Restoring the Housatonic River Watershed

History of the Housatonic NRDAR Under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Protecting Habitat Restoration (NRDAR) provisions of the Superfund Act, Restoring Aquatic Resources Working with numerous partners, the Trustees the General Electric Company settled with Natural Funds are being used to remove several dams, have protected hundreds of acres of wildlife habitat Resource Trustees (USFWS, NOAA, Massachusetts repair existing fishways and enhance riparian in MA and CT, primarily riparian floodplain forests and Connecticut) for $15 million in 1999 for historic buffers to improve cold water fisheries. and fields adjacent to the Housatonic and its releases of PCBs to the Housatonic. Funds are being tributaries. Many parcels are actively managed used to restore injured natural resources at a variety of to reduce invasive species and restore native projects throughout the watershed. vegetation. Additional protection efforts are expected in both states in the next few years.

Removal (or breaching) of dams such as this one on the Blackberry River in North Canaan, CT, will restore resident fish populations. Partnerships Make the Difference Partners throughout the watershed implement Vernal pools are protected on the 25-acre Indian Fields parcel in New Milford, CT. restoration projects and bring additional funds and expertise to enhance and expand Trustee-funded Increasing Public Use efforts. We celebrate the efforts of everyone Numerous canoe launches, fishing platforms and involved, including: Berkshire Natural Resources Council Massachusetts Cities and Towns: walking trails will increase public access to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Dalton River and adjacent natural areas. These features Connecticut Audubon Society Great Barrington Connecticut Bass Federation Hinsdale promote public enjoyment and appreciation of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Lee outdoors. Protection Lenox Crane & Company, Inc. Sheffield ESS Group, Inc. Pittsfield Housatonic River Watershed with Project Locations Flying Cloud Institute Great Barrington Land Conservancy Connecticut Cities and Towns: Housatonic River Initiative Beacon Falls Housatonic Valley Association Harwinton Kampoosa Bog Stewardship Committee Kent Mass Division of Ecological Restoration New Fairfield Mass Division of Fisheries & Wildlife New Milford Massachusetts Audubon Society Newtown Naromi Land Trust Southbury Natural Resource Conservation Service Northwest Conservation District For more information, contact: Project Native, Inc. Karen Pelto, MassDEP Schaghticoke Tribal Nation Sheffield Land Trust 617/292 5785 Simon’s Rock College Rick Jacobson, CTDEP Stantec 860/424 3482 The Nature Conservancy The Trustees of Reservations Molly Sperduto, USFWS Trout Unlimited 603/223 2541 Valley Council of Governments Ken Finkelstein, NOAA Webster Ingersoll Housatonic River Walk, Great Barrington, MA. 617/918 1499