River News
Trout Unlimited
SCOTLAND DAM FLOW INFORMATION
CALL 860-456-4115
The dam operates between a low of 76 feet and a high of 78 feet approximately.
BREAKER IS CLOSED means the dam is releasing water to make power. River
level will be high. (over 1200 cfs)
BREAKER IS OPEN means power is not being generated. River level should be low.
Background image courtesy of "www.fisheyeguyphotography.com"
From the Fish and Wildlife Service and Others
Trout Unlimited has asked manufacturers to discontinue manufacture of felt-soled wading boots in 2011 due to the danger of spreading aquatic nuisance species in our streams. Here is a link to TU"s press release on the subject.
Dave Langer from Cabelas in East Hartford provided two links to information on how to clean your felt-soled waders and other equipment to help solve the same problem. Since many of us will be heading to the steams soon in our felt-soled boots, this information is very timely. The first link is to www.protectyourwaters.net/ This link is sponsored by the USFWS and the U.S. Coast Guard.
TThe second link is to www.cleaninspectdry.com/default.asp This is a website sponsored by the Greater Yellowstone Area Working Group.
Here is a link to the 2009 Stocking Report:
Will be converted to production
Here is a link to the DEP website on the closing: link
Please Participate
Greg Miller writes on February 9, 2010:
I have fished the Farmington River over 30 years. The fishery has come a long way in the last 35 years. It has grown from a small trout, put and take fishery to one of the best streams in the northeast. Some changes are being considered in the management of the TMA. These changes are intended, at least in part, to continue the steady improvement in wild trout in the river. I have put a brief survey together to learn how other fishermen feel about some of the issues involved. I have shared this with Neal Hagstrom from the Fisheries Dept and he is enthusiastic to see everyone's feedback as well. I hope to get as much involvement as possible. Please pass the link to this survey on to your membership and anyone else you know who might be willing to take a few minutes to complete the survey.. The more people we have participate the more our voice will be heard.
Here's the link to the survey: Survey Form
November 30, 2009.
Today's "New London Day" online paper has a story about the new CT DEP Proposed Standards for Stream Flow (www.theday.com/article/20091130/NWS12/311309976/1018). These standards are being developed as a result of legislation passed in 2005.
Here's the DEP webpage discussing the issue: www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2719&q=434018&depNav_GID=1654
The background article at: www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/water/watershed_management/flowstandards/streamflow_next_2_decades.pdf is probably the easiest to read.
As reported in the New London Day on Oct 12, 2009.
By Judy Benson
Millions in fees collected annually from sales of hunting and fishing licenses - fees that doubled in the new state budget adopted last month - will now go into the state's general fund rather than directly toward wildlife conservation projects.
The accounting change, taking effect just as the fall hunting season gets under way and hunters are paying the higher fees for the first time, is raising some questions at the federal agency that has been supplying annual grants for wildlife projects to supplement the state license fee revenues.
In the fiscal year that ended in June, for example, federal grants totaling $2.1 million were combined with $5.36 million in license revenues to help fund staff and programs focusing on hunter safety, waterfowl management, wildlife habitat improvements and management of the state's deer, wild turkey and moose populations, among others.
| NEW HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSE FEES
Firearms hunting: $28 (resident) $134 (nonresident) Archery hunting: $60 (resident) $200 (nonresident) Inland fishing: $40 (resident) $80 (nonresident) |
To be eligible for the federal grants, administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and known as Pittman-Robertson Act funds, states must agree that all fishing and hunting license fees they collect will go to the state's agency that oversees wildlife initiatives, said Diana Weaver, spokeswoman for the federal wildlife service's New England office.
”That's the catch right there,” she said. “We're looking into the legislation Connecticut passed.”
Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state DEP, said the new budget moves all revenues collected by the department from park entrance fees, licenses and other sources, into the state's general fund. Previously those funds were retained by the DEP. Schain said DEP officials welcome the change as a way to provide the agency with more stable funding and a better way to pay staff salaries and benefits.
He added that a bill approved by the legislature on July 1 contains language included specifically to ensure that the federal agency's requirements for state hunting and fishing license fees are met.
Weaver, however, said Fish & Wildlife Service officials have been meeting in recent weeks with DEP officials about the accounting change, and that no conclusions have been reached yet about Connecticut's eligibility for future Pittman-Robertson funds.
Schain said the DEP must now provide the Fish & Wildlife Service with documentation showing that the state will spend on the DEP's Wildlife Division staff and programs an amount equal to or greater than the amount collected from license fees. Connecticut is modeling itself after other states such as New York and New Jersey that fund their wildlife programs through their general funds and still receive the federal grants, he added.
The specific amount the state will spend on wildlife programs and staff in the current fiscal year isn't yet known, he said, “because the budget is so new.”
But “the budget will show at least level funding” compared to the fiscal year that ended June 30. The total budget for all wildlife staff and programs in fiscal 2008-09 was $10.7 million, he said, with roughly half coming from the license fees and the rest from state funds. The $2.1 million federal grant funds are in addition to that.
| THE LAW Public Act No. 09-173, approved by the legislature July 1, in part reads: ”The state of Connecticut assents to the provisions of the Act of Congress titled 'An Act to Provide that the United States Shall Aid the States in Wildlife Restoration Projects, and for Other Purposes'... and no funds accruing to the state from license fees paid by hunters, including, but not limited to, license fees paid by hunters pursuant to section 26-28 shall be diverted for any other purpose than the protection, propagation, preservation and investigation of fish and game and administration of the functions of the department relating thereto.” |
Schain acknowledged that many sportsmen would prefer that the fees they pay for licenses continue to go directly to wildlife programs and may find the accounting change distasteful, especially coming at the same time as the doubled license fees. It's too soon to know, however, whether sales of licenses will decline as a result, he said. The hunting and fishing license fees are among many increased in the new budget as part of efforts to close the deficit.
”Time will tell what the impact will be,” he said. “Any time there's change and prices go up, there's a possibility that people will make different choices.”
State trash authority halts plans for ash landfill in Franklin
As reported in the New London Day on August 28, 2009
Hartford (AP) - A regional trash authority has suspended its plans to build an ash landfill in Franklin, following strong opposition from residents and politicians.
The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority voted Thursday to halt efforts to build a landfill for ash residue in the state. The agency will now seek “environmentally sound options” for long-term disposal of reduce from its trash-to-energy plants, a decision both Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal praised.
State and local leaders had pressed the authority to find an alternative to building the landfill on the Franklin site, located about 35 miles from Hartford in eastern Connecticut.
”It is gratifying to know the outspoken wishes of Franklin residents, echoed by elected officials throughout Connecticut including the governor herself, registered at last with CRRA officials and convinced them to reconsider their plan,” state Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, said. “The threat of polluting local water supplies and the adverse impact of ash-laden trucks on small, rural roads made the Franklin site a poor choice for a new dump at the very start.”
The agency has been delivering ash from its Hartford incinerator, which serves 70 cities and towns, to the Hartford landfill. But that facility is closing and will not accept deliveries after Dec. 31.
Published on 2/26/2008 in the New London Day
The state Department of Environmental Protection has put its hunting and fishing licenses online and created a Google map feature to connect the public to state parks and forests, Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Monday.
The new automated online sportsmen's licensing system and the improved state park information are both available on the DEP homepage at www.ct.gov/dep. The state park information and Google mapping directions are also available at http://www.nochildleftinside.org/.
DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy said the DEP sells about 200,000 hunting and fishing licenses annually.
“Putting this service on line is both more convenient for sportsmen and more efficient for our agency,” she said. “It gets DEP out of the business of processing reams of paper applications.”
Sportsmen may now purchase Connecticut fishing, hunting, archery, and trapping licenses, and print their actual “official” license in the convenience of their own home, from their own printer – or from any computer with Internet access.
The system accepts payment by Visa or Master Card.
Customers can also make online purchases of all specialty permits, tags and stamps for specific species such as deer, turkey, pheasant, and migratory birds and seasons such as spring and fall turkey and deer.
For 2008, permits, tags, and stamps will be mailed next day to customers that make online purchases using their credit card. Starting in 2009, permits, tags and stamps will be printable from home computers.
DEP is also planning a future expansion of this online system to point-of-sale “touch” screens for use at retail outlets and town clerks offices.
In the new Google map feature, state parks and forests are showcased to provide information on highlights and activities as well as easy-to-follow Google map directions. Visitors to this web feature can select parks to “explore” by location or by activity. With a click of their mouse they can find out what is available at each park and they can then ask for a Google map and printed directions to the park of their choice. The web feature includes information and directions covering the more than 130 state parks and state forests.
“The new Google map feature,” McCarthy said, “makes it easier than ever to find out where you can go hiking, biking, boating, picnicking or swimming — and giving you precise directions on how to get to these parks. Connecticut is blessed with an outstanding state park system. We want to do everything we can to help more and more families discover our parks and spend time in them.”
Highly invasive alga found in Vermont in the Connecticut and White Rivers
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection today is advising anglers and boaters to be on the lookout for the highly invasive freshwater alga Didymosphenia geminata, known as “Didymo” and to take precautions to prevents its spread into Connecticut waters. The call was prompted when the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources recently confirmed that the alga has been found in the northern reaches of the Connecticut River near Bloomfield, VT, and at several sites along the White River, a tributary of the Connecticut River in central Vermont. This is the first official report of Didymo in the northeastern United States.
During blooms, didymo can form thick mats of cottony material (typically gray, white and/or brown, but never green in color) on the bottoms of rivers and streams that can potentially smother aquatic plants, aquatic insects and mollusks, destroy fish habitat, and negatively affect existing food webs. Didymo is most frequently found in relatively shallow streams and rivers having a rocky substrate. Didymo is not expected to be problem in the lower Connecticut River or in lakes; however, it could have a large impact on fish and other aquatic organisms if introduced to the state’s smaller rivers.
Humans are the primary vector responsible for the recent spread of didymo. Anglers, kayakers and canoeists, boaters and jet skiers can all unknowingly spread didymo. This microscopic alga can cling to fishing gear, waders (felt soles can be especially problematic), boots and boats, and remain viable for several weeks under even slightly moist conditions. It is recommended that water recreationalists practice CHECK, CLEAN, DRY procedures.
• CHECK: Before leaving a river or stream, remove all obvious clumps of algae and look for hidden clumps. Leave them at the affected site. If you find any later, do not wash them down drains; dispose all material in the trash.
• CLEAN: Soak and scrub all items for at least one minute in either hot (140 degrees F) water, a two percent solution of household bleach or a five percent solution of salt, antiseptic hand cleaner or dishwashing detergent.
• DRY: If cleaning is not practical, after the item is completely dry to touch, wait an additional 48 hours before contact or use in any other waterway.
Thought to be native to far northern regions of Europe, Asia and probably North America, the geographical and ecological range of this freshwater alga has been expanding in recent years. Didymo has been spreading to diverse areas including British Columbia in Canada, the western US (especially Montana, South Dakota, Idaho and Colorado), New Zealand, and then into the southeast US (Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia). Didymo, a microscopic alga, has also begun developing massive blooms that can sometimes extend for several kilometers of river.
The above procedures will also be effective against other unwanted organisms.
For more information on Didymo, visit the US EPA Region 8 website:
http://www.epa.gov/region8/water/didymosphenia/
or the Biosecurity New Zealand: website:
Bridge Lifted into Place June 7th
A 44 foot long pedestrian bridge was installed on June 7th over the spillway of the Hewitt’s Pond Dam, a popular fly fishing spot on the Shunnock River. The pond is stocked by state with trout each spring. This bridge restores fishing access to both sides of the dam and reconnects the Narragansett Trail, a Connecticut blue blazed trail. The previous walkway across the spillway was removed in 2004 due to deterioration. The Narragansett Trail was relocated to a ford downstream of the dam. This ford was sometimes impassible due to high flow in the Shunnock River. The ford also restricted access to the dam for fishermen.
Trout Unlimited has worked since early 2005 to restore the crossing over the spillway. Trout Unlimited worked in partnership with The Connecticut Forest and Park Association on this task. The Connecticut Forest and Park Association maintains the blue blazed trails. Additional support was provided by the state Parks Division and by Avalonia Land Conservancy volunteers.
A Recreational Trails Grant was secured in March 2006 from the Department of Environmental Protection using funds provided by the Federal Highway Administration. A dam maintenance permit was secured from the Department of Environmental Protection, Inland Water Resources Division, this spring. Work began in April 2007 on constructing the abutments and approaches to the bridge. A steel bridge with a wooden walkway was purchased from Contech Bridge Solutions, Inc., of Alexandria, Minnesota. This bridge arrived on June 7th and was set in place using a crane provided by Industrial Engineers, Inc., of Uncasville. The bridge is now open for public use.
More than 60 seconds is too long
In-Fisherman magazine, April-May 2007, reports on the work of J.F. Schreer, D.M. Resch, M.L. Gately, and S.J. Cooke regarding brook trout survival in air. These biologists tested hatchery brook trout acclimated to 50 deg F water. They chased the fish for 30 seconds to simulate angling, then held them in the air for periods from 0 to 120 seconds and measured their subsequent swimming performance. Exposures up to 60 seconds had little effect but an exposure of 120 seconds reduced swimming ability by more than 75%. Nearly half the trout held out this long were unwilling or unable to swim at all until they recovered sufficiently.
The trout were observed for 3 months after the tests and there were no deaths so the longer exposure wasn't fatal. However, the researchers recommend that air exposure should be limited to 60 seconds or less.
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