfilled, every person, no matter their origin or circumstances, must have all their basic human needs met without degrading the air, water, soil, ecosystems, and climate which we have been given and on which we depend for our lives.