HRC will seek Wild & Scenic for Housatonic

FALLS VILLAGE — Bill Tingley of Sharon, chairman of the Housatonic River Commission, said that a federal Wild and Scenic designation for the river between the Massachusetts border and New Milford would not infringe on local control and private property rights or attract additional recreational users.Tingley was speaking at a meeting of the commission Tuesday, May 6, at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. The meeting was billed as an informational meeting for the public about plans to seek Wild and Scenic status.Also on hand were Eileen Fielding, executive director of the Farmington River Watershed Association, and Liz Lacy of the National Park Service.Tingley said in his opening remarks that when the Wild and Scenic designation was originally discussed in 1979, the towns involved “decided the feds weren’t ready for us” and declined to pursue the matter.Shortly after that the commission was formed, with volunteer members from Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, New Milford, North Canaan, Salisbury and Sharon. It is responsible for monitoring and advising the member towns.Tingley said that in the intervening 35 years since 1979, water quality has improved and the river has retained its most desirable characteristics. “I think we can all agree the beauty is still there.”But, he added, there is increased pressure — from development, major storms, invasive species, drainage issues, among other things. He said the commission’s goal is “to preserve the peace and tranquility we all crave.”The commission voted unanimously to pursue the Wild and Scenic designation. Tingley said, “We can’t afford to stick our heads in the sand and think the status quo is sufficient.”He said the commission heard “extensive and detailed testimony” from people involved in Wild and Scenic watersheds in New England, and that the Wild and Scenic program had evolved “into a true partnership with total local control.”Tingley said the primary goal in seeking Wild and Scenic status is “to keep things the way they are.”“We need to make them a little better,” he added.He said that Wild and Scenic status gives the seven towns “a platform” to influence any future projects along the river.“As it stands now, we have nothing.”Stubborn swamp YankeesAnticipating some skepticism from the audience, Tingley said, “Your river commission is comprised of a group of pretty stubborn swamp Connecticut Yankees. We’re not easily pushed around. The last thing we would do is give our river over to the U.S. government, and that’s not what’s happening here.”Fielding said that the West Branch of the Farmington River was one of the first rivers in the northeast to be considered for Wild and Scenic designation, which occurred in 1994.In that case the application was made to Congress, and in order to do that all the towns involved had to be on board, as well as water utility companies, state agencies and community associations.These entities “all had to work together in advance, for years, before going to Congress.”Additionally, the applicants had to demonstrate that the river was sufficiently protected before moving ahead with the process. “So there was no necessity for an additional layer of federal regulation.”“The bottom line is that many years later we have a committee of stakeholders who used to be in opposition to each other now working together, reasonably well, on our management plan.”She said Wild and Scenic designation on the West Branch “has done a fair amount of good to support river management projects and as far as we can tell hasn’t done any serious harm. Nobody has lost land.”The experience on the West Branch has been so positive that there is a proposal slowly moving through Congress to do the same thing for the main stem of the Farmington.Fielding said as far as increased tourism goes, “It’s really up to people in the region. If you want to promote it, you can.”Liz Lacy, a community planner and river manager for the National Park Service who has worked on the Farmington and the Westfield River in Massachusetts, said as far as her agency is concerned, her job is to provide technical assistance. “It’s another tool for your toolbox.”She tried to allay fears of increased traffic on the river, saying that has not been the case on the Farmington or Westfield rivers.“I don’t want people to worry that Wild and Scenic turns into total mayhem.”‘There is no down side’She read a letter from Donald Stein, first selectman of Barkhamsted (where some of the Farmington’s best fly-fishing is located).In the letter, Stein said the Wild and Scenic designation has been good for his town. He mentioned technical support for the zoning and wetlands commissions, and said, “There is no down side. The federal government has no more control now than before.”During the question-and-answer part of the meeting, the question was raised: Why seek Wild and Scenic at all, if nothing is going to change?Fielding said in the case of Northeastern rivers, the designation offers protection against projects that call for diverting water from a river, or altering the channel. Once Wild and Scenic is in place, the National Park Service becomes one of the parties involved in any project that has an impact on the river.A Wild and Scenic river also qualifies for some federal funding, she added.Fielding kept referring to the West Branch Farmington situation as a “partnership river.” Asked to explain, she said that there is a Farmington River coordinating committee which has representatives from her group, the Watershed Association, plus representatives from each town, from the Metropolitan District Commission (in charge of the water supply for the city of Hartford), the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Farmington River Angler’s Association and the National Park Service. Whether or not the Housatonic River Commission seeks a similar arrangement has yet to be decided. Tingley said at the beginning of the meeting that the process is “in its infancy.”One member of the audience said it all sounded too good to be true, and asked that the selectmen in the towns “read the fine print.”