Time for a new look upstream

Calling all volunteers! Some of you may remember (hopefully fondly) the first-ever Visual Assessment that we did back in 2005. Folks walked or paddled sections of the main stem of the Black River, taking notes and making observations and capturing on film things like culverts and eroded banks, as well as scenic areas and wildlife.

It’s time to do it again! Tropical Storm Irene dumped loads of rain on August 28, 2011, the floodwaters raged and carved new courses for many area streams.

This time around, we’ll be making a few more notes and exploring futher into the watershed; communities in the upper reaches of the basin will be documented, and many tributaries of the Black River will be cataloged and recorded.

The prep-work will be underway next week: seeking donations and grants to fund the project, gathering tax maps and landowner addresses, reaching out to potential volunteers via town meetings and posting flyers, researching the names of some of the lesser-known tributaries.

The paddling, walking and data-gathering will occur during the summer, weather and safety conditions permitting.

Then comes the work of collecting, collating and assembling the materials for printing, scheduling workshops to introduce the final Visual Assessment booklet to the public, and more.

What’s the point? you might ask. There are many reasons for conducting a Visual Assessment of a river. For one thing, we can pin-point locations of trash and debris that may have been left behind by the floodwaters. This can be slated for removal by the BRAT during our annual RiverSweep cleanup or by other agencies better equipped to retrieve and dispose of potentially hazardous waste, such as propane tanks.

Another great reason to do a Visual Assessment: we’ll use the information gathered to select important sites for future water quality monitoring. Swimming holes, popular fishing spots, above and below waste-water treatment facilities, and anywhere that the river smells or looks odd.

Far-reaching goals for the data include learning where culverts may have failed during Irene or choke-points where road crossings seem to be too narrow to accomodate future heavy flows. We can look for areas where sediment is entering the river system from degraded tributary streams or from dirt roads.

A Visual Assessment is also a perfect opportunity to get out the river and be part of its cycle, to experience the connection between upstream and downstream, to really understand the dynamic and powerful way in which rivers do the work of moving water and sediment.

There are many ways to help, from stuffing and labeling envelopes to paddling or walking a stretch of stream yourself; from assembling the final booklet that we produce to collating materials turned in by volunteers. Any time or elbow-grease you may have to offer would be most appreciated!

Free walking tour into history!

Over the years, we’ve pulled out some pretty gross stuff during our annual cleanups…but we’ve also found some pretty cool stuff! Join me for a free walking tour of some of Springfield’s historical industrial sites as we explore our area’s heritage and how it relates to what we’re discovering in the river. Meet at the Comtu Cascades mini-park next to 1 Main St on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a camera and a bottle of drinking water if you wish. I expect we’ll be out for about 2 hours, so a snack might be in order, as well! While the event is free, I would really appreciate knowing that you plan to come, so let me know by leaving a message at (802) 885-1533 or blackrivercleanup@yahoo.com.

It’s been a while…

…but here I am again. After nearly two months of amazing efforts on the part of so many BRAT volunteers, our watershed is moving out of ‘flood relief’ mode and into ‘flood recovery and rebuilding’ mode. As we do this, it is vital that we look at the bigger picture: the streams and rivers in our area flooded their banks and showed everyone just how much they need access to their flood plains.

A stream or river also needs material to move; while a river is a balanced system, it is the most fluidly-moving balance I can think of. The water is constantly flowing, constantly adjusting to the changing conditions it creates for itself, and the energy inputs and levels are forever in motion. The rivers don’t just move water — they also move sediment, gravel, and boulders. In the stream-bed, these items are of incredible importance! They line the bed and banks, giving the water a rough surface to run against, helping to slow flood waters. Faster water can move larger items, and as it carries more, its mass increases and it effectively slows down again. The flood plains allow the rushing water to spread out, dissipating the energy it was using to scour gravel and fine particles from the earth. When we hem the streams and rivers into their beds, we change the equation and the increase the potential for much greater flood damage.

I urge anyone considering making changes to their stream or river bank or bed to contact the Agency of Natural Resources first to get help: Todd Menees is a Stream Alteration Engineer with the ANR and he can offer guidance and information about how your particular situation might be best resolved for your family and for the stream — you want to minimize the devastation of a future flood, so understanding what a river needs will help you keep your home and family safe when next the river rises. todd.menees@state.vt.us is one way to reach him; you could also call him at (802) 345-3510. Another venue is to reach Bill Van Fossen with the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Watershed Protection Program at (802) 295-7942, ext. 22.

Cleaning up after Irene

On August 28th, the remnants of hurricane Irene brought more than 7″ of rainfall to the Black River valley, causing mountain streams to swell and rush. The enormous volume of water in these tributaries added to the already-high Black River, and the domino effect began to take place…as the rushing water soaked and eroded soil, trees were washed into the river. Roads were gouged, bridges damaged or even swept away. Homes and businesses have been damaged, and the extent is still being assessed. Many people in towns along the Black River were marooned: Cavendish, Ludlow and Reading, to name a few.

Springfield wasn’t hit too hard, but here is a glimpse of some of the devastation.

How can you help? While the American Red Cross is poised to assist and town emergency teams are doing their best, the Black River Action Team is gearing up to tackle the after-math once the triage is handled.

The 12th Annual RiverSweep is ON — join us on Saturday, Sept. 10th between 8 am and noon to roll up your sleeves and lend a hand. Once we’ve coordinated with town managers and emergency departments, we’ll collect debris and trash from areas deemed safe to traverse, and we’ll map and photograph locations that might need future or professional help.

In the meantime, there are places you can visit in person or online to find out how you can help NOW:

LUDLOW
Black River Good Neighbor Service, 37B Main St, Ludlow (228-3663) ~ assistance for folks in need of food or clothing (serves Ludlow, Cavendish, Proctorsville, Belmont, Plymouth and Mt Holly).

CAVENDISH
The Cavendish Town Elementary School has food and is serving lunch from 12 noon till 2 p.m., dinner starting at 5:30 and snacks throughout the day. Breakfast will be served starting at 7 a.m. If only one family member can make it to the school, he or she will be sent home with sufficient food for the family.

READING
Still gathering information on this, but it sounds like the power is back on for most folks as of this evening (8/29), which is an important step.

PLYMOUTH
Check in at the town hall for information and possibly some assistance.

Adopt-the-River underway

Pick a stretch of river, a pond, lake, stream or wetland that you visit regularly, keep it clear of trash, and then pick a fun activity that will help keep the Black River healthy, clean, safe and enjoyable. What kind of activity, you may ask? So long as the bed and banks are not disturbed (think gravel-mining, tree cutting, bridge building, etc.), there are a hundred options! Projects can be artistic (nature journaling, landscape painting, poetry, photography) or recreational (a tubing trip or paddle outing, fly-tying workshop or birdwatching), scientific (water quality sampling, bacteria counting, fish habitat monitoring, culvert and storm drain monitoring) or just plain fun (aquatic bug hunt, wildlife tracking, invasive plant management –yeah, that can be fun!), you get to do a project or activity that suits your needs and interests.

The BRAT will help you get started as an individual, group, organization, business or club with designing a customized project that can meet curriculum requirements, community engagement or social responsibility mandates, and the interests and passions of you and/or your team. Most activities can be configured to be low- or no-cost, and BRAT is committed to being a full partner in this adoption: we’ll help with equipment, training and support in every way possible.

An exciting facet to the adoption program is its flexible and organic nature; you can change your activity from year to year or adapt it as your needs, abilities or interests change. Partnerships often develop between various entities, and you may find that a joint effort is born somewhere along the way!

There is ongoing work to develop an online interactive map of the Black River watershed, which will spotlight each adopted area with photos if you wish and a link to your business, organization, or team.

Intrigued yet? Let’s talk and see how the BRAT can help you connect with the Black River while you help the Black River stay healthy!