Community Corner

DEEP Commissioner Tours West Branch of Farmington River

Esty, others praise partnerships in protection, recreation.

Local officials, river advocates and small business owners joined Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel C. Esty for his third monthly "Commissioner in Your Corner" session on the West Branch of the Farmington River July 18.

The tour started at the Metropolitan District Commission’s Goodwin Dam in Hartland and included fishing stops near the old Hitchcock Factory in Riverton and the DEEP’s Whittemore Recreation area in Barkhamsted. From there, Esty and others on the tour canoed to Matthies Grove in People’s State Forest.

Esty said the West Branch is a great example of diverse uses, from the hydropower produced at the dam to activities such as the boating, fishing and camping that was evidenced along the way.

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“This West Branch offers a model of multi-use,” he said.

Esty said the business owners, officials, and non-profit leaders joining him made the day special since it is they that help protect the resource and/or benefit from its economics.

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Some of those joining him for parts or the entire tour included state Sen. Kevin Witkos, Canton First Selectman Richard Barlow, Farmington River Watershed Association Executive Director Eileen Fielding and David Sinish, a Canton resident who serves on the board of the watershed association and is part of the Farmington River Coordinating Committee.

“From my point of view, it’s a special pleasure having that whole crowd,” Esty said.

The final stop of the day featured remarks from Esty and others.

Esty said his department and the state are committed to doing things in new and different ways. Tight fiscal times may limit land purchases, for example, but conservation easements can be a powerful tool for recreation and protection, he said.

He also emphasized the economics of the river and recreation in general. Fishing alone is a $300-million industry in Connecticut, according to the DEEP.

He and other speakers also spoke of the cooperative effort of groups as the DEEP, the MDC, FRWA, the Farmington River Anglers Association, and Trout Unlimited to protect the river.

“It gives me a chance to both see these resources we protect the rest of the week in Hartford but also to celebrate these partnerships,” Esty said of the commissioner in your corner events.

Some speakers also spoke to the history of the river from the state forests to various projects and protection measures.

Sinish spoke of the 1981 MDC proposal to build a tunnel to divert water from the West Branch of the Farmington River. While the measure was defeated by member towns, Sinish said it became the catalyst for the watershed association and others to push for Wild and Scenic designation, which was granted for 14 miles of the Farmington in August of 1994.

The act created the Farmington River Coordinating Committee and created a scenic designation that relies on the cooperation of interested parties, state and local governments and landowners.

“It brought a new style of partnership to the river,” he said.

Some speakers, such as Andy Butler, president of the Farmington River, spoke of issues on the river. With an increased presence and the strengthening of regulations the Farmington could maintain the regional and national draw it is to fishermen and maybe even improve it, Butler said.

One proposal he advocated was the expansion of the trout management area.

Dr. Vincent Ringrose, chairman of the DEEEP Fisheries Advisory Council, said the Farmington deserves its reputation for fly fishing, one that draws routinely from the northeast and often well beyond.

“There's no place better in the country I know of to fly fish,” he said.

The state needs to increase its resources for fishing, one that comes with economic benefits, he said. In tough times, advocates need to ensure it’s an area that’s not cut more than others, Ringrose added.

“We need to fight like trapped Tasmanian devils,” he said.

Fielding said it was great event to bring attention to the river.

“I think it’s a tremendous recognition of the partnerships that have been in place to manage the river for years,” she said.

Witkos also said it was great to see the river highlighted. He said it’s a resource that’s under appreciated, admitting that before Monday, he did not realize how much the river was a destination for out-of-state fly fishermen.

“I think it’s great he (Esty) came up to the Northwest corner to see the Farmington River,” Witkos said.


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