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| New Members' Meeting | Watershed Enemies | |
Dear Westfield River Watershed members and supporters: In mid-October more than 100 volunteers helped collect trash from along the Westfield River in Westfield, Huntington, and Russell. Thanks to all of you who participated in that annual effort, and thanks to Carl Grobe and Kathy Meyer who did much of the organizational work and publicity, respectively. In recent years the cleanup has often marked the end of obvious WRWA activity until spring, but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on! This is the time of year for planning and preparation. The Atlantic Salmon Egg-Rearing Program (ASERP) will be growing to involve three watershed schools next year: Memorial Elementary School in West Springfield, the South Middle School in Westfield, and the Gateway Regional Middle School in Huntington. WRWA loans each class a 30-gallon aquarium tank, filter system, chiller, and lots of smaller equipment that's used for monitoring and feeding the salmon fry after they've hatched. During the next few weeks we'll be purchasing equipment, cutting and fitting insulation for the tanks, and completing a number of other tasks to make sure the program schools have what they'll need next spring. The Board of Directors is also looking for funding opportunities for next year. I've just written a letter supporting the Connecticut River Watershed Council's application for a large EPA grant to improve water quality in the Connecticut River and its tributaries. If CRWC is successful in obtaining that money, WRWA plans to seek funding from them for the cleanup of several sites along the lower River, sites that are more heavily impacted than those we usually deal with during the October cleanup. The Board has also recently formed three standing committees, focusing on Membership, Education, and Stewardship issues. The first item on each committee's agenda is to evaluate past activities and brainstorm new ways that the organization might accomplish its goals in each of those areas. Committee chairs are Kathy Meyer (Membership), Mike Young (Education), and Michael Vorwerk (Stewardship). If there are issues or opportunities that you think we should be aware of, or if you'd be interested in serving on one of the committees, please contact the corresponding chair. We've also begun to plan for next spring's River Symposium, which will be the ninth annual such event. For those who thrive on advance planning, the date will be March 29, 2003. As usual, we're expecting to provide some interesting speakers and a variety of exhibits during the morning, and an optional field trip or two during the early afternoon. So, beneath that apparently inactive surface, there's a lot going on with WRWA. And that means that, as usual, we have volunteer opportunities for anyone with a little free time on their hands. Please consider helping out, whether it's by becoming a classroom liaison for the ASERP program, serving on one of the standing committees, or providing help with mailings. It's only with the help of volunteers like you that we'll be able to have the kind of positive impact on our watershed for which we hope. Best, Mike Young President |
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