Housatonic River Commission celebrates ‘Wild and Scenic’ status

SHARON — The Housatonic River Commission threw a bit of a party Saturday afternoon, Sept. 7, at Housatonic Meadows State Park in Sharon.

The event was a celebration of the river’s designation as a Wild and Scenic River.

The federal status became official in 2023.

The Housatonic River Commission is composed of members from the seven towns included in the 41 mile Wild and Scenic stretch of the Housatonic: New Milford, Kent, Sharon, Cornwall, Falls Village, North Canaan and Salisbury.

Commission chair Bill Tingley thanked the organizations and agencies that worked with the Housatonic River Commission to protect the river, including the National Park Service, Housatonic Valley Association, Northwest Hills Council of Governments, FirstLight, and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Tingley also thanked the volunteers of the Housatonic Meadows Preservation Action (HMPA) for their work on the park after DEEP, in 2021, removed some 100 trees, 75 pine and 25 century oaks, deemed hazardous.

After a subsequent outcry, DEEP, in consultation with the HMPA, began planting new trees on October 2022, and the Connecticut General Assembly passed legislation to oversee DEEP’s hazardous tree removal policies.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) with Lynn Werner of the Housatonic Valley Association at the Housatonic River Commission’s Sept. 7 event.Patrick L. Sullivan

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) was on hand, and in brief remarks praised “the people willing to help protect these resources” for future generations.

Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-5) also attended, and noted that the Fifth District contains not one but two Wild and Scenic Rivers (the other being the Farmington).

“This is a big deal,” Hayes said. “This is like an insurance policy.”

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) could not attend, but Tingley read a letter congratulating the commission on achieving the Wild and Scenic designation.

State Representative Maria Horn (D-64) was also on hand.

Music was provided by Hudson Crossing.