Interactive event highlights Eversource’s commitment to Monarch Butterfly conservation by inviting customers, classrooms, and nature enthusiasts of all ages to explore sustainability through art

HARTFORD, Conn. and BOSTON, Mass. (April 22, 2026) – In celebration of Earth Month and as part of Eversource’s strong commitment to sustainability, the energy company is bringing back its popular Paint With Matt Patterson livestream on Wednesday, April 29, at 10 a.m. on Facebook @Eversource Energy and YouTube @eversourcecorp. Combining art, education, and environmental stewardship, Eversource is proud to expand its partnership with the award‑winning wildlife artist to present its second, interactive virtual event for all nature enthusiasts across New England to paint along while learning about pollinators and the vital habitat they depend on within the company’s power line corridors.

The Paint With Matt Patterson Earth Month livestream reflects Eversource’s broader conservation efforts, including the company’s recent enrollment in the Monarch Butterfly Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (MCCAA). This voluntary, nationwide initiative led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supports monarch butterfly habitat conservation across utility rights‑of‑way.

"Our power line corridors are home to much more than the energy infrastructure that keeps our customers and communities running, they also provide vital habitat and travel ways for hundreds of species of wildlife and native plants, including pollinators that are essential to ecological health," said Eversource Director of Vegetation Management Sean Redding. "Opportunities to celebrate the connection between art, people and the natural world like this help to illustrate the thoughtful work our teams do every day to balance reliability, safety, and environmental stewardship."

The livestream builds on the success of last year’s inaugural Paint With Matt Patterson for World Turtle Day, which brought participants together to learn about the herptiles that call the energy company’s power line corridors home and conservation through hands‑on creativity. This year’s livestream will once again spotlight the biodiversity that thrives in the approximately 40,000 acres of land that Eversource stewards, reinforcing the company’s commitment to protecting and enhancing local ecosystems while delivering safe, reliable energy.

Eversource maintains more than 3,500 miles of power line corridors across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, using industry best practices and integrated vegetation management strategies to promote low‑growing, pollinator‑friendly habitats. These practices reduce power outages and public safety issues while supporting biodiversity in the most heavily forested region of the country. The energy company also manages 22,000 acres of protected watershed land, and the Eversource Land Trust consists of nearly 1,000 acres of permanently protected open space, which is open to the public for recreational use.

Through the MCCAA, Eversource has enrolled more than 70,000 acres of power line corridors across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The company applies targeted conservation measures aligned with its existing integrated vegetation management practices, including selective brush removal, habitat set-asides, conservation mowing, selective herbicide use, and ongoing tracking and reporting. The agreement also provides regulatory efficiencies under the federal Endangered Species Act, enabling crews to continue essential vegetation management work to maintain electric system safety and reliability.

"Our participation in the Monarch Butterfly Conservation Agreement reinforces our long-standing commitment to biodiversity and sustainability," said Eversource Vice President of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs Marc Richards. "By supporting monarch and pollinator habitat across our rights-of-way, we are contributing to long-term ecological health while continuing to deliver the reliable energy our customers depend on to power their lives."

Matt Patterson, who illustrated Eversource’s On the Move: A Guide to Herptiles in Our Power Line Corridors, will guide participants step‑by‑step through painting a monarch butterfly during the livestream. The renowned artist and conservationist is illustrating a new children’s book about the amazing world of caterpillars. “The Book of Caterpillars” is expected to be out in early 2027.

"I've always believed that education leads to conservation," said Patterson. "I feel it's crucial not just to document these marvelous species I paint, it's even more important to have a hand in saving them from extinction. Raising awareness about wildlife, including pollinators like monarchs, gives us human newcomers the great opportunity to take our turn in upholding the health of this beautiful planet."

Patterson is a member of Artists for Conservation, a Fellow in The Explorers Club, and the illustrator of multiple books, including Sy Montgomery’s “Of Time and Turtles,” “The Book of Turtles,” and their latest collaboration “The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle.”

All are invited to tune in to the Paint With Matt Patterson livestream. Find a list of materials, including a printable monarch butterfly drawing by Patterson, and everything you need to know to participate here. And explore all Eversource’s illustrated educational resources, including On the Move, Nature’s Natives, and the Pollinator Roadmap with planting guidance for property owners.

Eversource (NYSE: ES), celebrated as a national leader for its commitment to sustainability and corporate citizenship, is named among America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek for 2026 and recognized as the #1 utility on USA Today’s list of America’s Climate Leaders for 2025. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to approximately 4.6 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The #1 Energy Efficiency Provider in the Nation, Eversource harnesses the commitment of more than 10,500 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like a first-in-the-nation networked geothermal pilot project, solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.