Watershed leaders, stakeholders ponder Ten Mile River moves

AMENIA —  In the Ten Mile River Collaborative’s (TMRC ) meeting on Monday, April 24, at Amenia Town Hall and on Zoom, local leaders and stakeholders met to continue a conversation started in earnest post-pandemic this last January.

About 20 were in attendance. New federal rule changes and their possible ramifications were discussed, with the stated goal being “to explore creative methods for Watershed Plan implementation by collaborating on public outreach and conservation strategies.”

Part of the Housatonic Valley Association, TMRC was formed in 2014 to address regional river management issues. Since the Ten Mile River Watershed encompasses headwaters in Salisbury and Sharon in Connecticut as well as North East and Millerton, those present at the meeting included Thomas Potter from the town of Canaan, Connecticut, and Susan Peterson of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as well as members from New York state.

In 2023, the term “watershed” is more often used in its figurative sense of a turning point.  Collaborative coordinator and Ten Mile River Watershed manager Claire Wegh clarified: “A watershed is a drainage area into which all of the water drains to the same place.”

The larger entity is the Housatonic Watershed, which encompasses 100,000 recreational acres, 83 towns, eight major tributaries and 24 sub-watersheds in parts of western Massachusetts and much of Connecticut as it makes its way to Long Island Sound; thus our region is part of both watersheds. Interestingly, a few miles to our west is the Lower Hudson Watershed (which straddles both sides of the Hudson).

Of note is the fact that the new guidelines put much more discretion in the hands of local authorities; whereas before, only states could approach Fish and Wildlife with desired plans, now localities can take the initiative, though state approval is still required.

In its 194-page Ten Mile River Watershed Management Plan, five areas are targeted for close attention: water quality; recreation enhancement and promotion; climate change resilience and stream corridor management; natural heritage, and agriculture and producer support.

‘Clean, cold and connected’: Stewardship is for everyone

Details in the Plan’s Existing Condition Report make it clear that while much of the Ten Mile River watershed is healthy, there are some concerns, and “future health of the watershed is not guaranteed.”

Habitat loss, pollution, invasive species and drought are threats to its survival, all exacerbated by climate change. As an example, Wegh explained, fish need cold water to survive; shade is important along the course of the rivers, and lack of biodiversity as invasives take over can adversely affect water temperature.

Along with collaboration among groups within the entire watershed, the hope is that the new regs will lead to upgrading the science and mapping technology. Education and public engagement will be ramped up, beginning with a Celebrate our Watershed festival starting Friday, May 26.

An overview of the issues and potential solutions is in Executive Summary, pp 6-19 of the TMRWM Plan: hvatoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022_07_22_TMRWBP_Final.pdf

For more on the Celebrate our Watershed festival May 26-July 4, --see -secure.-qgiv.-com-/event/celebrateourwatershedwithhva/

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