2008 Connecticut Conservation Times Newsletter

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CRWP continues to involve Connecticut River water shed

commun ity members in stud ies of river health an d

prom ote river stewardship through several types of

mon itoring activities. In add ition to the Coginchau g River

bioassessment conducted this past fall (see above), CRWP

activities includ e ongoing bioassessments in the Eightm ile,

Hockan um and Blackledge Rivers, as well as periodic

visual inspection of Mattabesset watershed streams

condu cted by VIP (Visual Inspection Prog ram ) volunteers.

To learn more abou t CRWP and how you can get involved

in mon itoring your local river, contact Jane Brawerm an at

(860) 346-3282 or jbrawerm an@conser vect.org, or v isit us

on the web at conservect.org/ctrivercoastal.

Connec ticut River WatchProg ram News

Trac k Down Surveys Point the Way

to a Cleaner MattabessetWillow Brook, Chestnut Brook, and part of the Mattabesset

River, all in the Town of Cromw ell, were the focus of

Mattabesset watershed track dow n surv eys condu cted

recently by District staff. Track down surveys are intensive

stream w alks designed to identify existing and potential

pollution sources within a local watershed. Our explora-tions covered nearly seven m iles of stream an d ena bled

us to locate and docum ent the conditions of 68 stormwater

outfalls, 29 stream crossings, five debris dump s and five

areas of extreme erosion. The District is now completing

study reports with recommendations for how best to

tackle the worst of these pollution sou rces. Ad dressing

these problems will go a long way toward lowering levels

of bacteria, metals, toxins and sedimen t in th e affected

streams. Our u ltimate goal is to facilitate restoration efforts

in each local watershed that w ill lead to these streams

being removed from the states list of impaired w aters.

The areas surveyed this year, in combination w ith last

years surveys of Coles Brook and Little Brook, create a

single large block of the Mattabesset water shed th at has

been evaluated in a comprehensive manner. The data w ill

be used to complete a watershed-wide companion p roject,

a Com parative Subwatershed Analysis. This Geographic

Information System (GIS) based stu dy will help iden tify

restoration pr iorities and focus w ater quality improvement

efforts through out th e Mattabesset watershed.

Summer Intern Helps Trac k DownPollution in the MattabessetThis past summ er the

District was lucky to

have Kathryn (Kate)

Woodru ff as an intern

working on ou r track

down surveys and

the Give a Bark

campaign (see first

pag e story). Kate, a

grad uate of the YaleSchool of Forestr y

and Environmental

Studies Masters program , had an ideal background to

help us m ove toward our goal of restoring the Mattabesset.

We thank Kate wholeheartedly for her h ard work, and

wish her the best in her new position w ith the UConn

NEMO and CLEAR programs.Funding for our summer intern was provided by a US EPA

Clean Water Act Section 319 Grant administered by the CT

DEP and a very generous grant from The Rockfall Foundation.

District Provides Communitys Link to

Coginchaug River Study

In an effort to protect and im pr ove the health of the

Coginchaug River, the District is working with staff from

the USDA Na tura l Resources Conserva tion Service

(NRCS) and the DEP on a watershed stud y sponsored by

these two agencies. In add ition to serving on a local

advisory committee, the District took the lead in plann ingand coordinating a series of river-based education and

outreach activities to inform and engage the community,

and help connect peop le to their river. We held a scenic

and informative hike at the Northend Peninsula in

Middletown at the confluence of the Coginchaug and

Mattabesset Rivers attend ed by over 30 people; led a

productive river cleanup at Veterans Park in Middletown

with 24 volunteers in conjunction with Connecticut River

Watershed Coun cils Sour ce to Sea Cleanup ; and, as par t

of our Connecticut River Watch Program, conducted a

bioassessment of the river at Wadswor th Falls State Park

in Midd lefield on a v ery chilly grey day w ith seven

intrepid

community

members.

Looking

forward, w e

are planning a

canoe/kayak

trip on the

Coginchaug in

the spring. We

hope you can

join us! Northend Peninsula hike pa rticip ants enjoy theview of Boggy Meadow while learning a boutthe areas special features, natural resourceco ncerns, and future plans for public ac ce ssand recreation.


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2007 Conservation Award RecipientsCongratulations!

Environmental Professional

Kim ORourke

Recycling Coordina torCity of Midd letown

Mu nicipalities of the Year

EightmileRiver Watersh ed

Towns of East Had dam ,

Lyme & Salem

Teacher of th e Year

Paula Courtemanche

New Britain High School

Cooperator

Mapleleaf Farm, Hebron

Communications/Media Ken Simon

SimonPure Produ ctions

Special Merit

Steve McLarty

Coastland Enterprises

Middletown BioBlitz 2007

Steering Comm ittee

Certificates of

Appreciation

Gary Crump &

Gloria PriamPriam Vineyards

Larry McCulloch

Chamard Vineyards

Mark & Mindy Yuknat

CT River Exped itions

John Do lishny

General Manager

Tanger Outlet Center

Thomas D. Comer, CPA

Comer and Company, LLC

Anthony Irving, Lyme, and BradParke r, East Hadd am (top ); TomODell and Ken Simon (m iddle);Tom ODell a nd BioBlitz Stee ringCommittee members ValerieMa rinelli, David Wagne r, EllenLuke ns, Sheila Stoa ne, RonKlattenberg and Katchen Coley(bottom).

DISTRICT HOLDS 60TH ANNUAL MEETING:Ted Sergi Speaks about the New Connec ticutSc ienc e Center in Hartford At our 60th Annual Meeting he ld October 24, 2007, friend s of conservation, District

Board mem bers and staff wer e treated to a g limpse of the new CT Science Center

by guest speaker Ted Sergi, President and CEO of the museum. In his remarks,

Ted stressed the need to excite young p eople about science, and explained how

the mu seum 's interactive, experiential app roach will inspire that excitement. The

Science Center, slated to open in Hartford in 2008, will feature several perm anent

exhibits, one of them focused entirely on the Conn ecticut River. Of particular

interest to ou r District,A River of Lifewill explore the river's w atershed , its history

and changes over time, the life it supp orts, and how we monitor its health.

Natural Resource ManagementPlans Support Sensitive Use ofWestbrook-owned Natura l Areas

District staff completed three N atur al Resource Assess-

ment and Management Plans this year for the H orse Hill

Gorge, Horse H ill Woods, and Salt Island Overlook open

space pr operties in the Town of Westbrook. Each plan is

the resu lt of an intensive on-site evaluation, follow ed by

an in-depth desktop GIS analysis. The plans provide

Westbrook with vital information about existing natural

resources, management strategies for protecting those

resources, and recomm end ations for how best to facilitate

pu blic enjoyment of the prop erties. Additionally, the

plans will assist the town in app lying for grant fund s

needed to realize future goals for the properties.

Natu ral Resource Assessment an d Management Plans are

an excellent examp le of the kinds of fee-based services

that th e District can offer, at a red uced rate, to our local

municipalities.Large mature trees,mea ndering streams,and unique rock out-crop s are just some ofthe natural resourcefeatures that are no wpermanently protectedthrough the Town o fWestbrooks openspa ce ac quisitions.


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Janu ary 2008

The Connecticut River Coastal Conservation

District, Inc. is a non profit orga nization

whose mission is to prom ote the sound use

and management of our natural resources

through technical assistance and education.

Board of D irectors

Thomas M. ODell, Westbrook, Chair

Alison Guinness, East Had dam , V. Chair

Michael Lutz, Higganum , Treasurer

Cindy Gaudino, Midd letown, Secretary

Jim Costello, East Haddam

Gary Cru mp , Colchester

Christopher Holden, Portland

Timothy Myjak, East Hadd am

Brian OConnor, Clinton

David Papallo, Haddam

Mark Yuknat, Essex

District Staff

Jane L. BrawermanExecutive Director

Wendy GoodfriendNatural Resource Specialist

Barbara A. DavisOffice Administrator

Eric S. MosherWatershed Projects Coordinator

Ken GeislerSenior GIS A nalyst

The District serves the tow ns of Berlin,

Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Cromw ell,

Deep River, Durham, East Hadd am, East

Ham pton, Essex, Haddam , Hebron,

Killingworth , Lyme, Mad ison, Marlborough

Middlefield, Midd letown, New Britain,

New ington, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook,

Portland, Rocky Hill, Salem and Westbrook.

The Board of Directors hold public meetings

every fourth Wednesday, 7:00 PM, at the

deKoven House Comm unity Center in

Middletown. All programs an d services are

offered on a nond iscriminatory basis withou

regard to race, color, national origin, religion

sex, age, marital status or hand icap.

C on s e r v a t i o n T i m e s is published by:

Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, IdeKoven House Community Center

27 Washington Street

Middletown, CT 06457

Phone : (860) 346-3282

FAX: (860) 346-3284

w w w .conservect.org/ctrivercoasta

MEET OUR NEW STAFF AND BOARD MEMBEREric S . Mosher, W at ershed P roject s Coord inat or

In May 2007 Eric Mosher joined the District as the

Watershed Projects Coord inator. Eric has an M.S.

from UConn in Ecology and Evolu tionary Biology

with a focus in p lant ecology. He is a former CRWP

volunteer, an avid hiker and canoeist, and a long-

time conserva tionist. We welcome Eric as a greatadd ition to ou r District team!

Timot hy M yjak , Board of Directors

Join us in welcoming Tim Myjak to ou r Board . Tim

has a B.S. in Na tur al Resource Managem ent, and is

a consulting Environmental Scientist focusing on assessment and compliance.

A resident of East Had da m, Tim h as a strong life-long interest in open space

protection and water resou rce conservation.

STILL A SUCCESS! 3RD ANNUAL CRWP BENEFITRIVER CRUISEWhat could be better then a cruise on th e Connecticut River with a glass of

wine and w ond erful local food? A graceful swallow ballet at sunset! Once

again, the Cruise and Wine Tasting to benefit CRWP was a great success du eto the enthu siasm of our m any spon sors and p articipants. Special thanks to

RiverQuestowners Mark and Mindy Yukn at, Gary Crump and Gloria Priam of

Priam Vineyards, and Larry McCulloch of Cham ard Vineyards for their gener-

ous contribu tions. New to this years cru ise was a gemstone raffle, than ks to

the charitable donation of a p air of Brazilian gar nets by su pp orter Jim Sipp erly.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

READIN G TH E LAND : A PRACTICAL WORKSHO P FOR REALTORS

Tuesd ay, March 4, 2008, 9 AM to 12:30 PM (snow date Wedn esday, March 5th)

deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, CT

Attention Realtors! Earn 3 Continuing Education Units at this half-day work-

shop. Learn about web-based soil map s, get the facts about septic systems andwetland permits, and hear about Low Impact Developmentpractices. For details

go to w ww .conservect.org/ctrivercoastal or phone the District at (860) 346-3282.BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! RAIN G ARDEN WORKSH OP

Tuesd ay, March 4, 2008, 7 to 9 PM (snow date Thur sday, March 6th)

UConn Extension Cen ter, Rte. 154, Had dam, CT

Learn to design, plant and maintain your very own Rain Gard en! Fun, easy,

and aesthetically p leasing, a rain gard en will make a d ifference in your yard ,

neighbor hood , and local watershed. Conta ct the District at (860) 346-3282 and

register today for this very exciting workshop !

17TH ANNUAL SHRUB AND SEEDLING SALE Ap ril 25, 26 & 27, 2008

NEW Locat ion! O ld Saybrook Shopping Cen ter at Bost on Post Rd. & Elm St .Looking for exquisite native p lants? We are offering a wid e variety of shru bs,

grasses, ferns, flowering perennials, and t ree seed lings n ative t o Con necticut .

For a broch ur e an d ord er form p hone u s at (860) 346-3282, or visit us online at

www.conservect.org/ctrivercoastal. There are only limited quantities of some

plants, so dont be disapp ointedsend in yo ur pre- sa le order by Apri l 2, 2008.

Distric t News & Upcom ing Events

Eric in the field. . .trac kingdown pollution in Willow Brook

Whats the One Thing you can do to conserve energy?

To find out, go to www.onethingct.com and learnhow you can conserve energy whether you are at

home, at work, on the road, or on the farm.

Documents

2008 Connecticut Conservation Times Newsletter