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| New Members' Meeting | Dinner Meeting | 50th Anniversary | | Help WRWA Grow | Canoe Cruise | Fishway Open House | Mapping Trails | |
Dear Westfield River Watershed members and supporters: As you read this newsletter, summer will be drawing to a close and fall will not be too far behind. The watershed will soon be resplendent with the myriad sights, sounds, and smells of nature at her finest. Soon cool crisp air will replace the hot stagnant haze of late summer afternoons as nature puts on a glorious show before retiring for a long winters rest. Fall is a perfect time for hiking the many trails that are found within the watershed, including the beautiful and historic Keystone Arch Bridges Trail in Chester. A lot of hard work by dedicated volunteers has gone into the construction of this trail system and more improvements are on the way. Fall is also the season for town and county fairs! Pack the family into the car and take a leisurely drive in the country to your local fair for a fun filled day out in the watershed! I would like to report that the Annual Meeting of the WRWA was again a successful and enjoyable evening in June. Many of the past presidents were present and recognized for their efforts in guiding the Westfield River Watershed Association in its fifty years of stewardship to the ecological environment. Vincent Dowling, actor and author extraordinaire, thrilled the attendees with a marvelous and enthralling after-dinner repartee. Mike Parker, our hardworking and extremely dedicated Watershed Team Leader, was surprised and honored as the recipient of the annual Waite Award. I would like to pass along a reminder that the 4th Annual Lake/Pond and River Symposium will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2002 at the Nessacus Middle School in Dalton. The event is sponsored by the Lakes and Ponds Association of Western Massachusetts (LAPA - West) and this year has joined forces with the river advocates in the area to present an all inclusive theme - Appreciating Your Water Resources . Many fine workshops are planned for the day, including a state of the rivers panel discussion with representatives from the Connecticut, Farmington, Housatonic, Hoosic, Deerfield, and Westfield River watersheds. It is an educational and enjoyable experience, not to mention an opportunity to participate in a raffle for a very fine kayak (replete with paddle and life jacket). As the 50th year of the Westfield River Watershed Association draws nearer to a close, so also does my term as your President. It has been a most pleasurable and exciting canoe trip - and one that would not have been possible without the exceptionable support and efforts of the Officers, Directors and the Team Leader of this Association! I will continue to serve the organization as a member of the Board of Directors and to support the efforts and goals of the new President. I made watershed education a cornerstone of my tenure as your president and I am most pleased by the strides we have accomplished in getting the word out. Thank you all for the opportunity to have served as your president. Yours in Watersheducation, C. Mason Maronn President |
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