Eastern Connecticut Conservation District

The Eastern Connecticut Conservation District (ECCD) is a local not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping the towns and citizens of Eastern Connecticut with their conservation needs. The creation of the ECCD is a result of the reorganization of Connecticut’s eight county-based soil and water Conservation Districts into five regional watershed areas: Northwest, Southwest, North Central, Connecticut River Coastal and Eastern.

The service area of the ECCD encompasses thirty-six municipalities covering Windham and New London counties and part of Tolland County. Our service area includes the towns of:

Andover, Ashford, Bozrah, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Columbia, East Lyme, Eastford, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Hampton, Killingly, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Mansfield, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Plainfield, Pomfret, Preston, Putnam, Scotland, Sprague, Sterling, Stonington, Thompson, Union, Voluntown, Waterford, Windham and Woodstock.

2019 ANNUAL MEETING

The Eastern Connecticut Conservation District, Inc. held its Annual Meeting on Wednesday October 9, 2019, at the Lisbon Meadows Park Community Center, 19 South Burnham Highway (Route 169), Lisbon.

Approximately 35 guests and ECCD directors enjoyed a buffet dinner, followed by a Year in Review presented by ECCD staff.

The Summer 2019 Edition of the ECCD Outlook Newsletter is out!

The summer newsletter has been mailed. If you are not on our mailing list, you can download the newsletter by clicking here. (You will need Adobe Reader.)

The Hallville Fishway in Preston, CT is closed for the season.

The fishway passed 16 alewife and two gizzard shad this year, as well as numerous trout. Check back next spring for the re-opening.

Live webcam viewing available.  Click on the Alewife.

2019 ECCD Plant Sale

Thank you to our 2019 plant sale customers, and to our many volunteers, without whom the plant sale would not be a success. We look forward to seeing you in 2020!

Community Foundation of Eastern CT Awards Funding to ECCD to Continue Stormwater Collaborative and Expand It Into Northeast CT

ECCD has been notified by the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut that funding for the Eastern Connecticut Stormwater Collaborative has been granted to the District. Working with member municipalities, as well as the Southeast and Northeast Councils of Government, ECCD and the COGs will expand the stormwater collaborative into northeast CT. With the funding, the members will continue to develop a long-term leadership structure for the Collaborative,  conduct storm sewer infrastructure mapping, continue to develop web-based resources and assist member municipalities to implement the six minimal measures required under their MS4 general stormwater permits.

Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut Awards Funding to ECCD to Create Stormwater Collaborative and Develop Strategic Plan

Work is underway to develop a strategic plan. Crafting the strategic plan will take 10 – 12 months, but will serve as a guide for the District over the next 5-7 years, allowing staff to increase the District’s capacity, diversify funding sources, and develop new partnerships while strengthening existing partnerships. The overarching goals of the plan are to improve the delivery of conservation services and to increase the District’s impact on conserving our natural resources. Part and parcel of developing the strategic plan will be the creation of a stormwater collaborative in Southeastern Connecticut.

Implementing a collaborative approach to addressing stormwater discharges into local waterways is essential to reducing pollutants in our waters, which impact the environment. The collaborative will provide valuable assets to local municipalities which are mandated through EPA’s municipal separate storm sewer systems general permit program (MS4) to implement six minimal measures. Eastern Connecticut Conservation District is well-positioned to assist the 36 towns we serve to meet these requirements. To learn more about the Southeastern Connecticut Stormwater Collaborative, visit the Collaborative web pages by clicking here or using the links to the left of this page.