First National Blueway Designated on the Connecticut River

VRC’s collaborative partnership with the Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail has been recognized by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar: On May 24th he signed a Secretarial Order establishing a National Blueways System and announced that the 410-mile-long Connecticut River and its 7.2 million-acre watershed will be the first National Blueway.
“The Connecticut River Watershed is a model for how communities can integrate their land and water stewardship efforts with an emphasis on ‘source-to-sea’ watershed conservation,” Salazar said. “I am pleased to recognize the Connecticut River and its watershed with the first National Blueway designation as we seek to fulfill President Obama’s vision for healthy and accessible rivers that are the lifeblood of our communities and power our economies.”
VRC is happy to be a working partner in the development of public access to the Connecticut River, and fulfilling the President’s vision to establish a National Water Trails system.