NEWS & EVENTS
River Flows - to see the releases from the Colebrook River Reservoir and USGS gage stations on the Farmington River, click here
Annual Report - the FRCC Annual Report for last year has been published! Read on to learn about the programs and projects FRCC has been involved in and helped fund.
Fungal Diversity Study of the Upper Farmington River Report from 2023, by Dr. Li at the Connecticut Agricultrual Experiement Station
River Cleanup - Join the FRAA 4th Annual River Cleanup on Saturday, April 20th 9-1pm! Sign up here!
Tree Planting - Join the FVTU to plant trees in Peoples State Forest on Saturday, April 27th 9-1pm! Learn more here.
Barkhamsted Earth Day Nature Festival - Family Fun Sunday, April 28th 12:30-5pm
WILD & SCENIC FARMINGTON RIVER
A PARTNERSHIP WILD & SCENIC RIVER: PROTECTING THE UPPER FARMINGTON RIVER
Our river provides clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Every year, thousands of people canoe, kayak and fish the waters of the Farmington and visit the state parks, forests and historic mills that dot the river's edge. 15.1 miles of the Upper Farmington River - from the Goodwin Dam (aka Hogback) in Hartland to the confluence with the Nepaug River in Canton - are designed Wild & Scenic. The Farmington is among the first “Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers.” Protection comes from federal, state and local town governments and other organizations with a vested interest in the health of the river, from its initial designation in 1994. The additional 1.1 miles were added 2019, under the Dingell Act. It is critical that we work together to protect and preserve this natural beauty.
The Farmington River Coordinating Committee (FRCC) is an advisory body that was created when the river was designated to coordinate management activities, by implementing the Upper Farmington River Management Plan. The purpose is to promote long term protection of the Wild & Scenic Farmington River through the existing town, state and federal authorities. The Committee is made up of representatives of the five river-fronting towns (Hartland, Colebrook, Barkhamsted, New Hartford, and Canton), the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA), the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) the National Park Service (NPS), the Farmington River Angler's Association (FRAA), and the Farmington Valley Trout Unlimited (FVTU), who officially joined the committee in 2022. The FRCC office, located at the historic Squire’s Tavern, in Peoples State Forest in Pleasant Valley, Connecticut.
For a river to attain 'Wild and Scenic' status, it must be free-flowing and possess one or more Outstandlying Remarkable Values (ORVs). The Farmington River has several which help to make it such a special place:
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Recreation - Fishing, boating, tubing, camping, picnicing, hiking, biking, swimming
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Fish and Wildlife - Bald eagles, river otters, trout, salmon, black bears
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Scenic - Adjoining lands not altered much by humans, beautiful Satan's Kingdom, adjacent state forests, scenic ridges along both sides of river
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Historic - Old communities, 19th-century structures (mills), archaeological sites, historic buildings
Learn more about Wild & Scenic here. Read the FRCC Annual Report here. Read the National Parks Service Partnership Wild & Scenic News from August 2020, highling the Farmington River here.
Watch Rivers Cannot Defend Themselves
The Farmington River Quilt was at the State Capitol LOB concourse in September!
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