The President's Message

Dear Westfield River Watershed members and supporters:

This fall the WRWA Board has begun a more active search for grant opportunities. A starting
point is to decide what kinds of projects we'd like to work on, then to search for funding agencies
whose missions match well with those projects. Our initial efforts have been directed toward
finding funding for storm drain stenciling programs throughout the Watershed. The goal is to
decrease the volume of pollutants entering our rivers through local storm drain systems - which
almost always drain directly into nearby streams, without being treated in any way. The program
involves painting simple stencils onto the pavement near storm drains, typically with a text
message like "Dump No Waste - Drains to River". In conjunction with the stenciling, we plan to
distribute flyers to homes in the vicinity of the storm drains being stenciled - informing residents
about the program and making sure that they understand the undesirable consequences of
dumping oil, antifreeze, pesticides or other household materials into those storm drains. This
program would provide a great volunteer opportunity for scouts or church youth groups. If you
know of such a group that might be interested in helping out, please let me know.

We've also learned that The Nature Conservancy has been awarded a 3-year grant to collect
information on stream crossings and dams within the Watershed, and to begin to address some of
the stream continuity issues raised by those structures. Many culverts, for example, pose barriers
to the movement of fish and other small animals as a result of inlet or outlet drops that are too
high to navigate. During surveys in June and September a number of WRWA members and other
volunteers gathered information on roughly 100 structures - dimensions of culverts, the extent to
which they modify stream flow, continuity of substrate through the culverts, and photographs!
Each structure typically takes 15 minutes or so to evaluate. With more than 1,000 of these sites
within the Watershed, this project will require considerable volunteer effort. If you have any
interest in participating, give me a call at 572-5741 - we're hoping to continue the surveying
through the fall and early winter. The Nature Conservancy grant provides funds for producing
the needed GIS maps, for entering the information collected into a database and prioritizing the
various stream crossings, and for remediation of some of the higher priority sites. This is a great
opportunity to get directly involved in a project that will have measurable positive effects on our
Watershed.

I'll keep you posted on our efforts to attract funding for Watershed projects, and hope that you'll
find time during the coming months to attend one of the indoor or outdoor programs described in
this newsletter.

Happy Holidays,

Mike Young
President 

 
 Winter Outings
by Tom Condon

Join WRWA Board Member Tom Condon and The Zoo in Forest Park Director of Education
Nancy Condon on adventures in and around the Westfield River Watershed. Learn more about
the natural history and explore methods of preserving of this great natural resource.

Cross-Country Skiing at Knightville Wildlife Area - Sunday, January 18: Pray for snow
Saturday night and then throw your skis in the car Sunday morning for a trip along the Westfield
River above Knightville Dam. We will ski (or walk if there¹s no snow) in along old Montgomery
Road and up into the Indian Hollow area. We¹ll stop and explore the area, looking for signs of
wildlife in the valley. This is a beginners skiing trip, so expect to go 2 to 3 miles on open, flat
terrain.

Meet at am at the commuter parking lot at Westfield State College. We¹ll car pool up to the gated
road. Expect to return about noon. Please watch the weather forecast the night before and dress
appropriately. Layers of synthetics or wool blends are the best. Bring a small pack to stow your
shed layers, a small snack, and plenty of water. You might throw in a thermos of hot cocoa too.
Call Tom or Nancy at 564 0895 to pre-register for the trip or with any questions. 

A Day on the Pond Sunday - Sunday, February 15: Have you ever stood along the shore of a
frozen pond and thought about what¹s going on under that ice? If so, have we got a trip for you!
Grab up that old pair of skates or your boots with the stickiest soles and come join us at Russell
Pond. This beautiful 400 acre pond will be our living laboratory as we explore the ecology and
physics of a freshwater pond in the winter. We will criss-cross the pond, stopping to peer beneath
the ice for signs of life, visit a stream with its oxygen-rich waters feeding the lake, and explore a
beaver dam. We will also step up into the surrounding forest to discuss how outside factors
influence this ecosystem. If ice conditions are unsafe for travel across the pond, we will still be
able to explore from its shoreline.

We¹ll start our trip at 10 am at the Russell Pond Town Beach just off General Knox Road in
Russell. Expect to return about 1 pm. Please watch the weather forecast the night before and
dress appropriately. Layers of synthetics or wool blends are the best. Bring a small pack to stow
your shed layers, a small lunch, and plenty of water. You might throw in a thermos of hot cocoa
too. Call Tom or Nancy at 564 0895 to pre-register for the trip or with any questions.

Hubbard Brook, Granville State Forest - Sunday, March 28: Come join the club for a stroll
along one of the prettiest little brooks in Western Mass. Here the spring run off cascades over
numerous small falls as the water tumbles down a heavily forested hillside. Along the trip, we¹ll
stop and discuss the power of water to shape the watersheds in which we live. We¹ll also look for
signs of an early (we hope) awakening spring. Meet at the Brooks Shopping Plaza in Southwick
at 9 am. Expect to return about 1 pm. Dress appropriately for the weather and bring a small pack
to stow your shed layers, a small lunch, and plenty of water. Call Tom or Nancy at 564-0895 to
pre-register for the trip or with any questions. 

Westfield River Watershed

Temperature Monitoring Program
by Michael Vorwerk

Students at Westfield State College, under the guidance of WRWA board member and Westfield
State College faculty member Michael Vorwerk, are conducting research on river temperatures
in the Westfield River watershed. Nine undergraduate students are studying river temperatures to
determine the suitability of the watershed for salmon habitat (in regards to temperature), and the
effects of development on river temperatures. To carry out the study, students are using 23 Onset
Instruments Hobo temperature loggers. The loggers have been deployed through much of the
watershed since spring.

Students George Durante, Adam Cote, and Gary Krasinski are studying the effects of Route 9 on
the river. Route 9 runs across the northern section of the watershed, adjacent to or near the
Westfield River for about 5 miles near Cummington, MA. The team wants to determine the
effects of the road on temperatures. Their hypothesis is that the clearing caused by the road and
resultant increased exposure to sunlight is warming the river temperature. Additionally, they are
considering the impact of warmed runoff water from the road being a source of hot water to the
river during the critical summer low-flow season. In this scenario, a summer rainstorm drops
water on the heated pavement. This water is warmed and quickly runs off into the river. During
summer, river temperatures are often already at critical levels for salmon. The students are
studying if there is an impact from the road heating. To date, the group determined that the
heating in this river section is significantly greater than heating over the entire river from
Cummington to the lowest gauging station downstream of the Westfield Walmart.

A second team with Amanda Perron and Kristel Allen has loggers deployed upstream and
downstream of the reservoirs created by the Russell (Lynch) dam and the Strathmore Paper Dam.
Their hypothesis is that the impoundments result in warmer river temperatures. This is because
the lakes are shallow and the water slows, exposing it to greater solar heating. Most loggers were
removed in early November, except one that was buried by sediments during recent heavy flows.
To date, this group has determined that there is significantly greater heating in the portion of the
river impounded by the Strathmore dam than over the entire river. Surprisingly, the group also
found that the impoundments serve to cool the river during the fall, in effect amplifying the
effects of weather.

The third team is aggregating all information from the loggers to create a general picture of
suitable salmon habitat throughout the late spring, summer, and fall. Understanding and
visualizing these data is somewhat more difficult than it sounds, because all told the students will
collect around 150,000 temperature observations this year. Students Andrea Palpini and
Christine Verdolino created monthly maps showing the portion of the river that was suitable
habitat (defined as having average temperatures above 3º C and less than 15º C). They found that
during July and August, there was no suitable habitat for salmon. They hypothesize that the river
has micro-habitats where the water is cooler, perhaps in deeper pools, areas with significant
groundwater inflow, or shaded banks. Also, they found a range of values in the scientific
literature regarding the actual limits on temperature limits for salmon habitat. Many of the values
they found were greater than 15º C, so it may be that the actual suitable habitat is greater than
predicted.

The students are conducting this research as part of their senior capstone experiences at
Westfield State College. They presented their preliminary results at the Bridgewater State
College Undergraduate Environmental Science Research Symposium on November 15th.
Abstracts can be viewed at the conference website. 

Stenciling Storm Drains

in the
Westfield River Watershed
by Kathy Meyer and Joan Pearsons

On Sunday, October 5 the Westfield River Watershed Association began its "Storm Drain Stenciling"
Program by stenciling the storm sewers at Wal-Mart in Westfield. Nineteen children from a local cub
scout group helped with this effort. Each storm drain in the Wal-Mart parking lot was painted with a
reminder that anything put in the sewer flows directly into the Westfield River.

Many people don't know that storm sewers flow directly into rivers without going through a sewage
treatment plant. Fish and other aquatic life that live in the river are harmed by things such as motor oil,
paint, lawn chemicals, etc., that run into the storm drains.

Eventually the Westfield River Watershed Association, with help from community volunteers, will
stencil all the storm drains in Westfield and other parts of the watershed, and provide informational
brochures explaining why it is important not to dump anything into the sewers.

 
 Huntington Portion
of the
Westfield River Cleanup
by Michael Vorwerk

We had 23 people show up for the Huntington portion of the Westfield River Cleanup
on October 4th. Among them were 17 students from Westfield State College who
graciously volunteered their Saturday morning, two Huntington Conservation
Commission members, and even a special guest trash "picker-upper" from Germany.
Altogether, the group cleaned 13 miles worth of pull-offs and put-ins, collecting about
2 pickup truck loads of rubbish. Students from Westfield State College pulled a gas
tank from the woods and rolled a clothes dryer back up the hill at one of the Route 20
overlooks. At another site, they found a set of tires (could be yours for the right
price;-), and even the infamous "kitchen sink." 

In general, this section of the river was much cleaner than in last year¹s cleanup,
which was the first Huntington Cleanup in several years. The students brought a lot of
energy, effort, and positive attitude into the cleanup, and we¹re very grateful that they
volunteered to help the Westfield River.
Trash in Turnouts Update
by Kathy Meyer

On October 9, a group including members of the Jacob's Ladder Trail Committee, Huntington
and Russell Conservation Commissions, Westfield River Watershed Association, and Mass
Highway Department met to formulate a plan to reduce thrash in the turnouts along Highway 20.
These are being used as de facto picnic areas and beaches by people using the Westfield River
for swimming, with a resulting trash problem. The three turnouts of concern are areas across
from Countryside Furniture in Russell, the Whippernon Golf Course, and the Huntington
Medical Center. We want to keep these turnouts open because they provide access to the river,
but want to reduce the trash.

The group agreed on the following: 1. No overnight parking signage (needs to state hours that
turnouts are open) 2. At turnout across from Countryside Furniture, to keep cars within turnout
only "no parking" signs on same side of highway and across the road from turnout. 3. Provide
trash bags in dispenser with signage in English, Spanish and Russian, asking people to carry out
their trash. 4. Signage prohibiting fires and charcoal grills at all three turnouts. 5. No trash cans
will be provided. 6. Signs will be as few and as small as possible (to comply with highway
department rules but keep the look as natural as possible). Possible removal of some of the
existing signs at the turnouts.

Two unresolved issues are getting the co-operation of law enforcement officials and getting
volunteers to help clean the turnouts. We know that no matter what we do, there still will be
some trash that needs to be picked up every week in summer. Are there any WRWA members
who could help, maybe once in spring, once in fall and once a month during the summer? If so,
please call me at 568-4252. 

The Water We Drink:

Where it Comes From
Keeping it Safe
Presented by David Madsen of the
Westfield Water Department

Westfield Athenaeum
Saturday, February 7 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Dave will show and explain where our sources of water, wells and pump stations are
located, what backflow check valves and cross connections are, and why they are
required to prevent contaminants from ending up in Westfield's drinking water
supply.