The ridges of basalt lava (traprock) rising high above the Connecticut Valley from New Haven to Northampton comprise the most important natural region in southern New England. The mountainous terrain forms a “green corridor” featuring a mosaic of unique microbiomes, including alpine sedge meadows, talus (scree) barrens, summit balds, vernal pool complexes, and many others. A diverse population of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds find refuge and habitat in the traprock corridor. The most important migratory route for raptors in New England, the traprock hills are again hosting resident Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and others, after nearly one hundred years of extirpation. The traprock highlands of the Connecticut Valley were also the focus of important nineteenth-century landscape artists such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Church.
Dr. Peter LeTourneau, a recognized authority on the geology of the Triassic-Jurassic rift basins of the circum-North Atlantic region, will discuss current problems and progress in conservation of this special region.