| President's Message | 2003 Symposium | Fishway Open House | | Waite Award | Upcoming Events |
	A Look Back At The Future: The Ninth Annual Westfield River Symposium by Carl Grobe, WRWA Board Member I hope that all of our members and readers of the Newsletter were able to attend our ninth annual Westfield River Symposium on March 29. The theme of the symposium this year was "A Look at the Future: Water Resources and Open Space." The Symposium is always an outstanding opportunity to learn about our fabulous local river and its extensive watershed. It is also an opportunity to meet people who are working to preserve and improve this natural treasure and resource that is, literally for many of us, in our own back yard. The Symposium began with a keynote address by Richard Evans entitled "Is Forever Forever?" Richard discussed some of the legal aspects of land protection. The keynote address was followed by a total of nine concurrent speaker sessions on topics including the restoration of Yokum Brook, Westfield's open space plan, mapping the watershed, and the PVPC's open space plan for the entire Watershed. All of the presentations that I was able to attend were outstanding, and I was disappointed that I was unable to attend them all. Between presentations at the sessions, the 138 attendees were able to view more than twenty displays on river- and watershed-related topics ranging from beaver trapping to birding and salmon restoration to nature photography. Included among the organizations with displays were the Trustees of Reservations, Trout Unlimited, the American Chestnut Foundation, Friends of the Keystone Arches, both the U.S. and Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife Services, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the Westfield River Watershed Association, and the Winding River Land Conservancy. Following the sessions and displays, there was a choice of two field trips in the afternoon. These were a trip to the West Parish Filters with Ralph Tarnauskas or a look at protected lands in the Westfield area led by Mark Noonan. The weather obligingly cleared and was pleasant for both of these trips. As it has been for several previous years, the entire program was free to all attendees. We hope that you all enjoyed the Symposium this year. If you were unable to attend this year's Symposium, you missed an informative day of activities, displays, and presentations. We hope to see everyone again (or for the first time) next year!