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| New Members' Meeting | Dinner Meeting | 50th Anniversary | | Help WRWA Grow | Canoe Cruise | Fishway Open House | Mapping Trails | |
Kathy Meyer Do you know anyone who cares about our local environment? If we think about it, most of us probably do know at least one friend, relative, neighbor or coworker who is concerned about the environment. If each current WRWA member could tell just one other person about this organization, we would double our membership. Thatıs the idea behind our "Recommend a Friend" membership drive, which is part of our 50th Anniversary Celebration. Simply take the membership form at the end of this newsletter, give it to someone who is not a WRWA member and tell them a little about what we do. They will enjoy the benefits of WRWA membership including receiving this newsletter, invitations to our River Symposium and Annual Dinner, and the satisfaction that comes with helping to protect our beautiful watershed. As added incentive for the new member, we will give that person free membership for the rest of 2002 so the dues they send in now will be good through the end of 2003. Kathy Meyer Beautiful sunny skies, a moderate temperature of about 80 degrees and run-off from the previous evening's rain created excellent conditions for 51 canoes and kayaks that paddled the Westfield River on Saturday June 1. We were hoping to get 50 boats to symbolize each of our 50 years, so we exceeded our goal. The Westfield Fire Department had their two water rescue craft available, which fortunately were not needed to assist canoeists. Although a few boats capsized at a tricky bend in the river with some fallen trees, all seventy one participants in the 51 canoes and kayaks successfully completed the six mile trip from downtown Westfield to Robinson State Park in Agawam. Unlike the canoe race held in April on the Westfield River, this is a more leisurely event. Many participants had not paddled this portion of the river before, so this group event acquainted them with this part of the Westfield River and many plan to repeat the trip on their own again. Once they arrived in Robinson State Park, paddlers enjoyed a picnic lunch complete with anniversary cake. After lunch activities included a nature program for children led by Biologists Marilyn Bekech and Mark Damon and an adult hike along the Westfield River led by Henry Warchol. In the nature program, fifteen children shrieked with delight as they smelled skunk cabbage, discovered dragon fly larva and netted oodles of tadpoles in the ponds and along the banks of the Westfield River in Robinson State Park. In a separate program, adult hikers who walked a trail along the Westfield River got a view of the fishway at the DSI/FiberMark dam across the river in West Springfield. Leader Henry Warchol explained its role in helping migratory fish go up the Westfield River each spring to spawn. So many people stopped to thank us for organizing this event. It was wonderful to see all the smiles and hear the excitement in their voices as they talked about what they had experienced. WRWA volunteers who worked to make this event an incredible success included Kathy Meyer, George Martin, Rob Bristow, Henry Warchol, Dan Call, Mark Damon, Marilyn Bekech, Mike Parker, Ron Lucassen and Eileen Rannenberg. Kathy Meyer Snow, sleet, and freezing rain on May 18? In spite of bizarre weather, about 300 people visited the WRWA open house at the fish and eelway at DSI/FiberMark. This incredible turnout on such a nasty day is both a statement of the strong interest people have in the environment and the results of good organizing by event leader Gabe Khatachadourian. Even though visitors saw only a few fish because the fish donıt run in weather this cold, many appreciated the chance to view the fish ladder and learn about migratory fish in the Westfield River. Thanks to the following volunteers who braved the elements to make this event possible: Gabe Khatachadourian, Dan Call, Ken Taylor, Henry Warchol, Mike Parker, Kathy Meyer, Ron Lucassen and Ken Epstein, who generously used his van as a shuttle. (Ken, we hope you got the mud out of your van by now!) Matthew DelMonte Students at Holyoke Community College and Westfield State College have been mapping public access trails within the Westfield River Watershed with global positioning systems (GPS) for use within a Geographic Information System (GIS). HCC students began collecting information and mapping trails in the ten Wild and Scenic designated towns of the watershed in the summer of 2001. This mapping effort is the first phase of a project organized by the Westfield River Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC). Mapping efforts at Westfield State College began this Spring with a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA). Efforts at WSC are focused on the lower eight municipalities within the watershed. The lower trails inventory will soon be available on the Westfield River Watershed Interactive Atlas site. |
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