The Bend opened for river access

CORNWALL — Against a backdrop of river kayakers and rafters negotiating the Housatonic’s rushing current, Cornwall officials and residents gathered at The Bend in the river, just below the Covered Bridge, to cut the ribbon for the new boat launch facility there, on Saturday, May 25.

The ceremony marked an 11-year process coming to fruition, noted Mike Jastremski, Watershed Conservation Director for the Housatonic Valley Association. 

“A lot of people participated,” Jastremski said, describing an eventual design solution that corresponds to the site. The idea is to get people out onto the river, he said.

To get the site cleaned and cleared required removal of established wild growths of mugwort and garlic mustard, along with woody stuff like honeysuckle, bittersweet and more. The coming seasons will bring residual sprouts to be pulled by volunteers from the River Life and Outreach program while they are picking up windblown trash. Picnickers will be expected to take away their own trash.

New plants and a drainage run-off garden have been introduced to keep rainwater from running into the river from the new parking area. Willows and dogwoods have been planted along the river banks, Jastremski said.

“It’s been a long process to get to this day, but we’re here,” First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said. “This river should belong to everyone.”

Recalling that The Bend was once an industrial site, Ridgway said that the town has had a good partnership with the many organizations who made the clean-up happen, including site owner Eversource, which has licensed the land to the town; Earth Tones, who designed and landscaped the area; the Housatonic Fly Fishermen’s Assoc.; the Housatonic River Commission; the Northwest Conservation District; the state Department of Economic and Community Development; and more.

“It’s important for people to come here and take advantage of what we take for granted,” Ridgway said.

Power company Eversource was represented by Jamie Lintner, senior land administrator. “Promoting public access is what we do,” he said, thanking residents for supporting the project.

Announcing that residents should expect to hear that the river stretch passing Cornwall will receive “wild and scenic” designation in the near future, Bart Jones of the Housatonic Valley Commission said, “It was a long and winding road to today’s event by a long and winding river.”

Jastremski added that in the next one or two months, a permanent kiosk will be installed, along with bollards and a gate at the entrance.  He also noticed that trillium and dutchman’s breeches were among the wildflowers establishing themselves at the site, having appeared in the early spring this year.

Speeches concluded, The Bend regained its recreational use as hot dogs and hamburgers were served hot off the grill.