The first comprehensive natural history guide to the Connecticut River and its environs, with more than 750 illustrations
The Connecticut River, New England’s longest and most historic river, originates in northern New Hampshire and wends more than four hundred miles to Long Island Sound. It forms the border between Vermont and New Hampshire and widens significantly as it makes its way through Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Connecticut River Valley is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the eastern United States, and more than two million people live in the watershed.
Renowned naturalist Patrick J. Lynch offers readers an expansive guide to this majestic region with more than 750 original maps, photographs, and illustrations. Organized around environments rather than particular locations, the book includes geological overviews and descriptions of common plants and animals. Lynch also explains the landscape’s environmental history as well as the effects of centuries of human interventions and the growing fallout from climate change.
This indispensable guide not only brings the Connecticut River’s ecology and pivotal role in American history to life but instills a deeper appreciation for the river’s diverse and abundant beauty.
Patrick J. Lynch is an award-winning author, photographer, and artist. He is the author of numerous books, including A Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic Coast and A Field Guide to Cape Cod. He lives in North Haven, CT.
Winner of the Nature Guidebook category of the 2024 National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA).
“Patrick Lynch synthesizes vast amounts of biology, hydrology, geography, and history to give us an astonishingly concise and beautiful guide to this enormous drainage that nurtures millions of people and countless non-human organisms. This is a gem!”—James Prosek, author of Eels and Art, Artifact, Artifice
“Patrick Lynch delivers exotic details of a region that for millions is a home we hardly know. Reignite a passionate sense of place; use it to plan your stay-cation; or just savor the beauty, art, and intelligence in this towering achievement of a book.”—Carl Safina, ecologist and author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel and Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe
“Patrick Lynch leads readers on a remarkable natural history journey down the Connecticut River, from the source to the Sound. Beautiful illustrations and stunning photographs make this guide a must-read.”—Milan Bull, Connecticut Audubon Society
“Another great work from Patrick Lynch, as beautiful as it is informative. Whether you live in its watershed or are just planning a visit, this book will greatly enhance your Connecticut River experience.”—Patrick Comins, chair emeritus, Friends of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge
“Patrick Lynch is a national treasure, able to engagingly communicate difficult concepts through his fluid writing and fantastic illustrations. This guide is his best yet!”—David K. Skelly, Frank R. Oastler Professor of Ecology, Yale University, and director, Yale Peabody Museum
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