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The quality of our water depends on choices made in stewarding our properties.
Thomas Blagden
Welcome to the Salisbury Conservation Commission’s quarterly missive. Our mission is to educate ourselves as well as fellow Salisburyians on the important natural habitats unique to our beautiful and fascinating town and to learn how better to preserve them, armed with science and determination.
We had a wonderful rainy spring and early summer here in the Northwest Corner. Not so good for tennis and golf, but fabulous for filtration which is the exciting process whereby our aquifer gets replenished.Here we will review this process and hope that more rain is coming soon.
Water is delicious. Salisburyians get their drinking water from either private wells or town water, the latter being managed by Aquarion Water Company. The town water comes from two different sources: surface water and ground water.The surface water comes from two reservoirs, Reservoir #1 and #2, located on the Taconic uplift and is filtered at the Lakeville water treatment facility.These reservoirs supply 21% of the water used by the town. The town’s ground water comes from two well fields that access the aquifer.This water has gone through a natural filtration process and does not need to be treated.The two reservoirs and the ground water serve about 2,200 people in our town of about 4,000.
Water from the aquifer has been purified by filtration, a process that occurs when rainwater, on its trip to the ground, is slowed first by the tree canopy and then by the foliage of understory plants allowing for a gentle delivery to the forest floor.Some of the rain is absorbed by tree and plant roots, but not all.What is left continues through the humus, sand, and rocks that trap sediments, bacteria, heavy metals, phosphorus and nitrogen, leaving naturally filtered water to descend to the aquifer. Forests are the stars in this filtration adventure. Their trees’ leaves and needles provide buffers for the rain. The “understory” plays an important role in this filtration process as well.
When there is an extreme weather event, such as the heavy downpours that we are seeing more frequently these days, there needs to be a dense growth of trees and understory to protect important soils from eroding. “Whenever water is brownish in color on rainy days, it is carrying off valuable soil.” (Peter Wohlleben, “The Hidden Life of Trees”, p.87.)
If all goes according to plan, the forest floor acts like a sponge, soaking up the gently delivered rainwater.
Salisbury’s forests were denuded from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries to power Salisbury’s charcoal industry. Now they play another critical role in our town’s life. They provide important habitats, filter rainwater, cool our air and many other essential benefits to our lives. Curtis Rand, First Selectman and professional forester, comments that: “Taking care of our forests is crucial for our well-being. Forests mitigate climate change, regulate our water, prevent soil erosion and provide biodiversity.” To read more about our town’s forests, please read the “Forest” section of Salisbury’s NRI found here: www.salisburyct.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/NaturalResourceInventory2009.pdf
To help preserve this synergistic water filtration system, we asked AI “how do we keep Salisbury, CT water clean?” Its answer was surprisingly helpful with important takeaways being:
— Properly dispose of hazardous waste: Never pour fats, oils, grease, household chemicals, or medications down the sink or toilet. Salisbury participates in the HazWaste Central program, which offers safe and free disposal of these items at a facility in New Haven.
You’ll need to pre-register online for collection events, which run on Saturdays from May to October.
—Landscaping and Outdoors:
—Leave your leaves on your forest floor and wherever else they have fallen. Those leaves create duff, which is the stuff that slows water down and increases the first part of filtration. It helps to slow the flow and move water vertically. If you must rake leaves, rake them downhill to the bottom of your lawn and make a berm.
Taking leaves away in bags or a truck is a loss for your bank account and a loss for the environment.
—Minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides, which can contaminate runoff.
Consider organic or slow-release fertilizers, if needed at all.
— Direct downspouts onto permeable surfaces like lawns or consider installing rain barrels to collect and reuse rainwater for plants.
—Pick up after your pets and dispose of waste properly.
—In the community:
—Support local regulations: Vote for policies that protect local water resources and support responsible land use.
—Educate others: Share information about water conservation and pollution prevention with friends, family, and neighbors.
The Conservation Commission suggests planting native plants. They need less water to grow than non-native plants and support our ecosystem by feeding critters that help our trees and the understory to thrive, preserving the process of filtration. The quality of our water resources is directly dependent on the choices we residents make in stewarding our properties.
Please reach us at conservationcommission@salisburyct.us for comments and suggestions.
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Political figures fair game for cartoonists
Bravo to The Lakeville Journal for publishing cartoons that are timely, insightful, and consistently on point. In his letter to the editor in the Sept. 4 edition, Tom Morrison complained that the cartoons unfairly target Republicans. Hmmmm… I looked back over the past few months of cartoons and found almost none with a character labeled as a Republican.
I did, however, see skewering of President Trump and Senator Joni Ernst — but haven’t political figures always been fair game for editorial cartoonists?
There is one cartoon from February that shows a character with “MAGA” written across the back of his shirt, facing a judge who is giving him a light sentence. Is that what Mr. Morrison is objecting to? If so, he might consider that the editorial cartoons are not criticizing people simply for their party affiliation, but for the policies and actions being promoted by a president who leads the Republican Party.
Citizens who continue to support a president known for spreading misinformation — and who back policies that undermine health insurance, voting rights, reproductive freedom, scientific research, and protections for vulnerable populations, while advancing tax breaks for the wealthy — should expect to be held accountable through satire and commentary, including in political cartoons. That’s the purpose of editorial cartoons: to provoke thought about what we are doing and supporting.
Rather than objecting to these well-founded criticisms, Mr. Morrison and others concerned about the Republican Party’s image might instead reflect on — and work to change — the policies and behaviors that are causing harm to millions, both in the U.S. and abroad.
As the saying goes: Hate the sin, but love the sinner.
Lee Greenhouse
Salisbury
In defense of Steiner’s cartoons
It’s interesting that Tom Morrison, Salisbury Republican Chair, perceives Peter Steiner’s cartoons as “mocking everything Republican.” The truth is, Steiner’s political art focuses mostly on people and policies, especially ones that are misguided, flawed, illogical, corrupt, cruel and anti-democratic. Done with humor and a light touch, cartoons like these may be one of the few ways left to subvert anything (or anyone) these days.
That Mr. Morrison takes such offense is telling, too. It reminds me of a similar confrontation in New York City, when after the Civil War, Thomas Nast’s cartoons in Harper’s Weekly relentlessly lampooned William “Boss” Tweed and his corrupt Tammany Hall. Boss Tweed famously cried out: “Stop them damned pictures!”—a protest that now sounds remarkably familiar. But the popular cartoons proved extremely effective, and ultimately, they led to Tweed’s ouster and conviction.
Maybe history will repeat.
Henry Labalme
West Cornwall
Another way to look at Medicaid cuts impact
Regarding Cameron Smith’s letter of Sept. 4 listing his version of misconceptions about projected negative effects of Medicaid cutbacks in the One Big Beautiful Bill, here is another set of counter-facts.
1. Investigating Medicaid fraud and abuse has always occurred in previous administrations, though new schemes continue to pop up. Further savings from investigating fraud could happen BUTthere is so much disarray in HSS under RFK jr, and so many firings, including those by DOGE, that who is left to carry out adequate investigations?
2. Undocumented Immigrants are NOT ELIGIBLE for Federal funds like Medicaid and only receive certain emergency services,No savings there. However, 1.4 million people will likely be removed from STATE Medicaid rolls as a result of Federal cutbacks to states who don’t throw both legal and undocumented people off such state funding. By the way, those people are mostly low-income children, some of whom are U.S. citizens.
3.Undocumented immigrants pay taxes, including federal, state, and local taxes!In 2023, households led by undocumented immigrants contributed approximately $89.8 billion in total taxes, which includes $55.8 billion in federal taxes and $33.9 billion in state and local taxes.
4. More than 4 in 10 Connecticut families live on the edge of their financial capability. This “Big and Beautiful Bill will be devastating to a very large number of vulnerable people in Connecticut and to the hospitals that we all use in this state and elsewhere
Barbara Maltby
Lakeville
It’s the candidate, not the party
Once again we are embarking on another November election when we choose the individuals we want to serve in our local offices, boards and commissions.And once again Republican candidates face virtually insurmountable odds: the town’s 421 registered Republicans are badly outnumbered by registered Democrats (1534) and Unaffiliated voters (1083).
If past elections are a guide, Democrats and the majority of Unaffiliated voters will – due to their feelings about national politics – cast their votes for all the Democrat and/or Independent candidates on the ballot.Yet November 4th is a purely local election.The hot button issues that consume so much television, print and social media attention are not the least bit relevant to the upcoming local election.All voters should want the most talented, honest and dedicated members of the community to assume responsibility for governing our town.
The Republican party has two such candidates on the November ballot: Don Mayland, running for Selectman, and Peter Becket, running for the Board of Assessment Appeals.
Don Mayland has been part of the Lakeville/Salisbury community since 1970.He taught economics at Hotchkiss for 38 years, served as a Director of Litchfield Bancorp for 41 years (26 years as Chairman), served on the Board of Finance for 24 years and served three terms as one of our three Selectmen.Don is highly respected in the Salisbury community; during his nine years as a Selectman, he worked extremely well with First Selectman Curtis Rand and Democrat Selectman Chris Williams.In 2023, he lost his bid for re-election by two votes.
Peter Becket is a graduate of Yale University, has an MBA from Columbia University and served as an Infantry Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps.Peter has long been active in the community, including service on the Board of Education (he is a current member), the Fire House Building Committee and the Transfer Station Recycling Committee.Peter’s business experience as a bank officer, real estate agent and business appraiser makes him uniquely qualified for hearing disputes about property valuation, which is the mission of the Board of Assessment Appeals.
Salisbury would be fortunate to have Don Mayland return as a Selectman and Peter Becket to bring his valuation expertise to the Board of Assessment Appeals.They deserve your vote on November 4th.
Tom Morrison,
Chair, Salisbury Republican Town Committee
Lakeville
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125 years ago — September 1900
Quiet supreme reigns in and around our homes again; school has commenced.
The new foot bridge over the brook near the Library is being placed in position. The new structure will add greatly to the convenience of the public and the general appearance of that section of the highway.
SHARON — The Messrs. Geo. Gay and Frank Northrup intend laying pipes from the mountain directly opposite Mr. Gay’s for the purpose of bringing water from a large spring there to the two houses and barns.
Geo. Klebes of Sharon Valley has purchased and will soon move into the home of his father, the late Michael Klebes.
The work of fitting up the new telephone office at Gordon’s is being done. This, when completed, will occupy a large corner of Mr. Gordon’s store and will add greatly to the telephone service.
Miss Nellie Ryder, who went on from Falls Village to Klondike to meet and wed U.G. Meyers, got there all right and was married July 26th. — Now living in Eagle City.
100 years ago — September 1925
The many friends of Mrs. George Williamson were shocked to hear that she had been accidentally shot by a revolver at her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday, the bullet entering the abdominal section. She was hurried to the hospital and her parents, Dr. and Mrs. William Bissell, were notified. They at once left by the first train for Albuquerque. At the last moment before going to press the Journal learns that Mrs. Williamson seems slightly better and some slight hopes of her recovery are entertained.
William Brewster Hubbard died from a fractured skull at his home at Cream Hill near West Cornwall last Friday. He was carrying a pail of milk from his cow barn when he slipped and fell, striking his head, and died almost immediately. Mr. Hubbard was one of Cornwall’s prominent citizens and had a wide circle of friends throughout this section.
LAKEVILLE — Several from here have gone to Torrington to work.
Mrs. John Barrymore, wife of the noted actor of New York and Mrs. F.G. Gerard of Newport were guests at The Gateway on Wednesday night.
50 years ago — September 1975
A moving van had to be pressed into service last week, when a woman in an iron lung needed emergency transportation from her home to Sharon Hospital. Arnoff Moving & Storage Inc. in Lakeville was called upon when Genie Chester of Lime Rock was taken ill at her home. Her 3000-pound iron lung was too heavy to be handled by the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance. The five men who responded to the call — Larry Farnham, Francis Flint, Robert Francis, Bryant Killmer and Walter Killmer — refused to charge for their work time, and the Arnoff firm donated the use of the moving van. Mrs. Chester was reported in “good” condition at the hospital on Wednesday of this week. A spokesman for Arnoff said the men were expecting to carry her on the return trip to her home Thursday morning.
Deer poaching is a big business in the Northwest Corner and combating it takes much time of enforcement personnel, Conservation Officer Peter Begley told members of the Salisbury Rotary Club Tuesday. One group sold 125 deer during 1973-1974, mostly taken in the Northwest Corner, he said. Another took more than 100 deer from the Cornwall area to New York in a U-Haul truck in 1969-1970. Last year one crew killed 22 deer in a single night and one man alone killed eight. Another man bought an illegally killed deer for $75 and sold it to an undercover conservation officer for $150.
New York City’s famed Salmagundi Club, the oldest art club in the United States, has announced the winner of the 1975 Graphics and Sculpture Exhibition’s First Prize, member Alderson Magee, wildlife artist from Sharon. Mrs. Magee’s scratchboard drawing “Prairie Refuge,” showing two Pintail ducks landing ahead of a severe Midwest thunderstorm, was the winning entry.
Four Sheffield youths were arrested quickly Sunday evening after a robbery at Segalla’s Service Station in Canaan. The young men allegedly took $190 from the cash register of the gas station. The young men parked their car along side of the road, entered the gas station. According to attendant William Sackett, he found one of the boys in the office and noticed the cash register had been tampered with, and opening it, discovered all the bills had been removed. The boy denied any knowledge of the missing money and ran. A customer waiting outside noticed the make of the car and its license number, enabling police to trace the young men.
25 years ago — September 2000
CANAAN — In years to come, William Warner can truthfully tell his tale about catching “the big one.” The 11-year-old, bursting with delight and displaying a beaming smile, described how he had seen a large pike swimming in the Housatonic River for quite a while, but was unable to snag it with his pole. That was, until last Saturday, when his Phoebe, or silver lure, attracted the elusive fish. The sixth-grader at North Canaan Elementary School said catching the 38-incher was the easy part. Lifting it up on shore presented difficulties. The squirming pike, fighting for freedom, was finally landed by William and his brother Matthew, but not before Matthew’s skin was punctured by the fish’s sharp teeth. The family plans to have William’s “pride and joy” mounted.
The leaves on Allen Cockerline’s cornstalks have not begun to droop like those on other stalks aound the Northwest Corner. They remain green and erect, like arms reaching up to heaven. Mr. Cockerline, a farmer and artist, has etched a mystical corn maze into the fields he tends at the border of Falls Village and Lime Rock, at the intersection of routes 7 and 112. The maze has become a popular destination for weekend travelers to the region. “A lot of families come,” Mr. Cockerline said. “They seem to have the most fun, because the kids can usually ditch their parents in the maze.”
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