Watershed News Fall 2019
President’s Address
Hard to believe the summer of 2019 is in the books,
but sure enough, the coolness of the mornings lets us
know that fall is on the way. Right now the katydids’
raucous calling is in full swing but soon it will slow,
as the dropping temperatures convert their songs into
a lethargic, drawn out croak. Currently, I can still
hear the occasional black-throated blue warbler in the
woods near my house, soon to be en route to Central
America. One of my very favorite late summer nature
events is to see the passing of nighthawks in the early
evenings. This year I saw the largest flock ever, while
coaching soccer at Stanley Park. There must have been
a hundred birds, each demonstrating its skillful, kite-
like diving techniques.
Fall in the Westfield River Watershed is nothing short
of magical. Whether you’re picking apples and press-
ing cider, paddling or fishing, biking, walking or even
driving amid the splendor of fall colors, you’re sure
to have one of those moments when you stop and
Bridge over West Branch of Westfield River near Middlefield Road, Chester Massachusetts, by John Phelan
drink in the fall air, rich as it is with earthy scents, as
if it were a fine wine. We at the WRWA wish you as
many of these moments as your schedule will allow.
Perhaps one of them might take place during one
of our fall river clean-ups (this year taking place on
September 28 and October 5) or on one of the won-
derful excursions with the Wild and Scenic Westfield
Committee’s Watershed Blitz. Wherever it takes place,
know that by supporting WRWA you are doing a small
part to help protect and celebrate our great resource.
In solidarity with the Watershed,
Brain Conz
WRWA President
In This Issue
1
President’s Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
‘Run Wild, Run Free’ Movie Screening . . . . . . . . . 2
State Government Funds Made Available
for Stream Crossing Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Fall River Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
West-Springfield Fish Ladder Damaged
3
in Vandal’s Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fly Fishing Clinic – What a Day! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Hiking Corner: Westfield River
4
Watershed Wandering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Officers and Directors for 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
 WHERE ACTIVISM GETS INSPIRED

‘Run Wild, Run Free’ Movie Screening

by Brian Conz
The National Wild and Scenic Rivers act turned 50
in 2018! As many of you know sections of the upper
Westfield carry this distinguished designation, since
1993. On Wednesday WRWA will sponsor the screen-
ing of the documentary film ‘Run Wild, Run Free:
50 Years of Wild and Scenic Rivers.’ The film is a
stunningly beautiful visual celebration of America’s
wild and scenic rivers. It tells the story of the Act,
drawing from old footage of the activist and scientists
who pushed for it, and it documents the current condi-
tions of the rivers with contemporary shots of fisher-
man, paddlers and other recreationalists. Awe-inspiring
scenes of whitewater, waterfalls and wildlife provide a
feast for the eyes and inspiration for the soul. We hope
you can come out and join us on October 23 for this
beautiful 45-minute film in Westfield State Universi-
ty’s Dever Auditorium. Doors open at 7 and the show
starts at 7:30. Donations are appreciated!

State Government Funds Made Available for Stream

Crossing Improvements
In late August, Governor Baker’s office
announced that $932,000 would be made
available for upgrading road-stream
crossings. “Replacing culverts with larger,
safer structures is a common-sense,
nature-based approach to restore river
health and to make cities and towns more
resilient to storms.” Though by no means
an enormous sum of money (given the
expenses associated with these projects) it
does provide some seed money and helps
to draw attention to the importance of the
task. The WRWA board has worked over
the years to support the work of the Wild
and Scenic Westfield Committee and the
MA Division of Ecological Restoration in
their efforts to promote best practices for
towns in the watershed seeking to develop
long-term plans for infrastructure stability
and stream and wildlife integrity. Inlet, Cummington Stage Rd., North Branch of the Swift River.

  Westfield River Watershed Association News  2  

Fall River Cleanup
It’s that time of year again – the WRWA Fall River
Cleanup is coming up on Saturday, September 28
(in Westfield) and Saturday, October 5 (in Agawam).
We hold this event every fall, in conjunction with
the Connecticut River Conservancy’s Source-to-Sea
Cleanup. As we’ve done in the past, we’ll meet at
9:00 and work until about 1:00. We’ll supply gloves
and bags, and we’ll ask our volunteers to wear clothes
that can get dirty and wet, and supply the energy,
enthusiasm, and good cheer. The Westfield group
will meet at the Meadow Street parking lot in West-
field. For more information, contact Mark Damon
at markjdamon@gmail.com or (413) 977-1577.
The Agawam group will meet at Pynchon Point
on River Road in Agawam. For more information,
contact Sheryl Becker at sher1earth69@gmail.com or
(413) 374-1921.

Fly Fishing Clinic – What a Day!

West-Springfield Fish Ladder
Damaged in Vandal’s Fire
Sad news from our friends at Mass Fisheries and
Wildlife whose co-managed facility at the former
Southworth Paper factory (currently being rehabbed
by owner Frank McIntyre) was damaged by vandals.
In fact the site was twice broken into! The first event
took place in June and there was minimal damage suf-
fered. But again, this time in August, the fish counting
room was broken into and fiberglass holding tanks
used in the fish ‘corral’ were burned and a chiller
used to keep holding tank waters cool was destroyed,
according to Mass Fish and Wildlife field scientist
Caleb Slater. Slater said he was hopeful changes
could be made to better secure the site against future
incursions. We’ll certainly let you know if this will
impact the one day of public access which the WRWA
hosts in May.
This year’s fly fishing clinic was held on August 24
in absolutely perfect weather! The sun was shining
and the air was a comfortable 70 degrees. This was
our first clinic without our good friend Bill Rose,
who started the event several years back in his dual
capacity of WRWA President and Western Mass Fly
Fisherman’s Association President. Members of both
organizations turned out to provide instruction on
casting techniques, fly tying, and aquatic ecology for
about 20 or so community members from as far away
as Becket and Springfield. Families that ranged in age
from just a few years old to over 70 came to enrich
their lifes with a bit of educational recreation. Many
of us thought about Bill and felt thankful for his
work over the years in joining the missions of both of
our organizations. Special thanks to the members of
WMFFA for sharing their expertise. Looking forward
to next year’s!

  Westfield River Watershed Association News  3  

Hiking Corner: Westfield River Watershed Wandering
Heather E. Wyman
Welcome to the newest section of your Watershed
Newsletter from its newest member. I recently vol-
unteered to be a part of this wonderful organization
to know more about the trail area I work in. I am
currently the co-chair for the New England National
Scenic Trail, which many people still identify as the
old white-blazed moniker, the Metacomet-Menadnock
Trail that runs from Connecticut, through the Pioneer
Valley, and up to New Hampshire.
In its 10-year history of being a National Trail this
year, the dilemma of how to cross this river spans
many decades previous. If you are unfamiliar with
the Trail sections, I encourage everyone to go to
https://newenglandtrail.org/ to get started. Section 2 is
one of the more popular sections that goes north over
Provin Mountain where Channel 22 used to be, and
crosses Rte 147 into Robinson State Park following the
grand river for approximately 10-15 minutes of hiking
  Westfield River Watershed Association News  4  
until it terminates at a lonely embankment looking
towards the distant Sunoco station.
You can see that the summer option features a friend-
lier crossing, bordering on a rock hop across. The
winter option is quite a bit of a challenge, as the chilly
water level is 2.5 – 3’ in places. For people trying to
through hike who do not contact our Trail Committee
for a shuttle, they will have to backtrack to the road
and walk/bike the 4.5 miles or so to get to where the
trail meets the other bank, crossing Route 20 where
there are no crosswalks. In the past, there have been
tales from several people I have spoken to about
crossing the river on the old river gauge cable cart
that is now out of commission, ladder dismantled.
You can still see the cart and cable from the pull out
on Route 20, near where the trail used to cross before
Lane bought the property on the other side of the
road, causing the trail relocation to its current home.
Officers and Directors for 2019
Officers:
President: Brian Conz 999 General Knox Rd., Russell, MA 01071 572-8084
1st Vice President: Mark Damon 297 Western Ave Westfield 01085 977-1577
2nd Vice President: Ann Barone 3 Delancey St, Westfield 01085 374-9799
Secretary: Allan Ouimet 16 Russell Rd. Westfield 01085 539-0964
Treasurer: John Pelli 32 Laro Road, Westfield, MA 01085 562-0182
Directors:
Sheryl Becker 142 Beekman Dr, Agawam, MA 01001 374-1921
Kristen Couture 42 Spruceland Rd., Enfield, CT 06082 860-818-9083
Danielle D'Amour East Longmeadow, MA -----
Julianne Griffiths 2 Town Line Circle, Bridgewater, MA 02324 774-222-5005
Bill Hardie 40 Rocky Brook Dr., Russell, MA 01071 862-3255
Scott Hathaway 4 Holcomb St, Westfield, MA 01085 -----
Tim Judy 37 Mountain Rd, Holyoke, MA 01040 569-9018
Jake Lehan 577 Western Ave, Westfield, MA 01086 364-3413
Ron Lucassen 39 Rachael Terrace, Westfield, MA 01085 568-4252
Dianne Snyder 6 Park St., Westfield, MA 01085 562-6126
Phillip Sousa 29 Yankee Circle, Westfield, MA 01085 568-3982
Heather Wyman 38 Rosedell Dr, Westfield, MA 01085
Honorary Directors:
Dan Call 78 Granville Road, Unit 10, Westfield 01085 364-0993

For more information on WRWA’s activities, check our website at www.westfieldriver.org

  Westfield River Watershed Association News  5  

WRWA
PO Box 1764
Westfield, MA  01086-1764

The
Westfield River Watershed
Association Newsletter
Fall 2019
In This Issue
1
President’s Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
‘Run Wild, Run Free’ Movie Screening . . . . . . . . . 2
State Government Funds Made Available
for Stream Crossing Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Fall River Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
West-Springfield Fish Ladder Damaged
3
in Vandal’s Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fly Fishing Clinic – What a Day! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Hiking Corner: Westfield River
4
Watershed Wandering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Officers and Directors for 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5