Sally and Steve described the alewives and American eels who migrate up our waterways, how those waterways have been impacted by centuries of human activity, and the fishway construction and dam removal projects that allow passage to spawning grounds like the Mill Pond behind our office. Their lecture concluded with the story of how our fishway was built and was followed by an on-site, socially-distant Q&A. The lecture can be viewed above, thanks to the Essex Library.

For 18 years, Sally was the Director of River Restoration and Fish Passage at The Nature Conservancy. She continues her river restoration work as an independent consultant. Steve recently retired as a Supervising Fisheries Biologist the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and is a volunteer steward of our fishway with the Essex Land Trust.