Page 13

November 27, 2006: The President signed into law S. 435, the Lower Farmington River and
Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2005 which designates a segment of the
Farmington River and Salmon Brook for study for potential addition to the National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System. Introduced by Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman in late 2005, the
legislation will authorize a study by the National Park Service to identify the river's cultural,
natural and recreational benefits and the various ways to protect the area from public
development that would have a negative impact on the river's water quality. A Wild and
Scenic River Study Committee will be created to oversee and direct the Wild and Scenic River
Study. Two representatives will be appointed from each of the ten towns in the river shed
area. Look for an article about it in an upcoming issue of The Drummer. We are all very
excited to have the legislation passed and want to thank everyone who helped make it
possible, especially the Farmington River Watershed Association who partnered in lobbying for
the Act.

October 2006: Our annual Macro Invertebrate survey was held Saturday October 14th at Bryan's
Landing and Saturday October 21st at Salmon Brook Park. We had two wonderfully clear, albeit
windy, days and a good number of enthusiastic volunteers for our annual aquatic macro-
invertebrate survey. Two sites were used; one at Bryan's Landing off of Canal Road and one at
Salmon Brook Park. Some volunteers had participated in years past and some were new to the
event, but everyone had a great time. Plenty of healthy critters were found at both sites in all
shapes and sizes including juvenile mayflies, water pennies, and stoneflies. The overall data as
well as some samples have been turned over to the DEP and we await the results. These
stream-bottom dwelling insect nymphs are excellent indicators of stream health due to their
sensitivity to pollution. Past results have indicated very healthy streams and tributaries
throughout Granby and the Farmington Valley.

Sept. 30, 2006 Unwanted Medical Collection Day: The SBWA partnered with the Farmington River
Watershed Association, Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Metropolitan District, the US
Environmental Protection Agency through a grant to the Northeast Recycling Agency, Inc. and
CVS to bring local residents a free opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted medication.
Almost 50 residents from Simsbury, Granby, Canton, West Hartford, and other neighboring towns
showed up with bags and boxes full of pharmaceuticals to be safely disposed of. Flushing
unwanted or leftover medication down the drain can harm wildlife and contaminate drinking
water. Keeping expired or unwanted medications around the home also presents a danger to
children and pets that could accidentally ingest the drugs. As a first for the State of
Connecticut, the success could herald a new annual event for us. Thanks go out to all of the
volunteers who joined us!

Sept. 20, 2006 Rain Barrel Demonstration and Talk: The towns of Granby and East Granby
partnered with the SBWA, the FRWA and the University of Connecticut's NEMO (Nonpoint
Education for Municipal Officials) Program to provide information for the public on ways to protect
water quality and reduce pollution of "stormwater" - rainwater or snowmelt that carries pollutants
from land into nearby rivers and brooks. It was demonstrated that careful planning, landscaping
and use of vegetative BMPs (Best Management Practices) can help protect and enhance the
environment, while addressing other concerns that local planning and zoning commissions face.
Along with a talk on organic lawn care and soil sampling NEMO presented the findings of the
Jordan Cove Project, a long-term research study comparing stormwater effects between a
"traditional" subdivision and a "low impact development" subdivision. There was also a brief
demonstration on Rain Barrels which will be offered to area residents by the New England Rain
Barrel Company at a discounted rate in the Spring. Rain barrels offer a way to both capture
rainwater running off of roofs before that rain becomes stormwater, and a means to use that
water for gardening or landscaping uses rather than relying on water drawn from a well.

September of 2005 Senator Chris Dodd testified before the Energy and Natural Resources
Subcommittee on National Parks in support of (S. 435) - legislation introduced by Dodd and
Senator Joe Lieberman to examine whether the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook
should be designated a Wild and Scenic River. The Senators' legislation will authorize a study
by the National Park Service to identify the river's cultural, natural and recreational benefits
and the various ways to protect the area from public development that would have a negative
impact on the river's water quality. The Wild and Scenic Act was successfully passed in the
Senate earlier this year and has been awaiting passage in the House of Representatives.
Members of the Salmon Brook Watershed Association and the Farmington River Watershed
Association have met with legislators such as State Representative Nancy Johnson in an effort
to get S. 435 passed. SBWA President Skip Alleman and Executive Director of FRWA Eric
Hammerling were planning on attending the Natural Resources Committee hearing in
Washington DC this past month but low and behold the Bill has passed the House without
need of a hearing! The form S. 435 took when passed in the Senate differs slightly from the
House Bill, meaning that the two versions will have to be reconciled before becoming law.

June 5, 2006 CONGRATULATIONS to Richard "Doc" Martindale for receiving the Granby
Volunteer of the Year Award Monday night. Martindale has been a vital member of the
Salmon Brook Watershed Association from the beginning and we applaud his volunteer work
throughout Granby.

May 11, 2006 The Salmon Brook Watershed Association's Annual Member's Meeting was held
Thursday night at the Granby Masonic Hall. Featured guest speaker Dr. Bill Vincent gave a
fly fishing demonstration and lessons before his wonderful presentation on his 35 plus years
of experience with the Salmon Brook area. The meeting is currently airing on GCTV, Cox
channel 16. See http://www.gctv16.org for scheduled times and copies.

May 19th, 2007: SBWA had a table at the annual Historical Society Tag Sale. Despite the
drizzle we had plenty of customers, raising alittle over one hundred dollars for the SBWA.
Thanks for everyone who donated items to the tag sale and those who volunteered to man the
tables.

April 26th, 2007: The Salmon Brook Watershed Association Annual Meeting went wondefully
again this year. Eric Hammerling, Executive Director of the Farmington River Watershed
Association gave a wonderful talk entitled "Farmington River and Salmon Brook - Partners in
Conservation". He highlighted the importance of the watersheds as well as programs designed
to explore and protect them such as the Farmington Valley Biodiversity Project. Mr.
Hammerling continued his power point presentation discussing the National Wild and Scenic
River System designation of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook. The talk continued with
a brief question and answer session followed by refreshments.

May, 28th, 2007: We had our canoe floating down the center of town again this year for a
clear and sunny Granby Memorial Day Parade. Afterwards, we had a tent on the green with
information and our new "Wild and Scenic" t-shirts! Thanks to everyone who helped with
the float and the table.

September 29th, 2007: Residents from all around the Farmington Valley gathered together
to clean up the Farmington River and its tributaries throughout Avon, Barkhamsted,
Bloomfield, Bristol, Burlington, Canton, East Granby, Farmington, Granby, New Hartford,
Simsbury, West Hartford. Particpants collected a lot of unwanted trash from in and around
the watershed, helping to create a beautiful place to live and play.

November, 2007: SBWA members had two excellent days to participate in the study in at
both Salmon Brook Park and Bryan's Landing. Volunteers from years past as well as some
new faces showed up to splash around in some chilly water looking for little critters. The
presence or lack of these juvenile insects indicates a stream's relative health. Organisms
are placed in categories of most to least wanted depending on whether they are indicators
of an extremely clean water system or if they can survive in extremely polluted
environments. Both days had multiple 'kicks', yielding organisms from 5 different headings
in the most wanted group, 6 groups of the moderately wanted group and 3 headings in the
least desired category in the West Branch at Salmon Brook Park. The second study,
performed in the East Branch at Bryan's Landing, found organisms in 8 different headings in
the most wanted group, 7 headings in the moderately wanted group, and 3 headings in the
least desired. These results were reported to the CT DEP, which collects data from
organizations across the state. In years past, our surveys of the Salmon Brook have
yielded very healthy results, and it looks like this year is no exception.