by Sophia Galindo
On the morning of June 27th, parents and children gathered under the historic oak tree at the Greenwich Botanical Center, eager to participate in the "Explore with Me" outdoor immersion class. Designed to foster positive outdoor experiences for children, the day's adventure was initially planned as a fun frog hunt around the lake. However, what was meant to be a simple exploration turned into an extraordinary discovery.
Angie Hartofilis the director of "Explore with Me," took a routine scoop in the pond with her net, expecting to find a frog or turtle. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised to discover an American eel, a rare find in this area.
The American eel Anguilla rostrata is a fascinating native species along the Atlantic Coast, known for its remarkable abundance in large rivers. Unique to Connecticut, the American eel is the state’s only catadromous diadromous species, spending most of its adult life in fresh water but migrating to salt water to spawn. These eels are seasoned travelers, embarking on epic journeys that begin in the mysterious depths of the Sargasso Sea, near the infamous Bermuda Triangle. After hatching, they embark on a slow migration up the Atlantic Coast, eventually settling in fresh water for 10- 20 years before making the long trek back to sea to lay eggs. The American eel like all anguillid eels, hunt predominantly at night, hiding around 5-6ft deep under mud during the day.
While the American eel is common along Connecticut’s coast, the journey of the eel discovered in the Reflection Pond at the Greenwich Botanical Center is nothing short of extraordinary. The Mianus River Pond is crucial for the American eel, as the dam is the first point of entry between salt and fresh water. River dams severely obstruct their migration, but in the fall of 2003, a Delaware-style eel pass was installed at the Mianus River Dam. This pass enables juvenile eels to climb the spillway using a net before entering a resting pool, repeating this process until they enter the pond.
This particular American eel took a different path than most to migrate upstream. Navigating through Brother Brook and other streams, this eel found its way into the Greenwich Botanical Center Pond. This journey is unique, as the week following this eel's appearance, Greenwich, CT, and the surrounding areas experienced large amounts of rain. This rare weather eventallowed the eel to enter streams that are often dry and slither through wet grass, making its journey truly one of a kind.
Rebecca Poirer from the Greenwich Town Conservation Commission remarked on the significance of this discovery. "The path for this eel to have made it all the way up to the Greenwich Botanical Center Pond is incredible. American eels are born in the Sargasso Sea and make their way into freshwater lakes and ponds while still in their juvenile life stage. This eel traveled all the way from the Sargasso Sea, into Long Island Sound, up Cos Cob Harbor into Mill Pond, then up Strickland Brook, which passes through the Bible Street playground and park, all the way to the pond at GBC. That is truly a long journey and an incredible one for such a small animal.”
This eel’s adventure is a testament to nature’s wonders, illustrating the eel's capacity to move overland, slithering through wet grass at night. The heavy rainfall in the week leading up to the discovery created ideal conditions for the eel's journey, assisting in its awe-inspiring appearance at the Greenwich Botanical Center.
This discovery at the Greenwich Botanical Center has the most significant impact on children. It illustrates how accessible scientific exploration can be, showing that even a simple dip in a pond can lead to unexpected discoveries. Angie Hartofilis believes that fostering positive interactions with nature is essential for developing a constructive attitude toward our environment, which is vital for inspiring the next generation of explorers.
