WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
In October 2021, a storm washed out the pedestrian bridge at the town-owned Holcomb Farm which had provided access to the farm property west of the bridge and its very popular trail network. Both the Friends of Holcomb Farm and the Town of Granby wanted access to the land restored and the town had requested that Friends of Holcomb Farm (FHF) take lead in developing a plan.
As a result, the Friends of Holcomb Farm approached the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee for help. The National Park Service representative to LFSWS obtained the help of an NPS fluvial geomorphologist to evaluate the sustainable options for dealing with the bridge washout. (A fluvial geomorphologist is a scientist who studies the effects of rivers and streams on the land nearby depending on a variety of factors such as the velocity of the stream, the amount of water, etc.) The Friends of Holcomb Farm already understood that the original site of the bridge was problematic and had selected an alternative location, which the NPS agreed was workable.
The Friends submitted a grant application to LFSWS for half of the funding for an engineering scoping study for the project, which the Wild and Scenic Committee approved. The scoping study showed that the cost of a new bridge, which came in at $650,000 to $850,000, was not within the funds available.
As a result, an alternate plan was developed by the Friends in cooperation with the town and Granby Land Trust. According to the new plan, following the 2024 replacement of the Simsbury Road bridge which crosses Salmon Brook south of Holcomb Farm, trailhead parking and a trail near the new bridge will provide access to the western side of the Holcomb Farm without the need for trail users to cross the brook.
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Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild & Scenic 