b'CONNECTICUT RIVER MUSEUM STRATEGIC PLAN 2022-2026FOREWORD The challenges that face us in implementing the Connecticut River MuseumsStrategicPlanareconsiderable.Inthenearterm,we must find ways to cope effectively with the on-going global Covid pandemic and its resultant economic stress and social, political, and cultural disruptions. We also face the perils of rising sea and river levels that may impact our waterfront buildings and grounds. And Arivercutsthroughrock,notbecauseofitswe must plan to make way for new technologies that can improve administrativeefficiency,makeformoreeffectivemarketing,and power, but because of its persistence. help us createvivid and engaging exhibits.JIM WATKINS, ENVIRONMENTALIST Wefacethesechallengeswithresolve.Whenyoupaintaboat, youlearnthatthepreparationisusuallymoredifficultandtime-consuming than the actual painting, and that the quality of that These words seem apt here, at the Connecticut River Museum, aspreparation directly impacts the excellence of the final product.we plan for our future. Persistence is required if we are to succeed in implementing the new 2022-2026 Strategic Plan that the CRM StaffThe plan presented here is a living documenta blueprint for action and Board have worked so hard to create over the past many months.andtheresultofconcertedeffortbytheStrategicPlanning Committees co-chairs, Tom Wilcox and Verena Harfst; our Board; Our course is clear: our Staff; our consulting facilitator, Olivia White; Jennifer Carlson, our To broaden and deepen understanding of the Connecticut RiversExecutive Director at the time of the planning process, who provided critical guidance and insight for our planning process while skillfully history, to inspire generations to treasure the River as the spine thatleading the Museums day-to-day operations; and Dean McChesney, has run through our community for millennia, and to act as stewardsJoan Motyka and Janet Roach, who lent their design, editing and going forward.writing skills to create this finished product. I thank them for their To introduce visitors of every age from near and far to the storiesdevotiontothisworkandIthankallthecommunityMembers, and importance of the Connecticut River via exhibits, lectures, artifacts,Donors, Volunteers, and Visitors who made significant contributions and educational endeavors. to this effort.To offer hands-on engagement with the Rivers wondrous beauty,I also extend my deepest appreciation to all who helped forge the fragility, and significance both from the Rivers banks and on theMuseums success over its first 50 years. In the coming years we will water via our re-creation of the 17th Century Dutch ship Onrust andcontinue to ask challenging questions of ourselves and to listen to all the contemporary motor vessel RiverQuest. stakeholders as we stride with hope and determination into the future.To be a good neighbor to the local community and to the widerSincerely,world of our countrys many rivers. Our histories are entwined and ourcauseinter-dependent.Byactinginconscienceand,when possible, in concert, we cannot change the course of our rivers, butPeter Coombswe can vouchsafe their futures. Chair of the Board of Trustees3'