Blackledge and Jeremy River Field Trip
Blackledge and Jeremy River Field Trip
Where: Colchester, CT
When: October 6, 2019
Join SER – New England board representative Doug Thompson for a guided tour of some historic efforts to improve habitats along the Blackledge River and Jeremy River on Sunday, October 6, 9:45 am – 12:30 p.m. These sites contain projects completed in the 1930s, 1950s and within the last 20 years.
Trip leader:
• Doug Thompson Connecticut College
The Blackledge River and Jeremy River join to form the Salmon River, one of the best-known inland fisheries rivers in eastern Connecticut. This watershed has been of interest for decades and has a long history of human altercations to improve fish habitat. Projects in the 1930s, 1950s and more recently highlight some of the similarities and differences to “restoration” practices over the years. Learn what has worked and what some longer-term concerns are with a structural approach to habitat modification.
A section of river relocated in the 1950s that was modified to create a more sinuous channel. A large meander bend was also added to the river at the same time to enhance habitat.
A J-hook structure added to a section of the Blackledge River in 2004 to limit bank erosion and incision as part of a small bank treatment project.
Sponsored by the New England Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), the event is free and open to the public, with registration required. Contact Doug Thompson at dmtho@conncoll.edu (or 860-439-5016) to sign up.
Logistics:
- A modest parking lot is located on South Main Street in Marlborough, CT just west of Jerry Daniels Road. We will then proceed to three other stops in the vicinity
- Bring footwear suitable for possible wading.
No bathroom facilities on site.
