At Greenfield Community Television’s studios, photographs of the Connecticut River hang on the walls in the lobby and down the hall, capturing the lives of aquatic creatures and the people who consider the river to be a home away from home.
Titled “Slow, Down River,” the photo gallery is available for the public to view at GCTV, located at 393 Main St. in Greenfield, through the end of September.
The photographer behind the images is Alix Kaplan, a former Greenfield resident who works as a content coordinator for the Connecticut River Conservancy. They’ve been with the conservancy since 2023, having previously graduated from Tufts University, where they studied environmental studies and studio art.
“I kind of found my way into the communications realm first, and I think that the position that I hold at Connecticut River Conservancy is the cross section of various interests of mine,” Kaplan said. “Since I studied environmental studies and am also a photographer … going into the communications at an environmental nonprofit made sense because it’s kind of combining those two interests.”
GCTV Station Manager Bella Levavi had approached Kaplan about having an exhibit at the television studios after seeing Kaplan’s photos on display at the Greenfield Public Library.
“She had come to that gallery and really enjoyed my photos,” Kaplan recounted. “She approached me about showing my photos at GCTV for a few months, and also knew that I was in the music world and thought it would be fun to find the cross section of that in the reception.”
At the Aug. 28 reception, Kaplan performed music with their band, which includes lead vocalist Stace Brandt and bassist Forrest Pettengill. Kaplan controls the drums.
“I’ve been playing with them since college,” Kaplan said. “[Brandt] writes all of the music, and [Pettengill] and I are kind of the backing band. It’s a fun little creative outlet for me, I’ve been drumming for a while.”
While Kaplan said it’s hard to pick a favorite photo, they have a soft spot for one of their friend sitting on the Rock Dam in Turners Falls, which they call “a really beautiful photo.”
“That was [taken] during the sea lamprey migration, and we would go there and just, like, cheer on the sea lamprey as they were trying to get over the Rock Dam to continue their journey up the river,” Kaplan said. “It’s one of my favorite places in the watershed, and I also just love sea lampreys, so I get to nerd out about them in my photos sometimes.”
Through their work with the Connecticut River Conservancy, Kaplan said they’ve traveled to multiple states to photograph the Connecticut River Watershed, and it’s tough to pin down one moment as a favorite memory on the job.
“I have had a lot of great experiences through this position,” Kaplan said. “One of the more recent [experiences], we’ve been trying to document when river drawdowns are happening. … The past two times that has happened — once in Turners Falls and then one time in Bellows Falls, Vermont — they have sent me up on a little four-person plane to do some aerial photography, which is totally amazing to see the river from the sky.”
Kaplan noted that while the photography aspect of their job is enjoyable, the mission of conserving the Connecticut River is still at the forefront.
“The reason that I am at this organization and also do the photos and videos is because of my personal deep interest in the river and for the natural world around us,” Kaplan said. “That’s my why.”
For more information on the Connecticut River Conservancy or to volunteer, visit ctriver.org. The advocacy organization is also spearheading the annual Source to Sea Cleanup this weekend, and more details can be found at sourcetoseacleanup.org.
