Field Trip: Forests, Flows and Faucets
Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Experience first-hand the challenges and benefits of sustainable forest and environmental flow practices for the management of healthy water systems. Transportation will be provided, and we will travel from the Hartford Hilton Hotel to the Barkhamsted Reservoir, and then to Great Mountain Forest in Norfolk Hartford, Connecticut. These are places you cannot easily visit on your own and where there are great programs using sustainable practices to protect water and forest resources.

For the morning session, participants will have the option to join one of two concurrent tracks. One group will explore watershed management and sustainable forest practices at the Barkhamsted Reservoir, which provides water to Hartford and the surrounding region, and where Hartford Metropolitan District has launched forest management and resource protection programs.. Participants will observe watershed management practices, such as creation and management of water quality buffers, and management of invasive species, along with sustainable forest practices, such as active harvesting and regeneration cuts. Participants will also tour the lower gatehouse and go inside the reservoir's dam.

Second track participants will travel to the nearby West Branch of the Farmington River to learn about the history of flow management of this system. We will observe first hand, riparian and watershed health and the trophy trout stream and will discuss the challenges of flow management for competing uses. We will have the opportunity to observe kick-net and other sampling methods of aquatic macroinvertebrates demonstrated by aquatic and fisheries experts, and will compare the species diversity and abundance in the regulated west branch to a nearby unregulated stream system.

For the afternoon, we will all travel to Great Mountain Forest, a 6,000 acre research and demonstration forest, to learn about the history and management of private forest systems. We will learn about the research conducted at the forest and practices for re-establishing a balanced and sustainable forest system for watershed protection and wildlife management. We will learn about the value of community forestry and forest products and visit a maple sugar house. We will conclude our visit with a wine and cheese reception at the 1870 farmhouse located at the forest. Transportation will be provided back to the Hartford Hilton Hotel. Join us for this exciting opportunity to enhance your knowledge of sustainable management practices for the protection of healthy water systems and forests.

Time	Event	Location
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Travel to Barkhamsted Reservoir Area	Depart from Hartford Hilton Hotel
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m	Water Supply Management and Sustainable Forest Management Practices Tour of Dam and Gatehouse	Barkhamsted Reservoir
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.	West Branch Farmington River - History and Challenges of Flow Management Stream exploration of regulated and unregulated stream reaches	West Branch Farmington River
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.	Lunch (will be provided)
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.	Travel to Great Mountain Forest
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.	Sustainable Forest Management Practices Wine and Cheese Reception	Great Mountain Forest
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.	Travel back to Hartford Hilton Hotel