Watershed News March 2018
President’s Message
Hi Everybody,
Presidents message:
It seems like we are being teased with the arrival of
spring. One day it is 60 degrees and the next we have
a major Northeaster. However, We have some events
coming up soon that hopefully will brighten your
spirits and get us ready for spring.
The Symposium on March 24th.
Always a great morning full of information and infor-
mative speakers. The field trip(s) are a wonderful way
to complete the day.
Our theme for this year’s Symposium is “Wild and
Scenic – 25 years.” We have speakers that were pres-
ent when the designation was first enacted 25 years
ago and have followed its progress thru the years.
Spring river cleanup on April 21st.
This gives us a jump start on keeping our river clean,
safe and presentable to everybody that uses it.
Fish Ladder Open House May 20th
It is always a great turn out and one of our popu-
lar activities. We now do it earlier in the spring to
coincide with the larger number of fish moving up
the river.
Westfield River Canoe Cruise June 16th
More people join this cruise every year. It is a non-
competitive, leisurely cruise that gives you a chance
to see some of the river in its wild state.
You will be reading more about some of these activi-
ties in this and future newsletters.
We sponsored the Wild and Scenic film festival on
March 8th. About 100 people attended and it was a
very interesting and informative presentation.
The board is hard at work reinforcing current activi-
ties and looking for new ones. It is the help and sup-
port we get from our members that encourages us to
do better.
THANK YOU for all you do for the WRWA.
SEE YOU ON THE RIVER!!!!
Bill Rose
WRWA President
In This Issue
Spring River Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Kayak/Canoe Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Fish Ladder Open House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Annual Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
WRWA Co-Sponsors SYRCL’s
Wild and Scenic Film Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Annual Westfield River Symposium: . . . . . . . . . . 4
Annual Financial Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Officers and Directors for 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Spring River Cleanup
by Mark Damon
This spring’s cleanups are scheduled for April 21 (the
day before Earth Day). As in past years, we’ll meet at
9:00 a.m. at two sites – one in Westfield at the park-
ing lot on Meadow Street (at the end near Elm Street
and the bridges), and the other at Pynchon Point in
Agawam. We’ll supply gloves and bags, and anyone
participating should wear clothes that they don’t mind
getting dirty and wet. We work for about 3-4 hours,
depending on how many sites we have and how much
trash there is to pick up. This is a fun event and a way
to do something for your river that produces results you
can see right away. For more information, contact Mark
Damon at markjdamon@gmail.com for the Westfield
site, and Sheryl Becker at sher1earth69@gmail.com for
the Agawam site. Hope to see you there!
Kayak/Canoe Cruise
by Phil Sousa
This year’s annual paddle on the Westfield River from
downtown Westfield to Robinson State Park in Agawam
is scheduled for Saturday, June 16. The route is 6-7
miles, usually takes about 3 hours to complete, and has
a surprisingly “natural” feel given that the river roughly
follows the heavily developed Rt. 20 corridor for much
of that distance. This is a mostly flat water section of the
river, with a couple of quickwater sections. We’ll have
personnel along the river to help paddlers negotiate one
or two potentially difficult areas.
Registration will take place from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in
the parking area just east of the south end of the Great
River Bridges in Westfield (accessible from Meadow
Street). After registration, canoes and kayaks will be
dropped off at the end of Hanover St., where we’ll
arrange a shuttle for participants to park their cars at the
end of the cruise in Robinson State Park and be returned
to the launch area. The first group will depart around
11:15 a.m., with another group starting when the last
registrants are returned to the launch site.
  Westfield River Watershed Association News  2  
Cost for the event is $10.00 per paddler or $25.00 per
family and covers the cost of insurance, the shuttle,
and light snacks at Robinson State Park at the end of
the cruise. Personal flotation devices are required for
all participants, and it’s a good idea to bring along
sunscreen and fluids. This event is contingent on safe
weather and river conditions, so be sure to check for
updates on our web site (www.westfieldriver.org) or our
Facebook page.
Fish Ladder Open House
by Bill Rose
SAVE THE DATE: The open house will be held from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, with parking
at the old Southworth Paper Company parking lot at
150 Front St. in West Springfield.
Mass Wildlife had suggested that it probably would
be the best time as there are a lot more fish coming up
the ladder and in the pit waiting to come up than in
June when we usually had it.
Once again we are hoping the weather and the fish
will cooperate. Last year we had a record number of
people attend and they all had positive comments on
the many fish and the knowledge of the board mem-
bers helping out.
Still others were there for the first time and many said
they did not know that this ladder even existed. We are
hoping to introduce even more people to it this year.
So again, “save the date,” tell your friends and family,
and come and see what the fish Ladder is all about.
Annual Meeting
The annual meeting is scheduled for May 17th. We
are looking into having a speaker. The board mem-
bers will bring great refreshments and We usually go
from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Check out our web site
in the future for more information. It is a great chance
to meet the newly elected board members and share
your concerns and ideas.
Save the date, we hope to see you there.
WRWA Co-Sponsors SYRCL’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival
Last fall the Board was approached by members of We s t f i e l d R i v e r Wa te
W i l d & S c e n i c We s t f i
rshed Association a n
e l d  R i v e r  C o m m i t te e
d
 p re s e n t s

our sister organization Wild and Scenic Westfield 1 st A N N UA L

Committee about the possibility of co-sponsoring the

South Yuba River Citizens League’s (SYRCL) Wild
W H E R E AC T I V I S M G
ETS I NSPI RED

and Scenic Film Festival. SYRCL is a California-

based watershed organization formed in 1983 to
confront the prospect of dams on the South Yuba. In Thu rsday, March 8 • 2018
Dever Auditorium, Parenzo
Hall at
their own words, their work ‘unites the community to
Westfield State University
Westfield, MA
6:30 – 10 p.m.
protect and restore the Yuba River.’ Their film festival
has been running for 16 years and features films that

NON KUGUENKO
seek to inspire our next generation of environmental

ARTWORK BY SHAN
stewards and activists and to share engaging stories GR OUN DSW ELL

with those of us already committed to the work. 13 FILM S SPONSORED BY: Westfield
and Wild & Scenic Westfield
HOSTED BY the Departments 
River Watershed Association
River Committee
of Geography and Regiona

SYRCL’s website describes the festival this way:

FOR MORE INFO: westfieldriver.o l Planning and Environm
ental Science
rg • FACEBOOK/Westfield River 
Watershed Association

SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a call to

action. At Wild & Scenic, film goers are transformed
into a congregation of committed activists, dedi-
cated to saving our increasingly threatened planet.
We show environmental and adventure films that
illustrate the Earth’s beauty, the challenges facing
our planet, and the work communities are doing to
protect the environment.
This year’s festival theme is Groundswell, and the
goal is to inspire and unite communities to help heal
the earth.
Needless to say the Board was thrilled to work with
Wild and Scenic Westfield on this! Sponsoring the
festival was especially attractive as a kick-off for
celebrating 25 years since the official designation of
the upper sections of the Westfield as a National Wild
and Scenic River, Massachusetts first. The traveling
festival features 13 short films, all of which premiered
at the 16th Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada
City, California, this past January.
The opening show was held at Westfield State Univer-
sity’s Dever Stage on March 8 and was hosted by the
Departments of Geography and Regional Planning,
Environmental Science and the student-led Envi-
ronmental Planning Club. About 110 viewers were
treated to films telling some truly inspiring, some-
times tragic, sometimes humorous, sometimes heroic
stories about efforts to protect the planet. Many films
focused on efforts to restore and protect rivers. Others
told of grass roots resistance to the human rights and
environmental abuses of mining corporations in Peru
and industrial pollution in Los Angeles. Many view-
ers commented on the quality of the films and the
event. Many thanks to all those who participated! We
look forward to making this an annual event!
Remaining dates and places for viewing the film
festival can be found on Wild and Scenic Westfield’s
website, wildscenicwestfieldriver.org, where you can
also link to trailers of the films. There are several
opportunities to view the film festival in Western MA
during the month of April.

  Westfield River Watershed Association News  3  

Annual Westfield River Symposium:
Celebrating 25 Years as a National Wild and Scenic River!
Taking place on the morning of March 24 in West-
field State University’s Scanlon Hall, this year’s
river symposium celebrates the 25th anniversary of
the designation of the Westfield River as a National
Wild and Scenic river. From the National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System web site: “The National Wild
and Scenic Rivers System was created by Congress
in 1968… to preserve certain rivers with outstanding
natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-
flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and
future generations. The Act is notable for safeguard-
ing the special character of these rivers, while also
recognizing the potential for their appropriate use and
development. It encourages river management that As always, symposium goers will have the chance to
crosses political boundaries and promotes public par- view and speak with a variety of exhibitors. After a
ticipation in developing goals for river protection.” break for lunch there will be a guided field trip to the
iconic keystone arch bridges, leaving the university
Our keynote speaker will be consultant, planner and
at 1:30.
photographer Chris Curtis. Curtis had a long and pro-
ductive career as a Land Use Planner with the Pioneer We hope to see you on Saturday the 24th!!!
Valley Planning Commission and was instrumental Schedule:
in spearheading the effort to secure Wild and Scenic
Registration: 8:30 to 9:00
status for the river back in the early 1990s. Curtis
will combine reflections on the process with his many Keynote Speaker: 9:00 to 10:00 “A auditorium”
beautiful photographs of the river over the years in Christopher Curtis
his presentation ‘Celebrating the Westfield: 25 Years’. Next Speaker: 10:10 to 10:55 “B auditorium”
The keynote will be given at 9:15 after introductions. Carrie Banks
Curtis will be followed by Carrie Banks of the Massa- Panel Discussion: 11:00 to 11:50 “A auditorium”
chusetts Division of Ecological Restoration at 10:10. Meredyth Babcock
Banks’ will give a talk entitled ‘Restoring and Con- Raffle: 12:00
necting a Wild and Scenic River’ in which she will Lunch: 12:15 to 1:30
draw from her many years of experience in the water- Field Trip to arches at 1:30 p.m.
shed, working to restore the connectivity and ecologi-
cal integrity of the river and its many tributaries great
and small.
The final presentation, beginning at 11:00, will be a
panel discussion entitled ‘Navigating River Intern-
ships’ and will feature the experiences and reflections
of several generations of interns who have gained
experience in science and river stewardship here in
the watershed.
  Westfield River Watershed Association News  4  
Annual Financial Summary 2017
2017Total
TotalRevenue
Revenue$8,499.75
$8,499.75 2017
by Mike Young
$175
WRWA is a 503(c) non-profit organization. Total orga- $225
nizational assets at the end of 2017 were $21,160.28, $181
$3,500
with most of those funds held in Certificate of Deposit
accounts. Total revenue for 2017 was $8,499.75, $4,077 $1
primarily from one payment related to a Conservation
Law Foundation settlement plus membership dues and
donations. Total expenses for 2017 were $16,975.53,
with the largest expense this year being a $10,000
CLF Settlements Programs Profess
donation to the Save North Pond campaign in South- Memberships/Donations Events/Sales Contrac
wick. Categories for the expenses shown in the related CD/Account Interest
Printing
pie chart have been modified this year to more closely Admin.

correspond to those used in federal tax filings, and

2017 Total Revenue $8,499.75 2017 Total Expenses
2017 Expenses$16,975.53
$16,975.53
include professional fees (hourly assistant, interns),
printing and postage, administrative$175 expenses (sup-
plies, PO box rental, filing fees, Waite
$225 Award, meeting $3,500
expenses), program expenses (Teaching
$181 with Trout,
$3,500
symposium, canoe cruise, cleanups, water analyses), $195
and membership dues and donations
$948
$4,077 to other groups
Program
$10,530
(Save North Pond, Mass Rivers Alliance, CT Valley $1,803
Events
Conservancy). Overall, this translates to a net loss for
the year of $8,475.78. Without the Save North Pond CD/Acc
donation, which the Board felt was an important local
CLF Settlements Programs Professional fees, Program Expenses
initiative and which helped us to meet our obligation Membe
Memberships/Donations Events/Sales Contractors Memberships, Donations
to spend legal settlement monies for certain approved Printing, Postage
CD/Account Interest CLF
activities, we would’ve ended the year with a surplus Admin. Expenses
of a little over $1500. Amounts in both charts have been rounded to the nearest dollar.
Both revenue and expenses were broadly similar to Assets as of Dec. 31, 2016 Assets as of Dec. 31, 2017
2016 (with the exception of the large donation to the Checking $5,989.93 Checking $6,804.52
Save North Pond campaign), with membership dues CDs $23,646.13 CDs $14,355.76
and donations recovering somewhat from last year’s Total $29,636,06 Total $21,160,28
amount. A new category for income this year is “pro-
gram revenue,” which resulted from a very successful On the other hand, Professor Reyes sponsored interns
running of the annual canoe/kayak cruise last June during both Fall, 2016 and Spring, 2017 and both were
(the event had to be cancelled in 2016 due to river paid during 2017, so our expenses for professional
conditions). Lynn Bannon, who’d been handling our fees were somewhat higher than in 2016.
membership and publicity as an hourly assistant for
a number of years, stepped down last spring and her Overall, WRWA is in very good shape financially,
duties have largely been taken on by Board members with typical income and expenses approximately bal-
for now. For the first time in several years we also had anced and a good reserve of funds that can be used for
no expenses related to storm drain labeling in 2017. future projects.

  Westfield River Watershed Association News  5  

Officers and Directors for 2018
Officers:
President: Bill Rose 39 Sunset Terrace Feeding Hills 01030 786-0195
First Vice President: Brian Conz 999 General Knox Rd., Russell, MA 01071 572-8084
Second Vice President: Allan Ouimet 16 Russell Rd. Westfield 01085 539-0964
Secretary: Mark Damon 297 Western Ave Westfield 01085 977-1577
Treasurer: Mike Young 721 West Rd. Westfield 01085 562-8498
Directors:
Ann Barone 3 Delancey St, Westfield 01085 374-9799
Sheryl Becker 142 Beekman Drive, Agawam, MA 01085 374-1921
Timblin Judy 37 Mountain Rd. Holyoke 01040 569-9018
Ron Lucassen 39 Rachael Terrace Westfield 01085 568-4252
John A. Pelli 32 Laro Road, Westfield 01085 562-0182
Aaron Reyes Northampton, MA 01060 572-8380
Phillip Sousa 29 Yankee Circle Westfield 01085 568-3982
Henry Warchol 2 Sackville Road Westfield 01085 562-3467
Honorary Directors:
Dan Call 78 Granville Road, Unit 10, Westfield 01085 364-0993

For more information on WRWA’s activities, check our website at www.westfieldriver.org

  Westfield River Watershed Association News  6  

WRWA
PO Box 1764
Westfield, MA  01086-1764

The
Westfield River Watershed Association Newsletter
March 2018

In This Issue
Spring River Cleanup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Kayak/Canoe Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Fish Ladder Open House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Annual Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
WRWA Co-Sponsors SYRCL’s
Wild and Scenic Film Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Annual Westfield River Symposium: . . . . . . . . . . 4
Annual Financial Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Officers and Directors for 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6