Category Archives: Uncategorized

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY “Changes in the Composition of Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies) Utilizing the Lower Farmington River/Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Area” In the spring and summer of 2024, Jay Kaplan, Co-Director of Roaring Brook Nature Center, led a survey of Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) at fifteen sites along the lower Farmington RiverContinue reading “Survey of Odonates (Dragonflies & Damselflies)”

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYFRWA employed a multiparameter water quality meter on Barber Pond to monitor aquatic conditions during herbicidal treatment. Measurements were taken on several dates between June – August 2024, with two dates including measurements throughout Barber Pond at 1-meter increments. FRWA used this data to create depth profiles for several physical andContinue reading “Barber Pond Monitoring”

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYFRWA staff and volunteers, along with volunteers from JAX and KNOX Hartford, removed more than 1,300 pounds of water chestnut from Barber Pond over five pulling events in the summer of 2024. Water chestnut seed corms were counted and measured throughout the season to determine efficacy of herbicidal treatments on seedContinue reading “Barber Pond Invasive Water Chestnut Pulls”

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYThe Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee is proud to have the opportunity to continue supporting Dr. Carole Cheah’s work protecting hemlocks along the lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook and their tributaries. Using a tiny beetle from Japan, S. tsugae, which co-evolved with the hemlock woollyContinue reading “Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Control Project”

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYThe Farmington Land Trust’s fishing pier was developed with the intent of providing a fishing site accessible to people with limited mobility. Unfortunately, over the years it has presented repeated problems. Located at a bend in the Farmington River near the confluence of the river with Unionville Brook, the pier obstructsContinue reading “Farmington Land Trust’s Fishing Pier Remediation Project”

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYLFSWS supported FRWA through funding for Water Quality interns for cyanobacteria research on Rainbow Reservoir, a 225-acre impoundment on the Farmington River in Windsor. In recent years, cyanobacteria blooms, which have the potential to be toxic and affect water quality, have been recurring in Rainbow Reservoir, impacting the recreational use. TheContinue reading “Cyanobacteria Research”

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYSixteen sites were monitored year-round for chloride to determine how locations fare in winter months when road salts are applied, and in summer during high-production times for aquatic plants and animals. In fiscal year 2023, LFSWS funded FRWA’s purchase of continuous conductivity monitors to enable conductivity research in relation to chlorideContinue reading “Chloride Monitoring”

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYFRWA deployed water temperature loggers at four sites in 2024. Loggers record water temperatures hourly throughout the year to monitor in-stream temperatures to document cold water habitat for temperature-sensitive species and to assess long term trends. The data recorded indicate cold water at all sites where the loggers were deployed.

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYTwenty-three sites were monitored for bacteria from May to September. In 2024 several exceeded the Water Quality Criteria for bacteria. These data can better inform where there may be higher levels of polluted stormwater runoff and help to determine potential land-based causes behind these factors. Results are updated weekly during theContinue reading “Water Quality: Bacteria”

WATER QUALITY & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYBecause Water Quality is one of the outstanding resource values for which the river was designated Wild and Scenic, the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee (LFSWS) provides funding for some of the monitoring and related research done by the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA). Good waterContinue reading “Water Quality Monitoring”