If you’ve been a river friend in the past ten, twenty, thirty years, you’ve met quite a few challenges here in the Farmington Valley. You’ve helped FRWA promote water conservation, or fight for adequate flows, or bring about Wild & Scenic River status, or help towns with new stormwater regulations, or provide river curriculum for schools, or start river cleanups, or create a water quality monitoring program, or remove a dam, or restore fish habitats, or promote state water planning. Whatever the urgent task of the day, the work has gone on, thanks to you and a wonderful community of volunteers.

Now what’s next? Oh, a lot. Worse droughts, worse floods, new contaminants, invasive species, ever-more impervious surface, a changing society, and tighter budgets on all sides, not to mention eroding government support for water protection. One example: On the one hand, Hurricane Harvey just reminded us that as storms get more extreme, it’s a big mistake to destroy wetlands that protect against flooding. On the other, there’s a proposed rollback of the federal Clean Water Rule that threatens the hard-won wetland protections we have! (See p. 7 for what you can do about that.) Like the river, the challenges just keep on rolling.

But luckily, we have you. Come what may, we know you stand up for the river and its value to our community. Your support fosters new river champions, like the FRWA interns starting their careers as stewards of the environment. And you give adventures and lifelong memories to kids who are as eager to be on the river (and the boat and the beach!) as we ever were. Just look at their faces on page 6 and 7!

Judging by the past, we’re confident that you’ll protect and provide for their river’s future until they, in turn, become its champions.

THANK YOU.

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Farmington River Watershed Association Fall 2017

Farmington River News

Issues and Activities in the Farmington River Watershed.

860-658-4442 www.frwa.org

Look inside for ways to help me and my friends on the river! Want FRWA’s enews? Text FRWAENEWS to 22828.

Thank You for Thinking Ahead The coming decade will be a thriller. You’re helping us prepare.

Making connections: Above, interns Steve Banulski and Tommy Griffith assess a local culvert’s ability to handle storm events and connect aquatic habitats.

Below, summer campers on an FRWA trip explore a coastal habitat that’s affected by how we care for our river.

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The Farmington River Watershed Association

Board & Staff

Officers President - David Donaldson, Jr. Vice-President - John Laudati Treasurer - Maurice Patterson Secretary - Chip Harrison

Directors Susan Barney Michael Feldman Katonya Hughey Ann Jurkiewicz Deborah Leonard Matt Reichin John E. Robinson Victor Schoen David Sinish Marlene Snecinski

Staff

Executive Director Eileen Fielding Education & Outreach Coordinator Aimee Petras Water Quality Coordinator Alisa Phillips-Griggs GIS Specialist Jeff Bolton RiverSmart Project Manager

Laura Hart Project Support Coordinator

Doreen McWhirter

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.

www.frwa.org

Are you a Riverfront Property Owner? Get a free guide!

If your land abuts a stream, river, or wetland we will provide you with a copy of My Healthy Stream – A Handbook for Streamside Owners, a publication of Trout Unlimited, free of charge. Just call or email Laura at 860-658-4442 x 203 or lhart@frwa.org.

My Healthy Stream has chapters on watersheds,

monitoring stream condition, water quality,

developing riparian buffers along streams, stream

restoration techniques, trout habitat requirements,

stopping invasive species, dealing with increasing

intensity of floods and droughts, and a new chapter on urban stream

rehabilitation. At 96 pages in a 6x9" format, it’s packed with colorful

graphics and photos. It’s a "how-to" book but also answers "why" questions

of stream and riverbank management.

Fall Natural Lawn Care Workshops!

Fall is a perfect time to prep your lawn for next year’s success. Temperatures are great for grass seed germination and shorter daylight hours keep your kids off the grass while you begin your fall lawn care.

Are you still unsure of what to do? Want to learn more on how to manage your lawn without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides (which are really not necessary for growing turf)?? Join us at one of our fall workshops:

September 21 at the Simsbury Public Library, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. September 28 at the Canton Public Library, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. October 12 at the Beardsley Library, Winsted, 6:30-8:00 pm.

We will cover seeding, aeration, common lawn weeds, grub and other pests and more. Go home from this workshop with concrete ideas on how to improve your lawn without using harmful chemicals.

Fall Programs on Conservation and the Environment

Using Water Wisely & Be River Smart. (Double header) October 3, 7pm-8:30pm, Simsbury Public Library. Conservation is a vital part of the water supply discussion. ‘Using Water Wisely’, presented by Aquarion Water Co., covers newly enacted irrigation restrictions, and illustrates many simple and inexpensive solutions that homeowners can adopt. ‘Be River Smart,’ presented by FRWA, connects homeowner actions with the river environment. Its focus is stormwater , with examples of how to reduce the stormwater pollution entering streams and rivers from neighborhoods. Join us to become wise and smart!

River Friendly Landscaping. October 16, 6:30 to 8pm, the Simsbury Public Library. FRWA will outline why installations of bioswales, rain gardens and river buffers are important for river health, showing some local examples. This program is sponsored by the Simsbury Public Library and the Simsbury Garden Club.

Volunteers Needed! Join our Annual River Clean-Up September 23, 10am to 2pm

Last year, over 200 volunteers joined together to remove trash from the banks of the Farmington River. We are securing all the supplies for the big day (gloves, bags, napkins, apples, apple cider, etc) and lining up our lunch and breakfast offerings for volunteers including sandwiches from Antonio's, coffee from Starbucks and Pizza from Little City Pizza. 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! 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’s guaranteed you will make new friends. Please call FRWA at (860) 658-4442 or email apetras@frwa.org to register.

A Sample of our Clean-Up Meet-up Locations Avon: The Lions Club of Avon takes responsibility for cleaning Fisher Meadows and they do a great job, year after year.

Bloomfield: The Wintonbury Land Trust is coordinating this location. Meet at Farmington River Park. Clean up from 10-noon.

Barkhamsted: TBD . Please call to register for this site.

Collinsville: We will meet at Collinsville Canoe & Kayak and will have a tent and snacks available. This is our most popular site thanks to area residents!

Simsbury: Meet on the front lawn of FRWA headquarters. This is our main spot and also the place to grab some coffee before heading out or grab a sandwich, pizza slice and other lunch items after you are done.

Windsor: Meet at Windsor Town Hall (please register for specifics) to clean popular Windsor Locations such as The Boat Launch at the reservoir and Pleasant Street Park.

Call FRWA to sign up yourself, your family, or your group for the Clean-Up at (860) 658-4442 or email your registration with a preferred meet-up location to apetras@frwa.org. And see you there!

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@frwa_org @frwa_org Farmington River

Watershed Association

Discovering Native American History on the Farmington River with Dr. Kenneth Feder

Mon., Sept. 25, 7:00 pm, Simsbury Public Library Community Room, 725 Hopmeadow St. Sponsored by Lower Farmington/Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic Study Committee and FRWA

“Kenny” Feder, professor of archaeology at Central CT State University and extraordinary storyteller, will take us on a virtual trip down the Farmington to reveal the river’s fascinating Native American history. Stops will in-clude research sites in Barkhamsted fea-tured in his book Village of Outcasts; the Tunxis village in Farmington; and Alsop Meadow in Avon.

Pre-register (optional) by contacting FRWA at 860-658-4442, x205, or dmcwhirter@frwa.org.

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STREAM BUGS & POND CRITTERS Sunday, September 24th, 10:00 AM - Noon

Discover the fascinating underwater life of our watershed with FRWA Water Quality Monitoring as we explore Walton Pond and Poplar Swamp Brook at beautiful Winding Trails in Farmington. Spend the morning pond-side and wading in the brook to observe, identify, and marvel at the life histories and ecology of insects and other creatures that inhabit still and flowing waters. Learn how and why we use aquatic insects in our watershed-wide water quality monitoring.

We will provide nets, buckets and expertise; you need only bring your curious mind. We meet at Nature's Porch which is Winding Trails' beautiful certified Connecticut grown building. We will go outdoors rain or shine. Please dress for the weather and wear appropriate footwear to wade into shallow water (water shoes, old sneakers, or waders.) This program is open to all ages but children must be accompanied by an adult.

Registration is required by 3 days prior to the event; please register through the Winding Trails website at www.windingtrails.org

Sunday, September 24th , 2017, 10:00 am to noon Ages: All ages Where: Nature’s Porch, Winding Trails, 50 Winding Trails Drive, Farmington, CT Free but must preregister

Saville Dam and Old Barkhamsted Hollow Bus Tour and Short Hike Saturday October 28th 2017, 10 am to 3 pm

Cost: $20 per FRWA member; $25 Non-member (payment guarantees space) Join us for a tour deep inside the bowels of the Saville Dam followed by a trek to some of the old Barkhamsted foundations spared inundation as the Barkhamsted Reservoir filled. We complete our tour with a visit to the relocated and renovated old Barkhamsted Center schoolhouse. The history and preservation of our watershed is interwoven with the story of the Metropolitan District and the pursuit of clean drinking water for Greater Hartford.

The operator of the Saville Dam will guide us through the works of the earthen embankment impoundment that backs up the 30 billion gallon Barkhamsted reservoir providing drinking water for Greater Hartford. After touring the dam, we venture onto the reservoir lands where the MDC forester will explain, over our lunch, how the MDC manages forest diversity for water quality.

Then Barkhamsted Historian, Erik Landgraf will tour us around the relics of old Barkhamsted Hollow, a village mostly flooded by the creation of the Barkhamsted Reservoir in 1940. Structures that were not flooded were torn down or moved by the water company, but not without a trace. Mr. Landgraf will bring the old town roaring back to life as he regales us with vignettes of life in the village, as past and present eerily meet. Then it’s hands on in the old Barkhamsted Center schoolhouse; we’ll see what you remember of your school days.

Trace history in your watershed!

Pre-registration is required, space is limited, contact FRWA at (860) 658-4442, or email: river@frwa.org to register; Tour begins at 10:00 am, dress for the weather, wear footwear to walk in the woods, pack a lunch and water.

Join us at this free workshop and learn about the insects that call the Farmington River their home.

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FRWA Aquatic Insect Sampling (RBV) Workshop (Part 1, indoors) Thursday, September 28th, 2017, 7 to 9 P.M.

FRWA, 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury

FRWA Aquatic Insect (RBV) Sampling (Part 2, outdoors, in-stream) Saturday, September 30th 2017, 9 A.M. to noon (Sampling location TBD)

Volunteers are needed to help sample for aquatic insects as indicators of water quality. Explore the fascinating life of local streams throughout the Farmington River Watershed and help us identify our high quality waters.

FRWA will hold our Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Sampling (RBV) Workshop on Thursday September 28th at FRWA, 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury. The indoor- portion of the workshop on Wednesday evening will provide an overview of the RBV (Riffle Bioassessment by Volunteers ) program, demonstrate collection and identification techniques and explain the use of aquatic organisms in water quality monitoring.

Following the indoor training, participants will be able to participate in the FRWA in-stream Aquatic Insect sampling to be held on Saturday September 30th and/or join up with other experienced samplers to monitor streams during the fall, throughout the Farmington River Watershed.

For the in-stream sampling, participants wade into the water, collect organisms into a net, sort and identify and preserve a representative sample for verification. The program follows CT DEEP RBV protocol and results help FRWA and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection identify high quality streams and monitor water quality changes in the Farmington River Watershed.

No previous experience necessary, new volunteers are paired with experienced team leaders for sampling and older children are welcome with an adult. Outdoor sampling will be held rain or shine; please dress for the weather and bring footwear to wade into the water (waders, water shoes or old sneakers). Space is limited, advance registration is required. Please contact FRWA at 860-658-4442 or email river@frwa to register.

Want to Learn More about the RBV Assessment Program?

The Riffle Bioassessment by Volunteers program (RBV) is a statewide volunteer water quality monitoring program coordinated by the CT DEEP Bureau of Water Protection & Land Reuse. Each fall RBV volunteers participate in a ‘treasure hunt’ to find Connecticut’s healthiest streams. To accomplish this, RBV volunteers are trained to collect ‘macroinvertebrates,’ or ‘river bugs' from their local rivers and streams. Depending on the types of macroinvertebrates that volunteers find in a stream, the CT DEEP can assess it as a healthy stream. Details of the CT DEEP program can be found at: http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2719&q=325606&deepNav_GID=1654%20

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Farmington River Watershed Association Fall 2017

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Voyage to the Very Bottom of the Storm Drain Kids track water from source to sea--or vice versa

This summer, we taught kids about stormwater pollution backwards. After all, why start with the storm drain when the real education is at the other end—in the river that receives the stormwater, or among the sharks, crabs, and other creatures of Long Island Sound? So-- we started at the destination! With various groups we paddled the Farmington, visited Hammonassett State Park, and cruised Long Island Sound with Project Oceanology. Floating on the current or handling live aquatic animals, kids see why stormwater pollution prevention is important.

And they took action, too! Our congratulations to the Keney Park Sustainability Project (KPSP) for installing new rain gardens to capture and filter stormwater this summer. We couldn’t have installed it all without the help of the KPSP, Hartford Food Systems and Summer of Solutions Crews!

Thank you for supporting this work! Many thanks also to the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, Keney Park Sustainability Project, Environmental Learning Centers of CT, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, North Central Conservation District, the Werth Family Foundation, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Photo above and right: Keney Park Sustainability Project, Hartford Food Systems and Summer of Solutions crews helping dig the rain gardens on at Keney Park Sustainability Project's grounds.

Photos Top: Hartford Food Systems and Summer of Solutions involved in research on the Project Oceanology Boat. Photo middle: Environmental Learning Centers Summer Camp at Hammonasset Beach Marsh.

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Information and Donation Form

Name: ________________________________________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________________________

City:____________________________________ State:__________________ Zip Code: ______________

Phone Number: _____________________________ Email:______________________________________

Check one: □ I want to preserve, protect, and restore the river with a gift of (circle amount)

$40 $60 $120 $150 $250 $500 $_____ other amount □ Send me information about your Legacy Program.

□ Send me your Annual Report.

___ I have enclosed my check payable to FRWA, or please charge my ___ MasterCard or ___Visa.

Card #: _____________________________________ Expiration Date: ______________Security Code: _______

Name on Card: _________________________________Signature______________________________________

Please send to: Farmington River Watershed Association, 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070.

Credit card gifts can also be made securely at www.frwa.org or phoned in to Aimee Petras at (860) 658-4442 x 201.

Is the River Part of Your Legacy?

An endowment gift will keep giving.

Over many years, local families like the Ellsworths and the Holcombes have given to FRWA’s endowment fund. They chose to protect their community’s river over the long term by making FRWA itself more resilient for the future. You can invest in the river’s future too—and remember, even small endowment gifts will grow with time! If you have questions about bequests or similar gifts, you are welcome to find out more (with no pressure) about FRWA’s Legacy Program. Contact Eileen (860-658-4442 x205, or efielding@frwa.org ) or send in the request below. And thank you!

Please – Speak Out for Our Streams Tell EPA what you think of the proposed Clean Water Rule rollback.

What if more than half of Connecticut’s stream miles lose their protection under the Clean Water Act? That could happen if the Clean Water Rule is rolled back. The Rule, finalized in 2015, clarifies the Clean Water Act’s definition of “waters of the United States.” It’s based on sound science, has strong public support, and more clearly protects the small streams and wetlands that contribute greatly to the quality and biological health of Connecticut’s waters. (And no, it doesn’t protect puddles and ditches!)

A repeal of the Clean Water Rule is now under consideration. It was fast-tracked with a short public comment period ending August 28th, but that’s been extended to September 27th, so you have a chance to weigh in! There’s more about the Clean Water Rule rollback at http://protectcleanwater.org/. To submit your comments to the EPA, go to: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2017-0203-0001

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID Hartford, CT

Permit No. 158

The Farmington River Watershed Association 749 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070

Protecting The Farmington River, For You, For All, Forever. Printed on 100% recycled paper, always.

Upcoming Events Sept. 21: Natural Lawn Care Workshop - Simsbury Public Library, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Sept. 23: FRWA Annual River Clean-up: 10 am to 2 pm , various locations Sept. 24: Stream Bugs and Pond Critters, 10 am to 12 pm , Winding Trails, Farmington CT Sept. 25: Discovering Native American History on the Farmington, 7 PM, Simsbury Public Library Sept. 28: Natural Lawn Care Workshop - Canton Public Library, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Oct: 28: Saville Dam tour 10am—3pm, Barkhamsted, registration required, see article for details.

Please visit FRWA.org or read more inside about specific events and registration requirements.

You can support the Farmington River by shopping at smile.amazon.com. Amazon will donate

0.5% of the price of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to FRWA when you shop on AmazonSmile.