Farmington River News

Transcription

1 Farmington River News Save paper, get FRWA newsletters online and see our photos in their full glory! Go to to sign up. Issues and Activities in the Farmington River Watershed. Acting Like a Watershed Watershed people are reliable, or at least predictable. In a meeting, an interview, even a party, sooner or later you ll hear one of us explaining the relationship between a river and its watershed. It goes like this: The Farmington Valley really extends all the way up to the hilltops around its edges. Water that falls inside those edges trickles down, over ground, into ground, under ground, into streams and tributaries, to the rushing river at the bottom of the valley (we may be waving our hands by this time). The river you see (a sweeping gesture here) is only a small part of the watershed, the whole system, the great basin of land that funnels water into the river. Whatever the water passes through along the way down affects the quality of the river. So a well-kept river requires well-kept land. You can t have one without the other. Voila! Watershed people say this sort of thing anywhere: elevators, taxis, classrooms, canoes, class II rapids, even in our sleep. (It s all true, by the way.) But here s a variation worth thinking about: The Farmington River Watershed Association is a whole valley of people and businesses and organizations, different in many ways but sharing a concern for the river and actively helping take care of it. Somewhere in the landscape, someone is protecting a clean source of drinking water, a good fishing spot, a swimming hole for their kids. Someone is deciding to skip the lawn pesticides this year, or drop off unused medications instead of flushing them. Someone is talking to town officials about storm drain maintenance or having a talk with a legislator. Someone is collecting water samples or checking out a stream s insect population for the warning signs of pollution. A lot of these people call us up, contribute, or work with us directly. So FRWA s small staff, like the river itself, is the visible part of a much bigger system. Know what? River work is done by you: concerned citizens, volunteers, board members, professional partners, and donors. The streams of interest and support add up. You can t have a watershed association without all those people. Voila again! Okay, so the term Farmington Peopleshed is not likely to catch on. We ll stick with FRWA. But like the river itself, FRWA is the sum of thousands of sources. In our fall and winter communications, we ll highlight a few of the special people that step up to help the river. You ll be glad to know you re in such good company. One

2 The Farmington River Watershed Association Board & Staff Officers President - Matt Reichin Vice-President - Diana Goode Vice-President - Sia Bauer Treasurer - David Donaldson, Jr. Secretary - Rick Hartman Directors Susan Barney Mike Gagne Cherie Griffith-Dunn Anthony Healy Sarah Hincks John Laudati Debbie Leonard Alesia Maltz Mary Moulton John E. Robinson David Sinish Marlene Snecinski Frank Untermyer Staff Executive Director Eileen Fielding Education & Outreach Coordinator Aimee Petras Water Quality Coordinator Alisa Phillips-Griggs GIS Specialist Jeff Bolton The Farmington River Watershed Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the Farmington River and its Watershed through research, education and advocacy. Save the Date! FRWA s 55 th Annual Meeting! October 28th, 5-9 pm at the Old Well Tavern FRWA s 56 th Annual meeting is moving to the Old Well Tavern, 20 Tariffville Road, Simsbury. Your admission gets you a great meal, a FREE drink and the chance to bid on our always excellent silent auction items. We will begin this years meeting along the river with Terri Delahantyis, a Native American, from the Cree Tribe, leading a Native American blessing using Sacred Drums and Rattles. The festivities will gear up inside including our annual meeting speaker, Jessica Speart, an investigative journalist whose focus is on wildlife law enforcement, endangered species issues, and the environment. Speart created her sleuth, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Rachel Porter, after years of investigating wildlife and drug trafficking crimes for publications such as the New York Times Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Audubon, National Wildlife, Mother Jones, and Wildlife Conservation, among others. When she began to find the characters she covered stranger than fiction, she decided to turn her pen toward mysteries. Jessica has published 10 mystery novels featuring Agent Porter. Check your mailbox in late September/early October for our Annual Meeting invitation. Members are offered reduced prices for admission. We hope to see you there! Annual Meeting Silent Auction Do you want to bid for a guitar handmade in Connecticut? How about a brand new kayak? Come to FRWA s Annual Meeting; our auction highlights include a Guild Acoustic Guitar, handmade in New Hartford, donated by Ovation, Guild & Hamer Guitars USA and a kayak from Collinsville Canoe & Kayak. Still, we are actively seeking Silent Auction items such as restaurant, store and personal care gift certificates, sporting equipment and venue tickets. If you have an item that you would like to donate to the Watershed Association, please call us. FRWA Would Like to Thank: John Kulick and family of Huck Finn Adventures in Collinsville for supporting the Watershed year after year by donating boats for our summer canoe trip series. The leaders of this season s fascinating Canoe Trips and Watershed Walks: Jay Kaplan, Kenny Feder, Betsey Dexter Dyer, Valerie Allgrove, and Eric Davison. Holloways Appliance Center in Simsbury for donating an air conditioner to help us keep our cool. Our water quality volunteers whose efforts help us to monitor the Farmington River Watershed. We, and the wild creatures that depend upon the clean water and resources of our Watershed, thank you for your donating your time and energy to our important programs. Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known. Winnie the Pooh Two

3 FRWA Holding 22 nd Annual River Clean-Up! Last year, over 300 volunteers joined together to remove ~3 tons of trash from the banks of the Farmington River. This year s Farmington River Clean-Up is looking to be even better. We are securing all the supplies for the big day (gloves, bags, napkins, apple cider, etc) and lining up our lunch and breakfast offerings for volunteers. We are on the lookout for pick-up trucks or other large vehicles that can help us get trash to the dumpsters donated by Waste Material Trucking Company of Unionville, CT. So where will you be? We do need lots of volunteers to come and help us make this Clean-Up our best yet! If you are part of another group that might be interested, please let us know. Join us to meet your watershed neighbors and help us keep your neighborhood clean. It will be a fun filled day you will never forget. Our Clean-Up Locations Avon: The Lions Club of Avon takes responsibility for cleaning Fisher Meadows and they do a great job, year after year. Barkhamsted/New Hartford: We meet at the Church Pool Parking Lot. This stretch of the river is the most fished segment of the most fished river in the State of Connecticut. Burlington/Farmington - We meet at the Farmington River Trail near the intersection of Routes 4 and 179. This is our most popular site thanks to area residents and the Irving Robbins Middle School s Green Team! Bristol: Organized by the Pequabuck River Watershed Association. These folks need someone with a pick-up truck to help them with their trash. Let us know if you can help. Granby: Folks at this site park at McLean Game Refuge and walk across Route 10/202 to clean up our Salmon Brook. Simsbury: Meet on the front lawn of FRWA headquarters. This is also the place to grab some breakfast before heading out or get some pizza and other lunch items after you are done. Call FRWA to sign-up yourself, your family, or your group for the Clean-Up at (860) , we will determine the best location for you to help. We thank all future and past volunteers that have participated in our 21 years of clean-ups (see photos on the right). In addition, all of this could not have been achieved without the ongoing generous underwriting of this event by The Stanley Works. Park River Sites in Hartford & West Hartford: Coordinated by Mary Rickel Pelletier from the Park River Watershed Revitialization Initiative. There is a morning clean-up along the North Branch (most likely staged from/near the CT Historical Society Museum) and an afternoon clean-up along the Trout Brook at Beachland Park, and further downstream into Hartford (where Trout Brook becomes the South Branch of the Park River). Please contact Mary Rickel Pelletier at (860) or maryvrp@parkriver.org to participate in any of the Park River Clean-up locations. We'd like to thank The Stanley Works for their generous support of the Farmington River Clean-Up Three

4 Streambugs FRWA Needs Volunteers to Sample for Aquatic Insects The Farmington River Watershed Association is conducting two Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Sampling Workshops this fall; one in the upper Farmington River Watershed and one in the lower Farmington River Watershed. Volunteers are needed to help sample and identify aquatic insects for water quality monitoring. Led by FRWA water quality scientist Alisa Phillips-Griggs, the workshops begin indoors with instruction in macroinvertebrate collection and identification and the use of aquatic organisms in water quality monitoring. Following the indoor Sampling Dates training and lunch, teams will move out to sample various Saturday, September 12, 9am to 2pm Farmington River streams. Participants wade into the water, Winding Trails Recreation Center, 50 dislodge the organisms into a net by scrubbing the rocks, sort and Winding Trails Drive, Farmington identify the different invertebrates present, and preserve a Saturday, September 26, 9am to 2pm representative sample for verification. The program follows the RBV Squire s Tavern, Peoples State Forest, 100 (Rapid Biomonitoring for Volunteers) protocol developed by Mike East River Road, Pleasant Valley Beauchene of the CT Department of Environmental Protection and all data collected will be submitted to the CT DEP. Results help FRWA and the CT DEP monitor water quality changes in the Farmington River Watershed. Training is free and lunch will be provided, bring waders or other footwear to wade into the water. Program will be held rain or shine; please dress for the weather. Space is limited, advance registration is required. Please contact FRWA at or river@frwa to register. Have You Heard About This Wild & Scenic Study? Questions? Join us at the Community Forums! The Lower Farmington River/Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic Study Committee invites you to any one of three Community Open Houses to be held this fall. The Open Houses will offer information on the benefits of a Wild & Scenic designation, a look at the special natural and cultural resources of the Wild & Scenic Study Area, an opportunity to have input into the advisory Management Plan for protecting those resources and a chance to talk with the community volunteers who make up the Study Committee and to ask any questions you may have. Please join us on one of the following dates: October 15: Canton Community Center, 40 Dyer Ave. October 29: East Granby Community Center, 9 Center St. November 5: Farmington Public Library, 6 Monteith Dr. All Open Houses are scheduled from 5:00-8:30 PM. Refreshments will be served. The Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic Study brings together town representatives, river organizations, CT DEP, and other river stakeholders, who are gathering evidence and developing support for National Park Service designation of the lower Farmington and Salmon Brook as Wild & Scenic. The Wild & Scenic designation recognizes the outstanding resource values of the very best rivers in the United States. Under the New England Partnership model, Wild & Scenic status provides funding for river management while leaving river management in the hands of town governments. Your support of the Study and the designation helps ensure the protection and enhancement of this local treasure for our communities now and for generations to come Four

5 FAQs on Macroinvertebrates in Connecticut What are freshwater macroinvertebrates? Freshwater macro-invertebrates are invertebrates (animals without backbones) that are large (macro) enough to be viewed with the naked eye and found in lakes, streams, rivers, ponds, marshes, vernal pools, even puddles. These include crayfish, mollusks, clams, snails, aquatic worms and the larval forms of flying insects such as mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies. Fish, birds, turtles, salamanders, and frogs all feed on freshwater macroinvertebrates. In fact 80% of the diet of riparian birds consists of the adult forms of insects that spent most of their life in the water as bottom-dwelling larvae. How are macroinvertebrates indicators of water quality? Like other aquatic animals, macroinvertebrates are sensitive to chemical and physical conditions of water. But the macroinvertebrates are especially good water quality indicators because they: live in the water for all or most of their lives, are relatively easy to collect and identify, have limited mobility and cannot easily leave degraded areas, and differ in their tolerance to amount and types of pollution. So if there is a change in water quality because of a pollutant, or a disruption in natural flow, the aquatic invertebrate community may change. The composition of the macroinvertebrate community can thus indicate a water body s health. For example, most stonefly species require very clean well oxygenated water, but some worms and midges tolerate fairly dirty and poorly oxygenated water. A river or stream riffle community dominated by worms and midges may be considered to have poor water quality, but the presence of the pollution-sensitive stoneflies Pteronarcys or Peltoperla can indicate very high water quality. Stoneflies indicate excellent water quality. What is the major threat to water quality in Connecticut? Hard surfaces. The replacement of naturally forested areas by impervious land cover, such as pavement and buildings, means that rain and meltwater wash rapidly over the surface and into the nearest receiving stream instead of soaking into the earth. This rinses pollutants such as hydrocarbons, metals, nutrients, bacteria, and sediments right into aquatic communities-- without benefit of physical, chemical or biological filtering from the soil and the living organisms within it. Water quality in a stream decreases directly as the impervious cover in its watershed increases. Studies by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection confirm that in our state, if a mere 12% of land is impervious upstream of a sampling point, that changes the stream dynamics so much that the biological community no longer meets CT State Water Quality Standards. Do macroinvertebrates make sounds (and why does this concern FRWA water quality monitoring)? Among the many mysteries of the natural world are the sounds made by animals of the underwater realm. Among my favorite musicians are the hydropsychidae, a family of net-spinning caddisflies common in most of the world's streams. Hydropsychid larvae construct "retreats" from plant and mineral fragments, which they collect and affix to rocks. At the large open end of the retreat, the larva spins a net of fine silk to catch food such as algae, detritus and smaller invertebrates. Caddisflies build nests and defend their nests with sound. When an individual abandons or becomes dislodged from its retreat, it must build or seize a new one. If a larva attempts to take over an occupied retreat, a battle will ensue - with sound effects. Hydropsychid larvae chirp like crickets and grasshoppers to defend their retreats against intrusion by other larvae. This noise is made by stridulating: drawing a scraper on the foreleg against striations, the file, on the underside of the head. The striations can be seen with the naked eye as dark patches and under the microscope resemble the grooves on a CD. They may be common in our waters, but hydropsychids are not ordinary, they are fascinating and remarkable, like all macroinvertebrates! That is what makes macroinvertebrate sampling not only important, but fun. Five

6 Seeking Community Input - North Branch Park River Watershed Management Plan FRWA and the Park River Watershed Revitalization Initiative are working with several partners on a management plan for the North Branch of the Park River. The plan addresses a special challenge: managing an urban river as a valuable natural resource in a landscape of private and public buildings and multiple property uses. An important part of such a plan is to introduce more green infrastructure in this landscape, with the help of participation from local residents. The watershed of the Park River North Branch is interestingly complex. A 29 square-mile sub-basin within the Park River Watershed, its headwaters are in the reservoirs of Bloomfield (Cold Spring, Tunxis, Wintonbury, and Blue Hills) as well as MDC Reservoir #6, and small streams in northern West Hartford. It has tributaries in Bloomfield (including Wash Brook, Beaman s Brook, Tumbledown Brook, Filley Brook), in northern neighborhoods of West Hartford (near Hall High School for example), and northwestern neighborhoods of Hartford (West End, Blue Hills, and part of Asylum Hill). The North and South Branches converge in a buried conduit that flows under Bushnell Park into the Connecticut River. Clearly, this river s management plan must take into account the needs, plans, and ideas of many different watershed residents. The project team taking on this challenge is headed by Erik Mas, P.E. of the engineering firm Fuss & O Neill. Currently, the project team is requesting input from watershed stakeholders, including property owners, recreational groups, educators, elected officials, and cultural heritage organizations. Meetings are now being planned with West Hartford and Hartford stakeholders who are within the North Branch Watershed. To learn more about meetings or to express green infrastructure project recommendations, please contact: Mary Rickel Pelletier, LEED AP, Project Director, Park River Watershed Revitalization Initiative, (860) , maryvrp@parkriver.org. For more information visit and/or The North Branch Park River Watershed Management Plan project is a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) of the CT DEP. SEP funding originates during settlement of environmental enforcement actions undertaken by DEP to amend the adverse public health and/or environmental impacts of violations. Join the SLT for a Geology Field Trip Wesleyan Professor Emeritus Jelle DeBoer has offered to lead a geology field trip for the Simsbury Land Trust (SLT). This trip, a journey through time and space, will help you understand the geological history and structure of Connecticut s Central Valley. Although Simsbury, Farmington and other Farmington Valley towns lie at least partially in the Central Valley, more southern sites in the Central Valley have outstanding bedrock outcroppings that better illustrate the story. We will meet in Southington, and visit the famous Great Unconformity where 230 million years old rocks directly overlie 400 million year old (folded) schists (200 million years of time are missing). The second stop is the equally famous Hanging Hills of Meriden, where standing on a 200 million year old lava flow one can enjoy a view that reaches to New Haven and a good place to see raptors migrating south. The third stop is the Portland Quarry from which came the 180 million year old brownstone that was used to build townhouses and mansions up and down the eastern seaboard, and in New Orleans and in San Francisco. Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 9 AM to 12:30 PM. For directions and to register, call the Simsbury Land Trust Office, Limited to 25 participants. Six FRCC Open House and Art Show The 4 th Annual Farmington River Wild & Scenic Photo and Art Exhibit will open on September 17, This exhibit is part of the Farmington River Coordinating Committee (FRCC) Open House at the historic Squires Tavern, 100 East River Road, at Peoples State Forest, Pleasant Valley, from 4:30 pm 7:00 pm. Festivities will begin with a welcome and an invitation to contributing artists to speak about their work. Starting at 5 pm there will be music by the band Traveling Trout. The exhibit will display visual art from members of the community that have been inspired by the area s outstanding Wild & Scenic characteristics: scenic beauty, free-flowing clean water, wildlife, recreation, history and culture (native/early American). The Art Show will continue from Sept. 17 through October 19, The exhibit will be open on Sundays from 1-3 pm, Wednesdays - 9 am to 12 pm at Squire s Tavern in Peoples State Forest, 100 East River Road, Pleasant Valley. Call for Monday and Tuesday hours. For more information - please call or visit

7 Lapsed Members: We Want You Back! In Early September you will be receiving our lapsed member appeal. Consider re-joining us. Just return the membership renewal slip and payment in the envelope provided and we can add you back to the ranks of folks that are working to protect our precious Watershed. New Members: Join Us With Our 609 Campaign Consider joining FRWA with our 2009 Membership Campaign. We are working to get 609 New Members in 2009; one new member per square mile in the Watershed and so far the campaign is working! We have received over 175 new members so far this year! How do you join the new campaign? It s easy, just fill out the form below! How much? You can join at any price, from $6.09 to $609. FRWA membership has benefits, and we have some of them listed below. You can show your membership card at these participating businesses for special discounts. [If you don t see your favorite retailer listed here, consider asking them if they will provide our members benefits. Call to give us the contact details or have them call us.] Discounts on FRWA events & 20% discount on FRWA merchandise New! EMS in West Hartford & Simsbury - 10% discount excluding bikes & boats New! 10% off any service at Tunxis Medical Massage, LLC New! $3 off purchase of $35 at Awakenings Natural Healing, Simsmore Square, Simsbury, CT % discount on in-stock accessories at Collinsville Canoe & Kayak Store $5 off canoe rentals at Huck Finn Adventures, Canton % off purchases over $50 at Vincent Sports Shop, Inc., Simsbury % off framing of FRWA posters - Artful Framer, Avon % discount at Blue Sky Foods, excluding catering % discount at Joe s Bait & Tackle, Windsor Locks Please cut out the form below and mail it back to us, or go online to and click on Donate Now! Thank you all! Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Phone Number: Check one: New Member Campaign (select amount below) $6.09 $16.09 $26.09 $46.09 $60.90 $ $609 Annual Individual or Gift Membership ($40) Annual Family Membership ($60) Annual Sustaining Membership ($120) Gift Membership to In Memory donation to Other Donation Amount, please specify: $ Please send acknowledgment to (if different from above): Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: I have enclosed my check payable to FRWA, or please charge my MasterCard or Visa. Card #: Expiration Date: Amount $ Name on Card: Signature Please send to: Farmington River Watershed Association, 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT Credit card donations may be phoned in to Aimee Petras at (860) x. 201 or submitted online at via our secure online contributions server. Seven

8 FRWA 2009 Calendar of Events Date Event Location September 12 Macroinvertebrate Training Day 9am to 2pm Winding Trails Recreation Center, Farmington September 26 Macroinvertebrate Training Day 9am to 2pm Squire s Tavern, Pleasant Valley October 3 22 nd Annual Farmington River Clean-Up Various Locations, Farmington Watershed & Beyond October 15 Wild & Scenic Community Forum Canton Community Center, 40 Dyer Ave. October 28 FRWA s 56 th Annual Meeting Old Well Tavern, Simsbury, CT October 29 Wild & Scenic Community Forum East Granby Community Center, 9 Center St. November 5 Wild & Scenic Community Forum Farmington Public Library, 6 Monteith Dr. Please RSVP to (860) ext. 0 to ensure we have adequate food and supplies for all events. Check the Events page at for more information on our events. Printed on 100% recycled paper, always. The Farmington River Watershed Association 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Simsbury, CT Permit No. 26 Protecting The Farmington River, For You, For All, Forever.