WESTFIELD – “Outdoor Fun in Your Watershed” will be the focus of the Westfield River Watershed Association’s twenty-first annual Westfield River Symposium on Saturday, April 11 at Scanlon Hall, Westfield State University. The keynote speaker is Joe Giffune, president of the Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. The keynote address starts at 8:30 and will address “The Green Evolution: A History of the Columbia Greenway”. Concurrent speaking sessions will occur at 9:45 and at 10:40, with short breaks in between sessions and after the speaking programs to visit exhibitors.
The 9:45 session offers the following concurrent topics and speakers: “Creation and Re-creation: Finding and Naming Birds (Seth Kellogg, Allen Bird Club and birding columnist for the Springfield Republican); “Westfield River Watershed: Fishing a Gem of the West” (Leanda Fontaine-Gagnon, Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife) and “The Trustees of Reservations in the Upper Watershed” (Jim Caffrey, The Trustees of Reservations).
Speakers and topics during the 10:40 session are: “The AMC Berkshire Chapter: Your Connection to the Outdoors” (Wayne Rodrigues, chair of the Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club) and “Recreational Opportunities in MassParks” (Domenick Sacco, District Manager, Conn. River Valley District, MassParks).
The Symposium also offers a chance to learn more about the region’s recreational and natural resources by visiting exhibitors that include many state and local parks agencies, plus area non-profit green and outdoor organizations. These exhibitors provide brochures, fact sheets and other materials to help attendees learn more about the natural riches of the Westfield River watershed and how they can become involved.
The exhibitors list includes: Appalachian Mountain Club, Connecticut River Watershed Council, Friends of the Columbia Greenway, Friends of the Keystone Arches, Friends of Robinson State Park, Mass. Division of Ecological Restoration, Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Naturalists’ Club, The Nature Conservancy, New England Forestry Foundation, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Western Mass. Fly Fishermen, Westfield River Invasive Species Partnership (WISP), Westfield River Watershed Association, Westfield River Wild and Scenic Advisory Committee, Westfield State University Environmental Planning Club, Westfield State University Outing Club/Wilderness Leadership Program, Winding River Land Conservancy.
After the Symposium, there will be two field trips for those interested. Marijoan Bull of Friends of the Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail and the WSU Department of Geography and Regional Planning will lead a walk on the rail trail. Seth Kellogg will lead a birding walk in Stanley Park. Those participating in a trip should meet at 1:15 in Scanlon Hall.
Finally, WRWA will again offer a great raffle of items ranging from nature books to fly fishing gear. All proceeds help support WRWA’s annual cleanups, school programs and events. The drawings will take place at 12:00 noon.
For more information about WRWA and the Symposium schedule, visit www.westfieldriver.org.
