Connecticut’s rivers lose a friend 

A native of New York City who grew up in The Dakota and graduated from the Brearley School and New York University, Margaret Miner went on to become one of the outstanding protectors of the environment in her adopted home of Connecticut. She passed away at 86 on May 5. Her loss will be felt deeply, not just in her home community of Roxbury but throughout the state. Miner’s environmental efforts, accomplishments, and awards are too numerous to list here. 

Her primary focus was on the waters that run through the state. Among her accomplishments,  she helped pass legislation requiring a statewide water plan. She was executive director of the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut for 18 years, and continued her stewardship of the waters after stepping down. She was executive director of the Roxbury Land Trust; and was a vocal advocate for affordable housing and human rights, here and abroad. She helped protect funding for the state Council of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Honors and awards for her came from organizations as diverse as the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame. Miner was passionate about her causes, but was also known for her wit and her sense of fun. Up to the end of her life, she “enjoyed playing poker whenever possible,” says her son, Nathaniel Rawson.