WILD & SCENIC FARMINGTON RIVER

A 14-mile stretch of the West Branch Farmington River from Goodwin Dam in Hartland to the Canton/New Hartford line became a federally-designated Wild & Scenic River in 1994. In 2019, 1.1 miles in Canton were designated Wild & Scenic making the Upper Farmington River designated area a total of 15.1 miles. Learn more about Wild & Scenic here. Read the 2019 Annual Report here. Read the National Parks Service Partnership Wild & Scenic News from August 2020, highling the Farmington River here.

NEWS & EVENTS 

Mill District Nature Preserve - Hartland Land Trust's newly acquired land
FRCC Land Protection Program
FRCC supports conservation and restoration of the river as well as land protection within the five riverfront towns along the Upper Wild & Scenic Farmington River. FRCC is excited to announce supporting a recent Hartland Land Trust project:

Hartland recently has added 52 acres to the Mill District Preserve in West Hartland. The Preserve now totals 139 acres of contiguous, beautiful forestland. FRCC is happy to have been able to help fund this acquisition of forest wetlands and an upper perennial watercourse that drains into the West Branch Wild & Scenic Farmington River. Fred Jones, President of the Hartland Land Trust, says “The response from the community has been overwhelmingly supportive. Preserving this property in perpetuity provides another layer of protection to our pristine wetlands and will counter fragmentation and sensitive habitat loss.”

FRCC's Land Protection Program supports Land Trusts in Barkhamsted, Canton, Colebrook, Hartland, and New Hartford that are working towards acquiring important watershed land. More information and eligibility requirements can be found here.

2021 FRCC Representatives
The Farmington River Coordinating Committee has voted in officers for the 2021 fiscal year; we welcome Andrew Petitdemange from the National Park Service; Laura Hart has been appointed as the Farmington River Watershed Association (FRWA) alternative representative. 

FRCC OFFICERS
Dan Bowler, Hartland Representative - Chair
Mario Santoro, Barkhamsted Representative - Vice Chair
David Sinish, FRWA Representative - Treasurer
Lans Perry, Canton Representative - Secretary

SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS
Alison Murdock, New Hartford Representative - Resource Stewardship Chair
David Sinish, FRWA Representative - Education & Outreach Chair


Celebrate the River through Art
Please view our Wild & Scenic Art Show. The exhibit features art from members of the community who have been inspired by the area's Wild & Scenic characteristics: scenic beauty; free-flowing, clean water; fish & wildlife; recreation; and history & culture. 

The Art Show will be available to view as a video from December 21, 2020, through February 28, 2021. Thank you to artists Rita Bond, Dan Bowler, Tom Cameron, Jim DeCesare, Holly Hall, Fran Hoffnagle, Germaine Lemieux, Deborah Leonard, Jean Miller, and Robin Schofield.
View Art Show video here
View Quilt video here
The quilt is a beautiful rendition of the Farmington River with 25 different artists' interpretation of sections along the Wild & Scenic segment of the river. The quilt has an immense impact as artwork and as an educational piece. Quilt images above, left to right: Ovation Pool by Katherine Wadsworth, Goodwin Dam by Rosalind Spann, Hawes Pool by Yvonne Richard, High Bank Rapids by Susan Cane. 

 

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There is nothing like a day on the river - kayaking, fishing, or hiking along. But please remember to recreate safely. Our River Steward Team is out and about helping promote "No Glass No Trash" -  join us in keeping our outstanding resource protected for all - including wildlife! Check out the River Stewards new River Safety & Etiquette video.  #RecreateResponsibly

CONTACT US

Farmington River Coordinating Committee
PO Box 395
Pleasant Valley, CT 06063
Phone: 860-738-2456

Email

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MEETINGS
  • 4/19/2021 - Outdoor Meeting on Monday, April 19, 7PM at Matheis Grove, PSF - plus call-in 
  • FRCC Meeting Minutes 2/22/21
  • 5/3/21 - Education and Outreach Subcommittee Meeting 6:30 PM
  • 5/4/21 - Resource Stewardship Subcommittee   Meeting 6:30 PM

UPDATES

2021 Assistant River Steward Job Openings

The FRCC is hiring for the 2021 Summer Steward Team. To learn more please visit the River Steward Website.

New Phone Number

Please note our phone number is now : 860-738-2456. Please note - all FRCC meetings will be held as a conference call to protect the safety and health of the committee. 

PFAS

Learn what PFAS is, and the environmental impacts to the LOWER Farmington River by clicking here.

RESOURCES

HOW YOU CAN HELP

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:

  1. Recreation - Fishing, boating, tubing, camping, picnicing, hiking, biking, swimming
  2. Fish and Wildlife - Bald eagles, river otters, trout, salmon, black bears
  3. Scenic - Adjoining lands not altered much by humans, beautiful Satan's Kingdom, adjacent state forests, scenic ridges along both sides of river
  4. Historic - Old communities, 19th-century structures (mills), archaeological sites, historic buildings

The River Steward Website

Farmington River Quilt Site

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National Wild & Scenic Rivers System

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Farmington River Watershed Association  frwa-logo.png

 

Request to be added to our Newsletter

 

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Now available - get your copy today! Please submit a request here. Or read online here