My first editor's note

+ looking for pitches about the outdoors in CT (and beyond)

In February, I came home after a long day to some very exciting mail. It was my first print issue of Connecticut Woodlands Magazine since becoming editor in September.

We can talk about the rollercoaster job search that led me here another time. For now, I want to focus on the fact that despite our collective pessimism about journalism, there are still lots of local and niche publications that want to pay you for your stories—including this one. You just have to find them.

I didn’t know about Connecticut Woodlands magazine until six months after moving back to Connecticut last year. My husband and I were hiking on vacation in Vermont when he wondered aloud who could have dragged these huge rocks up a mountain to make stairs on a steep section of trail. He later found an article about the work of volunteer trail crews from the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. A few clicks later led him to a jobs page, which he quickly sent to me: CFPA was looking for a new editor for their magazine!

As writers, we spend a lot of time thinking about the biggest names in journalism. The clickiest headlines about our industry are mostly covering big layoffs at legacy publications. But there are still opportunities out there—sometimes, right at our feet.

Also! Print is not dead! This is the first time I’ve had my name on the masthead of a print magazine. It feels so nice to bend back pages, to sit with the final product on the couch, coffee in hand, to see these stories come to life on paper. Sorry to be so sentimental about this, but yes, print dreams do come true! 😭

So anyways, today I thought I’d share my first Editor’s Note from a publication I’m thrilled to be working on. But before we get to that—an invitation to pitch me! And no, you don’t have to live in Connecticut to write for CT Woodlands magazine.

Writing for Connecticut Woodlands Magazine

Connecticut Woodlands is produced by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, a conservation nonprofit that manages 825-miles of trails across the state, known as the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System. CFPA advocates for the preservation of Connecticut’s forests, parks, and trails through education and conservation.

In the quarterly print publication, which has been around since 1936, we cover outdoor recreation, wildlife, and environmental issues relating to Connecticut and the surrounding region. Even more broadly, we cover stories that wind their way through the landscape of this small but surprisingly diverse state, from the wild wetlands of the Long Island Sound to the established trails connecting communities in small towns, cities, and forests.

If you have a story that would be of interest to people in Connecticut (which might be more regionally-based, stretching beyond the borders of the state), I’d love to hear about it. Not from the area but passing through? Pitches from visitors to the region are also welcome! We love a story that somehow incorporates a blue-blazed trail. Or, perhaps you want to write about a bigger environmental issue that faces Connecticut and the rest of the region or country. For example, in the winter issue, we covered changes being made to the Endangered Species Act, which will impact threatened species across the country. We focused on piping plovers nesting on Connecticut beaches and the local groups stepping up to protect them as federal regulations weaken. As long as there is a clear connection to Connecticut, I’m interested.

I’m currently looking for stories for our Summer and Fall issues. Our rate for reported stories is about .40/word.

You can read recent issues of CT Woodlands here. And pitches can be sent to me at brobinson at ctwoodlands dot org.

Winter 2026 Editor’s Note

For my first editor’s note, I have a confession: I did not know about the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System until last year.

I grew up in Connecticut. But 20 years ago, I moved away, and I spent the last decade in Portland, Ore. In 2024, I moved back to CT with my husband and three-year-old daughter. We now live one mile from the southern terminus of the New England National Scenic Trail, which I discovered after noticing blue blazes around my neighborhood. A 235-mile trail that starts in Guilford? Who knew?! I’ve done a lot of exploring since moving back, but again and again, I’m discovering how much I don’t know about this great state.

As the new editor of CT Woodlands Magazine, it’s my responsibility to know some things about the topics we cover. But my greater responsibility is to ask questions. In my work, I strive to approach every story with the expectation that other people know more than me, and to remain open to the possibility that what I think I know is wrong. (I thought all bears slept soundly through the winter. In this issue, we’ll learn otherwise.) I’m so lucky to have stepped into a position where I’m surrounded by people with a ton of knowledge to share, from the staff at CFPA to readers like you.

These days, people are often racing to be right. Scary things are happening in our world, and there can be a false sense of security in reaching for easy answers. We shortchange ourselves when we claim to know something we’re just beginning to understand. Curiosity, on the other hand, can be comforting—it just takes a little more work.

My hope is that we all keep asking more questions. Whatever you think you know about the place you call home, let’s venture a little further down the trail. To that end, I’d love to know what you’re curious to read about in future issues. And ask me your questions! I’ll have some for you, too. Brobinson@ctwoodlands.org.

See you out there,

Britany Robinson

---

That’s all for today friends! But don’t forget, I’m always updating The Big List of Deadlines, where you’ll find opportunities for funding, prizes, education and more. You never know where you might stumble upon your next writing opportunity. Maybe on a hike. Maybe right here. Wherever you’re at in your writing life these days, I’m so glad you’re here, sharing in the journey.